Review: DAMES AT SEA Is Cheerfully Cheered at 54 Below

The old ship of songs pulled into port at 54 Below, so to speak, and the crew (and cast) of the spiffy, spoofy musical Dames at Sea was docked at the nightclub for a concert version full of its pep and pastiche.The June 9th event was a case of what one might call “Double Nostalgia”; that is, there was a fondness for this adorable 60-year-old favorite which itself sparked nostalgia for cheery song-filled, thin-plotted stage productions and certainly movie musicals of decades earlier. Its elements are a loving but pointed homage to those “The show must go on!!” stories about putting on a show, with all the probable and improbable backstage drama, romances, clichés, stock characters, strife, star temperaments, star-making events, and sentimental sweetness set to sunny melodies suitable for dewy-eyed dreaming and dancing–yes, there was some real dancing!--along with miseries and, eventually, marriages. The play within the play loses its venue and, conveniently, is re-staged aboard a ship. Conveniently, the leading lady succumbs to seasickness so that the more endearing ingenue can take her place and become a lauded star. (In the original production, that ingenue was Bernadette Peters.)  

Michael Lavine was at the piano, more than ably serving as the musical captain of this vivacious vessel. His accompaniment was anchored in period-perfect sugar and spice.

The very impressive endeavor was produced, directed, and hosted by Charles Kirsch, much appreciated for the years-long Backstage Babble podcast with celebrity interviews and numerous Broadway-centric events at 54 Below and elsewhere. He’s a major theatre devotee who is majorly informed and majorly enthused when it comes to old-school musical comedies. Back in NYC for the summer, he was back on the familiar nightclub stage to put the songs in context with bonhomie and a wink or two. His terse and playful comments about the play and characters made it clear to newcomers that nothing needed to be taken seriously. (Note: No notes in hand for this very prepared guide.)

The convivial Kirsch warmly introduced the many participants, highlighting histories of those who’ve had some connection to Dames, such as the charming Loni Ackerman, who’d followed Bernadette Peters in the role of tap-dancing star-to-be Ruby and the splendid Kurt Peterson who was in the 1970 off-Broadway revival as songwriter Dick, the object of that character’s affection.  Randy Skinner, director of the 2015 Broadway mounting, who came on stage to speak and share some memories. (I found myself seated next to one of the cast members from the 1960s whose face widened in a smile when songs he once sang came up.)  

The score is a delectable treat and was treated affectionately. The music by Jim Wise and the lyrics by the team of George Haimsohn and Robin Miller (they also wrote the book) was well served. The leading roles were shared among numerous performers and it was a solid group. But special mention must be made of Paula Leggett Chase who, in a reality-imitiates-vintage plot twist, stepped in with very little notice for she who was indisposed,  dazzling in three appearances, being first at bat with one of them (“Wall Street”) and tap-dancing. When it came to the one number that had indeed been planned and prepared all along as her big showpiece, she exclaimed, “This one I know!!” Among other highlights by those not mentioned above, there was terrific torchiness by Allison Tucker, “The Sailor of My Dreams” dreamily crooned by Alexandra Socha, Britney Coleman’s cardiology condition of precipitous precipitation (”Raining in My Heart”), and there was something about “There’s Something About a Sailor” duetted deliciously by A.J. Shively and Megan Styrna that was especially seaworthy and noteworthy.  

This fizzy, fine concoction started out as a short piece performed in a coffee house, was expanded for off-off-Broadway and moved to off-Broadway, with tours and regional mountings, as well as some returns to New York City over the years, including a Broadway run in 2015. There was also a TV adaptation with three similarly-named stars (Ann Miller, Ann-Margret, and Anne Meara) and, appropriately for something titled Dames at Sea, overseas productions. 

Ready, willing, and able – focused and on target – Messrs Kirsch. Lavine, and the boatload of talented performers bringing back Dames at Sea were never, in the other sense of the term, “at sea.”

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See www.54below.org for other shows at the venue.  

Learn more about Backstage Babble and Charles Kirsch at charles-kirsch.com

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