In the late winter of 1973, I found myself sitting in the Shubert Theatre to see a brand-new show that turned out to be one of the most perfect musicals I had (or have) ever seen. The show was A Little Night Music and I went back to see it nine times on Broadway at that theatre and then at the Majestic to which it moved that September. I confess that I saw it for a tenth time on the road. I remember so much of it so well, but one moment that has stayed strongly in my memory is the showstopping turn of an ingenue making her Broadway debut in the role of Petra, the maid, singing “The Miller’s Son.” That glorious performance belonged to D’Jamin Bartlett and I cheered and applauded as strongly (if not more so) on my ninth visit as on my first.
Bartlett and her partner, Mark Bornfield, recently brought a new show to The Green Room 42 called Night Club: A True Story. The show itself was not without its problems but first the good news. Bartlett is in great voice. Certainly, the years have darkened the timbre a bit but there is still that undeniable connection with the story and the melody that allows her clarion sound to soar to the heavens. Left to her own devices she is still a star commanding rapt attention and appreciative applause. “How Do You Keep the Music Playing” (Michel LeGrand, Marilyn and Alan Bergman) reveals sweet sure phrasing and surprising power. She revisits “The Miller’s Son” and that sparkle in her eyes remains as a call back to 1973. It is inevitable, I guess, that a thoughtfully phrased and beautifully sustained “Send in the Clowns” (Stephen Sondheim) follows.
She is tangentially connected with a number of “big theatre moments” that supply what might otherwise be considered pedestrian choices. She turned down understudying Betty Buckley in Cats (and was later berated by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber for doing so). Could “Memory” be far behind? It was not, but she pulled it off even if it left me wishing for more exciting and surprising song choices. Appearing in a Kander and Ebb revue running in the Village just before the opening of a certain Liza Minnelli movie musical, Bartlett was the first person to introduce “New York, New York” to New York audiences, long before Sinatra ascended to the top of the heap. She has fun with it, but a more inventive arrangement would have helped. Another pop hit affords a bit more interest, with her singing a warm, touching version of “Through the Eyes of Love” (Marvin Hamlisch, Carol Bayer Sager).
The main problem with the show is that she is hardly left to her own devices at all. This is a show that wears its origins on its proverbial sleeve. The star duo work in lounges in Florida and Las Vegas and the lazy, tired repertoire and obvious staging and writing suffer from everything those locations might imply. The music falls to pianist-trumpet player Bornfield whose horn playing is distinct while his piano playing is not; it is too often “fortified” by sequenced, recorded music that sounds tinny and stifles any creative impulse the singer may have. One can practically see and feel the cobwebs on the material. The staging does little to help, often leaving Bartlett in full spotlight on a stool center stage doing absolutely nothing while her partner does another vocal and/or horn solo at the piano on the side of the stage.
But (and it’s a big “but”) every time I felt myself shutting down, D’Jamin Bartlett would sing her heart out and she’d capture me yet again. I wanted to hear her unencumbered by the missteps of the production, the direction, and the material. I wanted, and needed, to witness a solo show with Bartlett’s still singular talent claiming the spotlight.
Night Club: A True Story offered very little even close to that. I could have adapted my review from an old Fanny Brice song— “I found a million dollar baby in a five and ten cent show.”
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Presented at The Green Room 42, 570 Tenth Ave., NYC, May 20, 2026.
Gerry Geddes, critic for BistroAwards.com, is an award-winning director, writer, teacher, performer, lyricist, and a contributor to the podcast Troubadours and Raconteurs. He conceived and directed the acclaimed musical revues Monday in the Dark with George (Bistro and MAC Award winner), Put on Your Saturday Suit—Words & Music by Jimmy Webb, and Gerry Geddes & Company (in its five-year residency at Pangea). He has directed singers André De Shields, Darius de Haas, Helen Baldassare, and Lisa Viggiano. He has been active in the cabaret world for over five decades and has produced numerous CDs; his lyrics have been performed and recorded here and in Europe. Gerry’s workshop, The Art of Vocal Performance, is regularly offered to singers of all levels. His memoir of life in NYC, Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?, was recently published and is available at barnesandnoble.com. He is currently at work on his first novel.
