Review: Macon Prickett Boisterous and Buoyant in MACON: HIS OWN WAY... THE FINALE! at 54 Below

I had my reservation to see Macon Prickett’s third and final (*ahem*) installment of his debut cabaret show MACON: HIS OWN WAY! on November 1st.  Having attended the very first iteration of the club act, and then missed the (freshened up) second performance, I knew I wanted to see the third and final (*ahem*) version of the show, which Prickett rearranges, each time he plays the show.  It was on my calendar for months…and then life got in the way and I had to miss the performance.  Stephen Sorokoff stepped in for a wonderful photo flash (HERE), but in a private conversation with BroadwayWorld Cabaret editor Rebecca Kaplan, it was decided that I should review the livestream.  Back in business and happy to share duties with Mr. Sorokoff, I sat back and awaited the arrival of the Vimeo link from Macon…  and in that same week that the link arrived in my inbox, I saw the news that MACON: HIS OWN WAY! did not, in fact, play it’s (*ahem*) final performance.  There is one more encore scheduled for December 18th at 9:30 pm, with a livestream, so here I am, fresh off of my livestream viewing, to say bottom line on top: Macon Prickett is worth seeing.  And though he intends to keep making cabaret, this may be the actual finale of MACON: HIS OWN WAY!, and there’s only one first time of anything.  Get this first time on your list.

When Mr. Prickett made his inaugural steps onto the 54 Below stage, onto the cabaret stage, he hit all his marks; even with the baubles and hiccups that a first-timer has, it was clear that Macon Prickett had found his form of artistic expression.  That was November of 2024 (read my review HERE).  As he closes out this third show, it is clear to see that he has absorbed more from the stars whose work he witnesses, and from the tutelage he has had from new bff, Marilyn Maye.  From the bird’s eye view on the livestream, watching Prickett power his way through the 54 Below dining room with his opening number (“Let’s Hear It For Me”), you can see the confidence and the star quality.  This work comes to him naturally, and so do the people.  He has a patent knack for it, and it rolls off of him like spun gold off of Rumplestiltskin’s spinning wheel.  A glittery bundle of mirth and manic energy, Macon reaches into the darkest, furthest corner in his ambition to connect with the people in the audience (there are times when the energy and excitement leave Macon breathless, but he’ll perfect that balance soon enough).  Prickett does, in fact, leave the stage a few times during the musical outing to journey into the audience for frolic, flirtation, and frivolity.  Never a trace of hesitation or trepidation, Steamroller Prickett is rarin’ and ready to go.  Mind you, it isn’t all belting and stamping around the room like Bette Davis - Macon: His Own Way! has moments of introspection, both in the music and the monologues (a mash-up of "Too Late Now" and "I'll Be Seeing You" is particularly moving).  When sharing his non-musical stories, Prickett is wildly genuine, and although there is laughter galore, even humor has its softer side, and it doesn’t matter the topic or tone, in Macon’s hands everything is credible.  There is absolute absence of pretense in Prickett’s presentation, so when he tells those personal stories, you know everything is true, from the written to the spoken.   He’s quite a marvel, and quite a mensch.

Prickett’s set list was different than the one he used in November 2024 and earlier this year, though some of the tunes cross-pollinated all three shows, and that’s fine  -  it’s sort of like Build-a-Bear Cabaret.  The themes are the same, Macon’s the same, it’s just the songs that change, and that gives him a chance to sing more songs he likes, and gives us a chance to hear more music that we could like in Macon’s voice.   There is plenty of big singing (which seems to be a specialty of Prickett’s) but it fits into various lanes, like the “Hello, Dolly!” singalong that savors of campery, with an enormous feather boa and much crowdwork, as opposed to a very faithful “The Wizard and I” that plays it straight and sincere.  There is comedy, like “Are You Having Any Fun?” and there is drama, like “The Winner Takes It All,” and there are showstoppers.  An evening highlight was a prom king story (complete with crown) that led into a letter-perfect “You’ll Be Back” that could land Macon back on the legitimate theatrical stage, if the video went viral.   There were also foibles, and that’s life - it’s going to happen to anyone, and, on this day, it happened to Macon and Sondheim, when a performance of “Putting It Together” got away from the headliner.  But, in cabaret and in life, it’s important to take big swings.  This was a big swing, and a big miss, and Macon Prickett handled it like a pro, bending over to pick up his lyric cheat sheets from the floor, flamboyantly tear them up and toss them away, saying, “It coulda been worse!”  Classic star move, and bravo to Prickett for using the moment to get the audience to love him more.

Other moments to make you love him more were spot on performances of “She’s A Woman” (again, with a great monologue lead in), “Just in Time” (with the Kay Thompson/Mort Lindsey arrangement for Judy Garland, no less), and one of the best “I Am What I Am”s you’ve ever heard.  These three created a trifecta perfecta that cabaret artists dream of and strive for, but Prickett’s got them.  The other thing cabaret artists dream of and strive for is the ungettable get, the great guest, and Macon’s got that, too, in the person of Marilyn Maye, the world’s greatest living cabaret performer.  Together Macon and Maye made magic in a segment that made the price of a ticket worth paying.  It was an unquestionable coup, but not a surprising one.  Marilyn and Macon are a good team.  They go well together and one suspects we will see them together again.  On the subject of reunions on the stage, a big part of the success of his show was the reuniting of Macon and his band, Ben Golder-Novick on Reeds, Nathan Repasz on Drums, Wyatt Tvenge on Bass, and Canaan J. Harris on Musical Direction, arrangements, and the Piano.  When a singer finds a band with which they work so seamlessly, they should hang on tight.  This should be the team, moving forward, in all things.  And it must be said that the quality of the 54 Below livestream is exceptional.  With crisp, clear camera angles from around the room, Amanda Raymond’s sound design, and the lighting design of Becky Morris, Yoni Hirschfeld was able to produce a livestream worthy of a network, and, more importantly, worthy of Macon Prickett.  The 54 Below livestreams have become an essential part of the cabaret scene, sending New York City entertainment out over the world.  It had been a long time since I had seen one, and this was a welcome return to the art form of digital cabaret.  Well done to the basement!  

Macon Prickett will present MACON: HIS OWN WAY - THE COMEBACK! On December 18th at 930 pm with a livestream option.  Tickets to the live show are HERE and to the livestream HERE.

Macon Prickett is online HERE.