Jamie deRoy outdid herself once again this past Sunday night at Birdland Jazz Club at her latest Jamie deRoy & friends Actors Fund Benefit. You might say it was a Royal evening, because the lineup was in a class of it’s own.
Jamie, always stunning, lit up the stage with the first number "There’s A Party Going On" (Bryon Sommers & Ralph Fredericks with Parody Lyrics by Barry Kleinbort) and got the audience warmed up for what was to come. Usually we don’t need Kleenex at Jamie’s shows, but when Grammy Award winning songwriter Julie Gold sang “From A Distance”, laughter quickly turned to tears. There was not a dry eye at my table. This is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and to have its creator sitting at the piano singing it to you, is an experience I will cherish forever, and I know I am not alone. We quickly dried our eyes when comedian Steven Scott took the stage and the room filled with laugher. Another wow moment was when a cast member of Broadway’s hottest ticket, Hamilton took the stage. Brandon Victor Dixon is the new Aaron Burr in the sold out show, replacing Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr.. He hypnotized the crowd with his sexy, bluesy voice when he sang "Let Them Hear You" (Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens) from Ragtime and "I’m Here For You" (Andrew Lippa) from The Wild Party . Famed Broadway “reader” Julie Halston took a break from reading wedding notices and read from The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism book. Nobody can make fire and brimstone religious literature funnier than Julie, as seen through the eyes of a 7 year old child. Master of the keys, Billy Stritch played “Come Love” (Charles Tobias & Lew Brown & Sam H. Stept ) and was then joined by what you might call his other half, since these two are rarely seen apart. When Marilyn Maye takes the stage, you know something special is about to happen, which of course it did when she sang "Bye Bye Country Boy" (Jack Segal & Blossom Dearie) and then a Fats Waller Medley (Thomas ‘Fats’ Waller & Andy Razaf). Nobody does it better than our cabaret sweetheart, Marilyn Maye. Jamie in her typical style sang genius parodies between acts and closed out the show with what has become her signature tune, "Jews Don’t Camp" (David Buskin). The shows director, virtuoso Barry Kleinbort, along with an incomparable musical team of Ron Abel, Musical Director, Tom Hubbard on Bass, and Ray Marchica on Drums bring a perfect combination of laugher, beautiful song all wrapped up in love.
Jamie’s love of theatre, music, and performance arts are her inspiration to bring us these wonderful shows to benefit The Actors Fund. Many of the the artists performing paused to pay tribute to Jamie’s giving nature. When she’s not performing, Jamie’s time is predominantly spent on helping others, whether it is raising funds for Broadway, connecting people or supporting new ventures, she’s a real treasure to the theatre community. Read more about Jamie at her website at www.jamiederoy.com and stay tuned for future benefits. You can donate to The Actors Fund, an amazing organization that provides much needed services to professionals in performing arts and entertainment by visiting www.actorsfund.org
-Thisbroadsway 10/16/16