Review: Seth Sikes Sparkles in the Singular SING A SONG WITH ME at 54 Below

If you’re thinking ahead to autumn’s entertainment offerings in cabaret, looking for your “happy place” to put on a happy face, think about marking your calendar for September 22 when Seth Sikes will return to 54 Below with his ebullient show. With his sunny disposition and clarion voice, plus a life-affirming vibe and smiles, the earlier presentation in the merry month of May was something that had the kind of welcome and welcoming escapism and joy that could “ease your worries, touch your heart, move the heavens, lift your spirits, and dry your tears.” If those five phrases sound familiar, you know they are words written by Paul Zakrzewski, who died last year, with a melody by Wally Harper, who himself has been gone for 22 years. The song in question is “Sing a Song with Me,” which was a specialty number in Barbara Cook’s repertoire, and it suits the likes of Sikes and is indeed the title number for his show. And he does a splendid job with this warm rouser.

 But don’t worry if you’re allergic to audience sing-alongs: The invitation in the title is NOT offered or taken literally for the audience to actually chime in with him on this number or the others. [Insert sigh of relief here.]  Because if Seth Sikes is boldly delivering an upbeat tune or more calmly crooning, you don’t want anyone drowning him out or competing. His piping voice – which sometimes could have a more metallic edge in his early shows when he was belting showstopper after showstopper in acts devoted solely to the repertoires of big-voiced divas – is smoother here, and more varied. And the impact is more rewardingly on the personable personality of the performer himself, rather than being restricted to being purely an effective “tribute artist” mostly staying strictly in the styles and architectures of archetypes of certain types (although he does that quite engagingly, despite the long shadows the female superstars cast).

The September 22 encore won’t be exactly the same, as he’ll be switching from one top-drawer musical director/pianist to another. The May show featured Billy Stritch, who joined him on some numbers — the only one who took him up on the suggestion to “sing a song with…— while Tedd Firth will man the keyboard for the September encore.

And perhaps he'll have a different guest star. The knockout Michelle Johnson, visiting from Las Vegas, dropped in on the May performance. She'd been one of his castmates in that city’s presentation of Follies there. (She was also a guest one night recently in Melissa Errico’s engagement at this club.)  But, while he has effectively brought his panache and polish as a guest himself in other shows, in the duo appearances with Nicolas King, or when sharing a few numbers with Billy Stritch and sitting out while others take solos, he has more than enough sunniness and heat to shine for over an hour all by himself.

Material from musical theatre was plentiful and powerful. A few smile-inducers might be more than enough for many cabaret acts where it’s more about drama and drinking in character-driven stories, one doesn’t overdose on the perky pluck and playfulness of this seemingly guileless guy who lights up a room with his positivity. Songs from such ageless sparklers like Annie suit him. Other such pieces by the composer are right up his Shubert Alley, and so recording a CD of Charles Strouse’s sparklers would be a perfect fit. While he hasn’t been truly and mainly a very frequent high-profile live entertainer as his main focus for so many years — he’s been an associate director for some big theatre productions — nothing can stop him now. He has a loyal following and can pack a room as well as pack energy into his renditions.  

I’d known about his singing longer than many, having first come across him in theatre-related projects helmed by director/writer/record producer Chip Deffaa, who has championed him strongly for quite a few years. (He’s appeared on many of his CDs, including the delightful just-released collection called George M. Cohan’s Broadway!)

It should be noted, though, that Seth Sikes doesn’t come off as an out-of-touch throwback naive cornball. There’s some mischievous in that boy-next-door All American grin and a spark of sass and wink in the twinkling eyes. The highlight of the show was a tweak to the old song about a ship named for a figure from America’s Civil War era who isn’t high on most people’s list of heroes.

So, the singer, who also

has a way with words in songwriting changes “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” to – wait for it — to make it about being on the levee to anticipate the arrival of a shop named for a certain cabaret favorite. And so, to the audience’s audible pleasure, he sails into the revised piece, “Waiting for the Marilyn Maye.” And Miss Maye herself was in the audience to hear the appropriate approval for this new vessel christening. And Seth Sikes and company earned approval on all counts. You can count on him. 

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Follow Seth Sikes on Instagram at www.instagram.com/sethsikes

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