Review: Lorna Luft Looks Back On Her Life With 70, GIRL, 70 at 54 Below
Lorna Luft celebrated her 70th birthday from February 9 through 11th at 54 Below.
She's putting the jacket back on. On Thursday, February 9th, Broadway legend Lorna Luft was back at 54 Below, opening a vibrant new cabaret act that ran for three performances this weekend. 70, Girl, 70 is more than just a birthday show: it's a celebration and retrospective of Luft's life, filled with anecdotes ranging from funny to earnest. Now that she's 70 (last birthday she "turned 35... twice"), she's looking back on everything from her incredible career (with movies like Grease 2 and a healthy list of cabaret shows and theater roles) and the joy her family has brought her. You'll walk away knowing something new about Luft, like her involvement with the Academy Awards opening number that damaged producer Alan Carr's career or the truly awful venues she had to play when she was starting out as a cabaret singer.
The song choices brought us through Luft's life, with some songs she's sung in her career, like selections from Promises, Promises, her first Broadway show. Luft nailed the pain behind Hal David and Burt Bacharach's poppy ballad "I'll Never Fall in Love Again." It was a bittersweet performance, as she fondly remembered Bacharach, who had passed away earlier that day. She also sang numbers that reminded her of her son and daughter and spoke at length about how much she loves her family, and how grateful she is to have them in her life. In one of the highlights of the night, she reminisced about Grease 2 and tried on her Pink Ladies jacket for the very first time since she had wrapped filming it over 40 years ago - and it still fit!
Luft was accompanied by a three-piece band led by Luft's husband Colin Freeman at the piano (Freeman also served as music director), Josh Priest on drums, and Marc Schmeid on bass. Luft and Freeman came up with some interesting arrangements for familiar standards, opening with a jazzy mashup of "Once In a Lifetime" from Subways Are for Sleeping and Bobby Darin's "As Long As I'm Singing" and closing with a rousing acoustic, Broadway-esque acoustic version of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing." The night was a treat from start to finish, and it was a thrill to hear Luft's voice fill the room at 54 Below.
For more information on 54 Below you can visit their website, and follow them on Twitter or Instagram at @54Below.
Follow Lorna Luft on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LornaLuftOfficial/, on Twitter @Lorna_Luft, and on Instagram at @lornaluftofficial
54 Below is located at 254 W 54th St. Cellar, NYC 10019
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