Jason Graae Wows Sterling's SRO House

On Sunday evening January 23, Jason Graae brought his electric 80th birthday tribute to Jerry Herman called Perfect Hermany: The Songs of Jerry Herman to Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Graae has long been a favorite comic actor/singer, because what he does on stage is totally Graae. No one makes you laugh constantly quite like Graae: he defies description; you must be in a room with him to fully appreciate the breadth and scope of his enormous talent. Adding to the comic anecdotes and songs during the 75-minute set were two solos on the oboe and one on the piano. Lee Tannen directed and John Boswell served as musical director/accompanist extraordinaire.

Jerry Herman first saw Graae audition in 1983 for a New York revival production of Hello Dolly! starring Carol Channing and Davis Gaines. Graae really yearned to play Barnaby Tucker then, but lost out. Herman never forgot him, though, and in the last 10 years, Graae has been part of a 20-city tour of a show called Hello, Jerry! which educates youth about the music of Broadway and in which Herman actively participates from time to time. Graae also starred in a recent production of Herman's rarely produced The Grand Tour at the Colony Theatre, for which he received tremendous accolades. From this show he sang, the beautiful "Marianne" and "Mrs. Yakowbowsky". To his mom Lois, in attendance, he accompanied himself on piano and sang "You're My Best Girl" from Mame. There was a comic tap (a tap here, a tap there on an actual tap board a la Graae) to "Tap Your Troubles Away" from Mack & Mabel and even a little Slavic folk kazatsky dance after singing "You I Like", also from The Grand Tour. Other Herman favorites included: "Just Leave Everything to Me", "Before the Parade Passes By", "It Only Takes a Moment" and a sing-s-long to "Hello, Dolly" from Hello Dolly, "One Person" and "I Don't Want to Know" from Dear World, and a triumphant "I Am What I Am" from La Cage Aux Folles. In his encore Graae somehow managed to put together a clever medley of "So Long Dearie" from Hello Dolly and from Mack & Mabel: "Wherever He Ain't", "Time Heals Everything", "I Won't Send Roses" and the finale "Happy Ending" with oboe. For Herman fans, what a cherished assortment!

When all is said and done, we love Jerry Herman music, and we love Jason Graae for singing it and keeping it the most popular, happy Broadway music of all time. Graae is undeniably a gifted cabaret artist and a nonstop bundle of joy.