Before he sang a single note, Joel Grey provided the answers to the two questions he claimed the entire audience was asking itself—five-foot-five and 1932.  That introduction would be a foretaste of the canny showmanship Grey displayed in his 90-minute concert.  He opened with a welcoming medley that included “That Face” and “Where or When.”  Other major set pieces included: a meditation on musical vamps (the song intros, not the chanteuses); a tribute to his father, Mickey Katz, a major novelty singer of the mid-20th century; and a tribute to Irving Berlin.  Adding to the kitchen-sink aspect of the evening were Borscht Belt jokes, a Q&A with the audience, and film clips from appearances on 1960s-era variety shows.

As a performer, Grey showed a special comfort both in performing for and responding to his audience.  He commanded the full stage (which was otherwise filled with a twenty-piece orchestra) and punctuated his songs with remarkable dance moves.  He was least effective delivering a solo song rooted to center stage, although the sections where he combined dialogue, movement and song, such as his Berlin tribute, were breathtaking.  Marvin Laird provided seamlessly excellent musical direction, and Cubby O’Brien’s work on drums provided Grey with superb punctuation.

A lack of references to the Chicago revival or Wicked, as well as an allusion Grey made to “earlier this century” (meaning the 20^th), suggests that he has been doing this concert for a while. But seeing him perform his closing medley from Cabaret followed by his encore of “For All We Know” was to truly witness the fruits of a half-century of performing experience.

Michael Miyazaki
Cabaret Scenes
September 25, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org