Review: THE MARVELOUS MARILYN MAYE Makes History And Legend At Carnegie Hall

For many, the mere mention of the famed Carnegie Hall brings to mind one special night, a night during which a concert occurred that was so extraordinary that, even before its conclusion, it had become legendary. The day after that concert, the years, the decades, and a new century later, the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall concert has remained legendary. People who were there declare it to be the most memorable night they have ever spent in a theater. People who were not there hail the recording as the greatest album of their experience. The stories are fabled, the arrangements are copied, and the concert itself has even been recreated by today's artists. Legendary.

On Friday night, March 24th, 2023, there was a concert at Carnegie Hall that people are calling legendary, and that, years from now, people will be speaking of in the same way that the Judy Garland show has been described. Those people are not, and will not be, wrong. The Marvelous Marilyn Maye concert became legendary, while it was happening, in real-time.

Marilyn Maye will be ninety-five on April 10th. She has never been coy about her age, she often names it in the titles of her birthday week shows. Marilyn Maye has been doing the show business thing for decades, thrilling people with her live performances, her albums, and her television appearances (it is often mentioned that Maye appeared on The Carson Show more times than any other singer). Marilyn Maye has garnered the devotion of audience members and the respect of other singers (a famous quote by Ella Fitzgerald pronounces Marilyn "the greatest white female singer in the world"). Marilyn Maye has been a force of nature in the business, opting out of retirement, refusing to stop high-kicking, and miraculously intact of vocal power and skill. Marilyn Maye is the favorite singer of every person working in cabaret and concert, and all of her shows sell out. But Marilyn Maye never played a solo concert at Carnegie Hall. Shocking.

Sometimes things must line up just the right way, in order to add to the creation of a legend. By making her Carnegie Hall solo concert debut with The New York Pops, Marilyn Maye was guaranteed the kind of musical accompaniment so auspicious an occasion deserves. Oh, it was going to be great with Tedd Firth at the piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Mark McLean behind the drums, that is a certainty, to be sure - but adding in that orchestra ensured the kind of thrills that come with the overtures from Mame (Act One) and Hello, Dolly! (Act Two); how often do we get to hear those spectacular pieces of music, live and in person, performed by an orchestra like The Pops? Legend. With her debut concert occurring during Women's History Month as a part of the Women In Music series, Marilyn Maye's place in the histories of both music and women can be acknowledged and understood, in a manner as outstanding as she is. Legend. As her Carnegie Hall solo concert bow was planned so close to her birthday, opportunities arose for real human emotion and connection, like having thousands of audience members and over a hundred musicians perform "Happy Birthday" as an enormous bouquet is delivered to the overwhelmed musical storyteller. Legend. And all of this was compounded and magnified when Maestro Steven Reineke presented a Proclamation from Mayor Adams declaring March 24th, 2023 to be Marilyn Maye day, leaving Carnegie Hall's guest artist shocked, surprised, and wiping back tears of joy. Legend.

In spite of all of these factors, what really made the evening legendary was Marilyn Maye herself. Looking like two million bucks (one million decked out in gold and one million decorated in aquamarine), Marilyn Maye spent two hours singing like she has never sung before. There should be a new world for the degree of interpretive skills and the unfathomable vocal power that was on display on Friday night. When she wasn't chatting charmingly with the audience (with the same intimacy that she employs at Birdland and 54 Below), Marilyn Maye strutted and sashayed around the stage, making sure to spread her presence to each side of the hall, while singing the epic medleys for which she is so well known. It seems almost impossible for anyone to remember the lyrics to so many songs that have been fashioned into medleys of this nature, but Marilyn Maye had the words, the arrangements, and all of her vocal stylings right out front and center, as she presented a Cole Porter medley, a rainbow-themed medley, and a My Fair Lady mash-up, each one rich with intricacies she and Mr. Firth have created to match the Maye aesthetic. Each of these three Marilyn Maye medleys scored a standing ovation (that's three out of eleven ovations this writer counted all night, although one or two might have slipped by me) but it wasn't only about these lengthy and complicated forms of storytelling, for Ms. Maye also inspired cheers with her famous rendition of "It's Today" and drew tears with a devastating "Joey, Joey, Joey" (an evening highlight for this writer). One after another, Marilyn Maye left her audience overcome with all the feels, from her wit as an orator to her talent as a teller of tales, and although most of the evening's programming came from The Great American Songbook and the musicals of Broadway and Hollywood, her final moments on the stage gave every impression that this was a rock star we were seeing, as Marilyn Maye danced and gyrated and sang out, up, and down with James Taylor's "The Secret of Life" (which, not surprisingly, was arranged with another song, the iconic "Here's To Life," which has never been sung quite the same way as by the expertly qualified nonagenarian). This was one of the great nights, memorable and moving, and everyone was there to see it.

Strolling through the lobby before the show, one might spot Rex Reed, David Zippel, Jamie deRoy, or Mark Sendroff heading to their seats. Stretching one's legs during intermission, there might be glimpses of Donna McKechnie, Susie Mosher, Klea Blackhurst, or Gabrielle Stravelli visiting with friends. During any of the ovations, one's gaze might fall on Susie Clausen, Gerrilyn Sohn, Ari Axelrod or Jeff Harnar. At the evening's end, one might come across Broadway besties Jim Caruso and Max Von Essen. And recent Marilyn Maye New York Times journalist Melissa Errico could be seen, as beautiful as ever, beaming with joy as she stood with husband Patrick McEnroe, watching her subject take yet one more bow. The crowd, as the saying goes, went wild all night long, and not just the famous friends (like Birthday Boy Bob Mackie, who Marilyn greeted from the stage), or the industry professionals, or the die-hard fans. Standing on the orchestra floor and craning to see the upper levels, one could observe people leaning over the edge, cheering; hands could be seen vigorously applauding and waving. A sea of happy, smiling, shouting faces could be seen, reacting to the thrill of witnessing Marilyn Maye sing the stories of "Fifty Percent" and "Guess Who I Saw Today?" and Maestro Reineke (who was in his usual fine form) took the time to call out the members of the audience from PopsEd and Kids On Stage, young people who were probably getting to see Marvelous Marilyn Maye for the first time, probably being exposed to this kind of storytelling for the first time. It was an unforgettable night for everyone. Whoever the person is that is responsible for saying, "Do you know who we need to get to sing with The Pops?", they are to be congratulated and thanked for giving us another legendary lady in a new legendary concert.

Years ago Marilyn Maye was given the moniker Marvelous Marilyn Maye. In her recent Times article, Melissa Errico called her The Unsinkable Marilyn Maye. The truth of the matter is that any such title will do because Marilyn Maye is, today, as she has always been, everything. For this writer who has, for some time, marveled at the breadth of her talent and endurance, she is The Unstoppable Marilyn Maye. And The Unstoppable Marilyn Maye has a birthday concert in a few days, so wind her up and watch her go, go, go.

All photos by Genevieve Rafter Keddy except where noted.

Visit the Carnegie Hall homepage HERE.

Find the New York Pops homepage HERE.

THIS is the Marilyn Maye website.

Marilyn Maye is at 54 Below April 8, 9, & 10 - make reservations HERE.

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