Review: KT Sullivan K.O.'s I'M GLAD I'M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE at The Laurie Beechman Theatre

The Laurie Beechman Theatre has become the Home of The Diva.  Starting last year with the Andrea McArdle residency, the sparkly, swanky cabaret theater has been running a successful string of Diva residencies, including Ms. McArdle, Lorna Luft, Lillias White, and Donna McKechnie.  Well, KT Sullivan has begun her residency at The Beechman with a show titled I’M GLAD I’M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE, but the Sullivan show is not one in the Diva series, and that is for a very good reason.  This is no Diva.  THIS is The Prima Donna.  THIS is The Maven.  THIS is The Doyenne. 

KT Sullivan is considered one of the champions of cabaret.  As the Artistic Director of The Mabel Mercer Foundation, she has her finger on the pulse of what is happening in the clubs, she takes an interest in the new talents on the scene, she is in the room when a known entity premieres a new show, she supports the educational division of the foundation, and she oversees the annual Cabaret Convention that acts as a literal Who’s Who in the industry.  KT Sullivan was one of the new cabaret talents in the Nineties, when Mistresses of the art form like Julie Wilson and Margaret Whiting lit and led the way, and now she does the lighting and the leading.  And in her new capacity as Prima Donna of the Beechman, KT Sullivan proves that those who teach actually can do.  The reason that KT Sullivan is equipped to lead, the reason she is equal to the task of guiding, is that she knows the craft of cabaret.  Ms. Sullivan understands everything about the intimate art form from proper script structure to audience connection, from correct vocal technique to astute acting ability, and, especially, KT Sullivan understands the importance of being exactly who you are when you are on the stage.  KT Sullivan is an original, absolutely, and it shows in every moment of I’M GLAD I’M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE.

At her July 13th performance of her new show (which gets one night of every month, through September), Ms. Sullivan spent her time at the piano, acting as her own accompanist as she sang a series of seriously great compositions from the history of popular music, featuring many anecdotes, histories, factoids, and tidbits.  You see, KT knows all of them - the trivia, the history, and the songs, as well as how they deserve to be performed to maximum storytelling enjoyment.  She is a one-woman-band these days, and it is working for her.  In the past, Sullivan has crafted shows that placed her at a microphone and someone else behind the piano, but her (relatively) new interest in playing for herself is paying off.   During her casual, comfortable, connected conversation with her audience, Sullivan touched on her return to the keys in recent years (her mother taught her some piano earlier in her life), her practice sessions during the quarantine, and her coming out party in the open front windows of the West Bank Cafe during the months just after the lockdown was lifted.  An amusing anecdote detailed Sullivan’s husband remarking that she played ballads very well … “But can you do comedy?”  The answer is a most definite YES, as evidenced by a handful of comedy numbers performed on the 13th.  This trained soprano and self-taught pianist is a skilled proficient at comedy, from the timing to the facial expressiveness to the acting out of characters and dialogue.  The comedy of I’M GLAD I’M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE is one of the key elements to the success of the show.  Whether she is performing (the HILARIOUS) “Someone’s Been Sending Me Flowers” or simply allowing her natural wit to flow from her (it really does flow abundantly), KT Sullivan is a very funny girl, which lends itself to one simple and undeniable fact:  she is irresistible.  It is impossible not to be drawn into an entertainer this entertaining, to be besotted by a beauty this beguiling. 

So, what do we have, so far?  A historian who knows the material, a craftsperson who understands the format, a comic who lands the laughs, and a human being who is appealing in all of their authenticity.  That only leaves the music to discuss, and there, one can never go wrong with KT Sullivan.  Her skill as a pianist is good, and getting better (she jokes that, during the pandemic, the West Bank audiences were lucky there were sirens going by the window that drowned out the sour notes - there are few, if any, sour notes now), but her skills as a soprano are as supreme as they have ever been.  Sullivan is in great voice, powerful voice, and not always in her upper register, either, for this soprano has some lovely low tones, too (well… as low tones as she would care to make them), and wherever she lands on the scale, her sound is rich and luscious, with exquisite control and a pure quality about it.  It is a genuine pleasure to hear her sing, as it has always been.  The program for I’M GLAD I’M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE is a finely curated collection of compositions ranging from the 1943 standard “While We’re Young” (sweetly arranged, by the way, to meld with the show’s title song) to the 1978 song from THE DEER HUNTER, “He Was Beautiful,” from musical monologue “Isn’t He Adorable” to the character-laden “I Travel Alone.”  There is variety in the collection, both in the genre of material and the style of performance - she travels with ease between Noël Coward and Johnny Mandel, and she pivots from heartwarming to gut-splitting with the aplomb of a pair of comedy/tragedy masks.   Sullivan features works by friends and family - her usual setlist features compositions by mother, Elizabeth Sullivan, and sister, Heather Sullivan, though the July 13th concert switched out their place in her set list for a little Irving Berlin/Lady Liberty action, having been so soon after July 4th.  A treat, though, was her rendition of John Forster’s “Looking Forward To The Past” with him in the room - an introduction from the stage drew appreciative applause from the crowd, having just reveled in KT’s performance of the wonderful composition.   The entire night just seemed like an embarrassment of riches… and that includes the section of the night dedicated to KT Sullivan’s guest artist.

Oh, yes, there’s a guest artist for each of KT Sullivan’s nights at The Beechman.  Earlier in her run, KT had Mark Nadler over for some fun, and next month she will be joined by Bryon Sommers, but on July 13th it was the most debonair man in the business (and the proprietor of the best head of hair, for heaven's sake), Eric Yves Garcia.   Mr. Garcia is a perfect playmate for KT Sullivan because they both embody an erudite elegance mixed with a mischievous whimsy, one eliciting sighs of dreaminess and the other, gales of giggles.  Garcia is quite the raconteur, oftentimes speaking off-the-cuff, albeit with purpose and intention - the off-the-cuff is an important observation because it can lend itself to some charming tangents filled with laughter and quirk.  But when the random chit-chat leads back to the musical programming, the audience is the lucky recipient of one musical offering after another, replete with excellence of both vocals and keywork.  Eric Yves Garcia is a magnificent (underline it) pianist, with his fingers executing a thrill a minute, and his vocals are creamy and dreamy and (as the saying goes) to die for.   Swoon-worthy is another way to describe it.  With la fête nationale happening the very next day, Garcia’s set was all French-themed, and a good thing, too, for it added mightily to the proceedings.  With a mere three songs, EYG transported the crowd to a musical mini-France where they could sway back and forth with their eyes closed, their heads bobbing in time with the music, and sated smiles across their faces - and, if they spoke French, they might even mouth along with Eric Yves, though it is better to let him do the heavy lifting because that voice in French is even better than in English, if that were even possible.  Sheer heaven.  The Garcia set for the night was a lush “La Belle Vie,” an appropriately sumptuous “The Summer Knows,” and a sprightly, sophisticated “C’était Moi.”  Mister Garcia and Miss Sullivan are a sublimely matched pair, as artists and as friends - a privilege to see in the act, together, particularly when dueting on The Irving Berlin ballad “Once Upon a Time,” which brought KT back to the center spot to close out the evening’s entertainment, and a true entertainment it was.  Truth be told, Sullivan could captivate an audience with seventy minutes all on her own, but it’s always more fun to have a friend join you in the sandbox, and it showed - a glance around the room gave this writer a look at a throng of truly happy music lovers.  Also, it is part of this Doyenne’s mission to raise the artist to the light while raising audience awareness, which is one of the benefits of seeing a different guest artist every month.  You get more bang for your buck, an introduction to an artist you might not know, and something unique in seeing each friendship and artistic collaboration in action. Even when creating art of her own, KT Sullivan continues her mission to promote and support the cabaret industry, including audience enjoyment.  In both of these acts, with her residency at The Laurie Beechman, KT Sullivan most assuredly succeeds.  

The season of The Prima Donna has officially begun.

KT Sullivan will return to the Laurie Beechman Theater on August 18th at 7:00 with another instalment of I'M GLAD I'M NOT YOUNG ANYMORE featuring guest artist Bryon Sommers.  Tickets can be accessed HERE.

Visit the KT Sullivan website HERE and the Mabel Mercer Foundation website HERE.

Eric Yves Garcia has a website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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