Mendel Sings it Out

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Brandon Uranowitz - who played Mendel in the Falsettos revival - at 54 Below.  At the time, I believe I said I'd never left a concert happier.  He is a phenomenal performer, who absolutely nailed his first solo performance. He was excited to be there, and was surrounded by friends who were there to cheer him on, which I'm sure made the night a bit easier. He was unbelievably funny and I'm not sure I've ever laughed so hard in a show.  Not to blather on, but I loved it.

So when it was announced that he would be reviving his show for one performance only, this month, I was first in line to buy tickets.  This time I would bring my Broadway buddy with me, who has had to listen to me gush about it for the last few weeks.  The addition of Carmen Cusack, Zachary Prince and Andrew Rannells, at the last minute was just icing on the cake of an already much-anticipated evening.

Well, after seeing him again, I need to reiterate the man is an absolutely brilliant performer. Again, I left the venue with a giant smile on my face.   Just as he did in February, he chose to celebrate the music of William Finn, who wrote Falsettos, A New Brain, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, among others.  Both Brandon Uranowitz and Bill Finn are natural storytellers, which means they are the perfect pairing. Brandon's ability to tell stories and meld in the music of Bill Finn so seamlessly is quite impressive. Finn's music tends to be snarky and funny with a just the right bit of sadness thrown in.  And Brandon's stories of his life and what's happening in the world right now, were the perfect additions to these beautiful and complex songs. 

And as is par for the course at many 54 Below shows, the main performer was backed and joined by other awesomely talented and lovely performers.  In his first show, I was lucky enough to see Stephanie J. Block join him who was so very wonderful.    Unfortunately, she had prior engagements this time around, though Brandon did have a few other friends join him for the ride.  As a surprise, Anthony Rosenthal - who played his step-son in Falsettos - showed up and sang the Bar Mitzvah song, which was great.  He's such a talented kid, and so excited about musical theater in general, so it's always nice to see him perform. Next up, was Carmen Cusack who was wickedly funny, and sang "I'd Rather be Sailing" from A New Brain. It's such a beautiful song, and the 2 performers duet-ed beautifully. 

He then called Andrew Rannells up to sing "The Games I Play" from Falsettos which is one of my favorites, and is also heartbreaking.  At the risk of gushing again, this man is unbelievably talented and completely brilliant. His performance gave me - and I'm sure others - goosebumps.  Lastly, Brandon and his partner Zachary Prince sang "What Would I Do?" from Falsettos, which was absolutely beautiful. Now, this may be scandalous to say, but their version of this song may be better than the one in the actual show. 

After one last quick, and sassy version of "I Love My Voice", the show was over.  And it was time to leave, with yet another giant grin.  Brandon completely nailed this performance. I only hope he continues to do cabaret, because his voice and his personality were made for this stage!

Editors Note:
Starstruck II: Return of the Awkward

What would a night out be, without some awkwardness thrown in on my part, though?  Yet again, I was starstruck, and yet again, I may or may not have made a fool of myself.  In this instance, lovely famous people were sitting within inches of me.  Literally, right behind me, which I didn't realize until about 5 minutes after they sat down. Therefore, I was no good for the rest of the night.  I was OK with Max von Essen sitting there, but then his lovely famous friends sat with him - including Andrew Rannells.  So yeah, there's that.  Returning to the scene of my last starstruck moment, wasn't exactly the cathartic evening I was hoping for...