Review: JACEY'S JAZZ JOINT at The Blue Strawberry Showroom And Lounge

Wheelhouse! There are those times when a young-ish performer finds a style of music that perfectly fits their range and vocal styling. Fresh off her win for Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical at Monday evening’s St. Louis Theatre Circle Awards, Eileen Engel took the stage in JACEY’S JAZZ JOINT. For the next 70-miutes, Engel treated her audience to jazzy renditions of some of the most loved American standards. Her set included “Embraceable You,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “Misty,” among 10 other songs. Her work with this 13-song set suited her voice as she confidently entertained the club at Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge.  

JACEY’S JAZZ JOINT is produced by The Midnight Company, and is a collaboration between Engel, The Midnight Company’s Joe Hanrahan’s, and Fly North Theatricals’ Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf. Hanrahan wrote the script, with a single character, Jacey, who through a monologue tells the story of how she came into the money to purchase and run the jazz club. Engel plays Jacey, the club owner and chanteuse who tells the audience about the unclean money that was left behind that she decided to sink into her club. Healy serves as music director and pianist for the trio backing Engel. He is joined by his partner, Rohlf, on drums, and by Seth Miranda on stand-up bass, who did an admirable job as a late fill in.  

Engel was enchanting on the stage playing the club owner. Her vintage voice created a retro-jazz club feel where a crooning songster would entertain. She playfully bantered with her band and the audience while weaving the story of her past relationship with a man name Johnny who had ties to the mob. Engle handled Hanrahan’s script with ease, slinking into the role of a young woman with street smarts. One thing was clear, Jacey’s experience with Johnny made her a savvy woman who had lost her naivete. She would be skeptical and suspicious of the next con man who crossed her path.  

Much of the success of this production is owed to music director Colin Healy. It was his arrangements of these standards that created a jazzy vibe. Healy’s virtuosic musicianship was on display as he played and conducted the complex compositions he had adapted for the show. Bradley Rohlf was the epitome of a cool jazz cat on the drums, donning vintage clothing and a Pork Pie hat. His percussion gave the numbers a smooth, variable, and rhythmic jazz feel. Engel introduced her band with character names, and both Healy and Rohlf took on the alter-egos that were scripted by Hanrahan. Bass player Seth Miranda confidently kept up with veteran performers Healy and Rohlf.  

This scripted theatrical cabaret production successfully transported the audience to the swanky jazz club with a speakeasy type feel. This collaboration, directed by Hanrahan, is a winner due to his carefully selected partners in Engel, Healy and Rohlf. All three understood the motif of the piece and delivered with each of their individual talents. JACEY’S JAZZ JOINT has the understated subdued feeling of a club with a back story where the music is the focus.  

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