Review: ANDREA MCARDLE'S BROADWAY ON DEMAND at The Laurie Beechman Theatre Will Be In Demand

How does a person become an icon?  In the theater, one becomes an icon by having something unique, something like nobody else that makes you stand on your own.  And one becomes an icon by playing a part, a memorable part that makes you a piece of the history of the business.  Well, Andrea McArdle has both of these things - she has a voice that is legendarily unlike any other, and she has a part, a titular part that makes her a one-and-only.  So Andrea McArdle is, indeed, an icon that people will always want to buy a ticket to hear sing.  But Andrea McArdle is more than that.  She is more than an icon, an actress, a singer, a part of theatrical history: Andrea McArdle is a wild thing.  In the story of Breakfast At Tiffany’s, Holly Golightly advises that you mustn’t give your heart to a wild thing, but she’s wrong, you can give your heart to Andrea McArdle.  But what you can’t do with this wild thing is tie her down.  Well this icon and wild thing is not tied down in her new show Andrea McArdle’S BROADWAY ON DEMAND - she has been set free, completely and totally free.

For her fabulous new residency at The Laurie Beechman Theater, Andrea McArdle is going script-less.  She is even going set list-less.  The original ANNIE is going up on the stage with only the slightest of nets, in the form Musical Director Steve Marzullo, and it’s a solid, sound, protective net, but it is slight because Andrea McArdle is building her show on the spot, in real time, with the help of her audience.  Now, this is not a new conceit, it has been done in different ways, by other artists.  It usually looks like this:  there is a bucket, or there is a hat, or there are numbers on the tables, and individuals reach into the bucket, or the hat, or onto the table, and call out a title, or a number, and the headliner sings the corresponding song, and isn’t that fun.  But Ms. McArdle has TWO buckets - one with potential song choices, and one with selected stories.  Andrea McArdle has been in the business long enough to have racked up some wild stories.  Factually, some of them could even be called WILD.  And she is coming clean, right on stage, in front of what are sure to be sold-out houses (her September 19th show was SRO).  It’s an all-inclusive, immersive, thrill of a ride, musical memoir happening in real time.  And while we have seen McArdle in plenty of nightclub acts and cabaret shows in the past, they have all worked off of a script, scripts that tied down this wild thing, that confined her.  When following those scripts, Andrea McArdle was not ever fully able to just let her wild thing flag fly.  Well, thanks to this show, the flag is flying and the wind is blowing, and Andrea McArdle is telling it like it was, is, and ever will be, with no censor.

It’s freaking amazing.

Andrea McArdle is a funny girl.  She’s actually a REALLY funny girl.  There are people out there who say funny things and people who say things funny, but Andrea McArdle hit the mother lode because she does both.  So when an audience member pulls out the piece of paper that says “Poppers” and Miss Andrea dives face first into this CRAZY story, it’s a roller coater ride of hilarity.  When another patron reaches in and calls out “Lea Michele” you have NO idea what the story is going to be - and it is a jaw dropper (the audience gasped in unison).  There are stories going back over the years to her times with Liberace, Carol Channing, Leslie Uggams, and the original cast of Annie.  There are reminiscences about Beauty and The Beast, Les Miserables, and the movie Rainbow (that many like me devoured, as young boys).  There are tangents that lead McArdle down paths she didn’t expect, paths from which she asks the audience to pull her back, repeatedly, by crying out, “What story am I telling?!”  It is one surprise after another because of those tangential lanes, and the audience at opening night could not have loved it (or her) more.  The program and the Lady are a font of refreshing candor, a wonderful chance to see a celebrity (an icon!) drop the veil, tell the truth, leave all the bullshit (forgive me, mama) behind, and do it without being offensive, crass, or rude, which some stars seem to think charming, but it isn’t.  Even in her most honest moments with the audience, Andrea McArdle is kind and generous… well, there might be ONE story that’s a little harsh on the subject, but it’s obviously deserved, and a fine confirmation of someone’s else’s reputation - and we all love at least a little bit of dish, don’t we?   Speaking personally, I’ve seen Miss McArdle a few times, I’ve written and spoken about how wonderful she is, but this is Andrea McArdle at her most wonderful.  Honestly, she could just do an evening of stories and the audience would be happy.

But, please, never let Andrea McArdle do an evening of just stories.  We need that voice.  We really do need it.

Big sigh.  Big beautiful audible sigh.  When you get to sit in a room and hear this sound, you don’t forget it.  When you get to sit in a room and see this artist, you feel every minute of it.  This is what, first, made Andrea McArdle an icon.  The voice.  It is amazing in a way that makes you cry.  And we did cry.  I wasn’t able to focus my camera while Andrea was singing “I Dreamed a Dream.”   My date (BroadwayWorld reviewer Ricky Pope) could be heard sniffling during the performance of “Superstar.”   At a nearby table, Susie Mosher could be heard oh-my-god-ing “NYC” and James Beaman could be heard calling bravas for “Don’t Tell Mama.”  And Robbie Rozelle could be heard cheering after "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart!"  It was a night filled with cheers and screams and shouts, as, one musical performance after another, Andrea McArdle demonstrated that which we all already know: she and her talent and her voice are unlike any other in this world.  This voice, this voice, this voice, it must be heard, live and in person.  It was truly a night that audience members will remember, and probably one they will return for - and lucky for them, they can, since Andrea McArdle’S BROADWAY ON DEMAND is a monthly date at The Laurie Beechman (a woman about whom Andrea had a few loving memories during storytime, by the way).   The D’Angora’s have done us all a favor and asked Andrea to bring her McArdle Magic to their basement every month, and it’s a good thing, too, because everyone is going to want to get there for this one.   The wild thing is out of the box, and she’s making every moment, musical or otherwise, iconic.

Andrea McArdle’S BROADWAY will play The Laurie Beechman Theatre at The West Bank Cafe on Saturday, October 11th, Friday, November 28th, and Saturday, November 29th - each night at 7 pm.   For tickets click HERE.  

Visit the Andrea McArdle Instagram page HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher