BWW Reviews: Hurricane Promotions Presents THE MIDTOWN MEN

Opening the night was local band The Yat Pack who makes their home in The Burgundy Bar at The Saint Hotel every Thursday night. These guys performed swinging numbers from the 60's - think Frank Sinatra, Louis Prima, and Dean Martin - as well as some more modern big band style music from artists like Michael Bublé and Harry Connick, Jr. They played for about an hour, and the music was great! Silky smoothe voices, sassy tunes, and they kept the jokes coming. Following their performance was about a twenty-minute intermission where the audience had time to grab a drink or two and mingle.

Then came the big event. The JERSEY BOYS fan girl in me was all kinds of excited... you know the kind of excited when a little kid keeps squirming in his chair and clapping his hands? That was me. The audience member who whooped at the mention of Mr. Hoff's Tony Award and Mr. Spencer's role in NEXT TO NORMAL? Also me. Anyway... the guys run out on stage, open with "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Sherry," and for the next 90 minutes sang a bunch of tunes that were so fun you couldn't help but to dance in your seat like "Good Lovin'," "Groovin'," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Build Me Up Buttercup," "Happy Together," "Vehicle," "California Dreamin'," "I Want You Back," and "Bye Bye Baby."

My favorite part of the show was when the guys each took a moment to introduce one of their fellow group members and let us in on their journey to becoming THE MIDTOWN MEN. We learned that Michael Longoria (who is apparently destined to have his professional life revolve around the 1960's) made his Broadway debut in HAIRSPRAY, Daniel Reichard has a whole lot of siblings, Christian Hoff took his kids to his incredibly unexpected JERSEY BOYS audition, and J. Robert Spencer can still act like the sassy Rum Tum Tugger that he is (Any CATS fans in the house?)... purr, purr. After each member was introduced, they got the chance to take front and center and wow the audience with a song that showed off their killer voices. And can I just talk about Daniel Reichard blasting us with the most soulful rendition of "Cry For Me" ever to exist? Please. This guy... so talented. It was one of those moments that if I had a real-life remote control, I would have rewound and watched over and over again. The show culminated with the audience members on their feet dancing and singing along to one of my personal favorites "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)."

One fact that you can't deny is that THE MIDTOWN MEN have a whole lot of fun. They so very clearly love what they do, and even though the Mahalia is a rather large theater, their concert felt like we were all a bunch of friends hanging out and jamming to some great music. Following the show, the guys headed out to the lobby to sign their CD's and take a few pictures with their fans. I've been to a whole lot of concerts, but I've never actually seen anyone do that before. It is a tradition in the Broadway community for the cast to greet fans at the stage door after a performance, and so maybe this is where the idea came from. But it really was special watching these guys give 210% on stage, and then take the time to graciously interact with their fans. Bravo, gentlemen, and thank you for a night that I will certainly always remember!

If you were unable to catch THE MIDTOWN MEN at the Mahalia, never fear! They have a live concert special that will be released this year on PBS. Check out your local television listings and set those DVRs to record! Or, to find them on tour, visit http://www.themidtownmen.com/concerts. And, please consider donating to Team Gleason here.