Mark Nadler’s show was a fascinating newsreel of the politics, pop culture and music of 1961, the year of his birth. He’s an energetic, sometimes over-the-top performer with a devoted following.

He began his 1961 journey with the story of his conception the night of JFK’s inauguration, January 21, when his dad’s condom broke, leading somehow to Nadler singing “Once in a Lifetime” (Newley/ Bricusse) and then to the oddity “Hey, Jimmy, Joe, John, Jim, Jack, Erwin” by Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, a darkly funny ditty about the pitfalls of life.
Mr. Nadler kept tossing out masses of facts about 1961, all fascinating, some funny. There were social issues (the nuclear threat, fallout shelters, Peace Corps), pop culture (TV series, Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall, etc.), food (introduction of FritoLay’s corn chips), many Broadway shows (represented by “Never Trust a Virgin” with Harburg’s lyrics set to Offenbach’s melody from The Happiest Girl in the World) and films (“Cruella de Vil” by George Bruns & Mel Leven from 101 Dalmations). Nadler gave exaggeratedly smarmy interpretations to each.

And so the show went: humorous facts linked to songs, culminating in a bizarrely funny fifty-song marathon, just to make sure he hadn’t left out anyone’s favorite. How his band kept up with his manic pace is a testament to their professional acumen: Scott Johnson, guitar; John Loehrke, bass; Sherrie Maricle, drums; Dennis Joseph, reeds.

Ending the show with a gentle “Moon River,” Nadler somehow tamed the tornado that was his show into a sweet breeze.

Joel Benjamin
Cabaret Scenes
May 26, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org