I haven't been to Birdland since last year when I saw Jason Robert Brown perform there. And judging by the partial view seating I received tonight for THE LAST FIVE YEARS, I probably won't be back again until JRB comes back.
It was announced two months ago that JRB would make a return to Birdland in concert and that Lauren Kenny would join him. A few weeks later it was revealed that not only would they perform together, but that they'd do the entire score of THE LAST FIVE YEARS - with him at piano singing Jamie, and her nearby singing Cathy.
While JRB has often performed from the score in his concerts, Lauren actually originated Cathy in the show's first production in Chicago. Why didn't she do the role Off-Broadway? Cause she got offered the chance to play Nellie in Trevor Nunn's London revival of South Pacific.
So how were the two? Wonderful, of course. Lauren was able to deliver a far more nuanced performance since a) she is a trained actress, whereas JRB is not, and 2) she did not have to play piano simultaneously, like in a John Doyle Sondheim revival. Whereas Lauren never broke character, even when JRB was singing, JRB couldn't be that dedicated. His singing, of course, was animated and his performance usually compelling.
It seemed as though Lauren's voice was constantly breaking apart on high belting notes, but in her defense it is a very difficult score and who knows how much preparation she received beforehand.
The six-person band, which fully replicated the Off-Broadway orchestrations (2 cellos, violin, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, piano), was perfect. Totally perfect.
When will we see a full revival of the show in NYC? Who knows. But do we need one right now? I guess not. It's still receiving lots of regional productions here and there, and maybe it has a future in concert settings and with other performers.
Another performance has been added for Tuesday night, though that is supposedly also sold out. Maybe Birdland will add another for a future date? Or maybe Feinstein's will take the hint and give this a full week next season?