Review: MARILYN MAYE Packs a Wallop in a Packed House at 54 Below

Those of us who’ve seen and written about Marilyn Maye’s performances numerous times have a dilemma.  We’ve run out of positive adjectives and that once-trusty thesaurus isn’t much help anymore.  Her first RCA record album was alliteratively titled Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye and the apt adjective someone had come up with back in the day stuck — and applies to this day in every way for Maye.  And this dilemma we deal with brings to mind the song called “Too Marvelous for Words.”  Reacting to the singer’s verve and vocal stamina, a wide-eyed woman at the table in front of me at Miss Maye’s opening night of a set of performances at 54 Below kept turning to her companion and mouthing the word “Amazing!!” I’d already promised myself not to use that word – at least not on its own.  I guess I could dress it up by saying that M.M. puts the “zing” in “amazing.” After all, her rendition of “I Love You Today,” a song that appeared on the aforementioned album, written by Steve Allen who brought her to wider audiences via his TV show,  sounds as warm now as it did then (1965). 

Another track from that LP was from My Fair Lady, but now this fair lady gives us more from the score, jazzier, snazzier, pizzazzier, with “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face” switching its pronoun to be “your face” so it can be sung on stage to each “you” in the audience, with appreciation for her following.  But before she gets to the stage, she strolls among the tables with the same agenda, singing a medley of other songs with the word “face,” smiling, making eye contact, in a sweet meet-and-greet.  Meet marvelous Marilyn Maye, first-timers.  Returnees are welcoming back the conquering hero with the kind of cheers and applause usually reserved for the team winning the World Series. And that’s fitting for someone who’ll be knocking it out of the park time and again through the night, wearing a Bob Mackie outfit instead of pin stripes and cap. 

That energy doesn’t dim. She is in great voice and good spirits and in good hands with her top-tier trio.  While most of the repertoire is familiar to those who are Maye mavens, it’s all surefire and on fire.  Adding glow and fuel to the fire for fierceness and fun is the hot triumvirate: Tedd Firth on piano, Saadi Zain on bass, and Mark McLean on drums.  They serve her well and steer her well and all is well.  The season at hand was acknowledged with the inclusion of two numbers with bittersweet lyrics by Johnny Mercer, a special favorite of hers: “Autumn Leaves” and “When October Goes.” And when she gets to imparting James Taylor’s summation of “The Secret o’ Life” she is a convincing, comforting sage imparting advice and wisdom.  When it comes to an out-and-out happy song, like “This Could Be the Start of Something” (Steve Allen again), it can be the start of jubilant that is infectious. Talk is charming, with some gentle humor, a bit of reflection, and some memories that include references to early days back in Kansas City (where she’ll be zipping to between the 54 Below dates), plus a few words with a 10-year-old boy who was sitting ringside and came onto the stage.   

So how does Marilyn Maye rekindle the magic time after time after time?  She’s got the talent, she’s got the show biz smarts, she’s got the love for performing, she communicates, and she’s in command.  When she happily sings “I’ve Got the World on a String,” it seems to be true and we’re glad —and privileged — to string along and be in her world.     

See Marilyn Maye’s dates at 54 Below and the venue’s other offerings HERE 

Marilyn Maye has a website HERE  

Photos from opening night by Conor Weiss.  More of those are in a separate display HERE.