Mark of Genius

Witnessing the brilliance of Mark Twain as portrayed by the wily Hal Holbrook in Mark Twain Tonight!, one can’t help but wonder why America has not spawned more great men like Twain in our modern age. His writings are like sheets of lightning suddenly illuminating a dark world. Twain was far out in front of America then, and he’s still out front of most of it now. You might call him a literary Einstein; we’re still discovering the truths that he posited over 100 years ago. And he was funny, to boot.

Holbrook has returned to Broadway in the one-man show that has defined his career. Need we say that you’d better catch it now because it’s unlikely to ever come this way again? He may not be as spry as he once was, and he may not have the vocal prowess of his youth, but Holbrook possesses the accumulated wisdom of having played Twain for more than 50 years. When you enjoy this accomplished actor at work on stage of the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, you’re seeing the closest thing to Samuel Clemens you’ll be lucky enough to witness in the 21st century.

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MAC Mucks It Up

Last week, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) held a general membership meeting during which the organization’s board of directors announced sweeping changes in the nominating and voting procedures for its MAC Awards effective immediately. Unfortunately, the meeting was attended by fewer than 40 people, many of whom are either on the organization’s board of directors or its advisory board. No attempt was made by MAC to inform its membership that a major announcement was going to be made. When questioned by one member as to why the board had neither alerted the membership about the changes nor sought its input in making them, MAC president Barry Levitt said that the board was elected by the membership to act on its behalf and that was exactly what it had done.

Among the major rule changes was the reduction of the-six show-minimum eligibility requirement to one show, but an even more glaring change involves the elimination of the membership’s right to vote on the full list of potential candidates. This vote, known as the first ballot, narrowed the field to the final ballot of actual nominees. Under the new system, a large nominating committee will be created to hand-pick the nominees. In addition, Levitt acknowledged that the membership doesn’t see enough jazz and comedy, so two separate committees will be created to deal with these genres; there was no discussion of why MAC gives awards to shows that most of its members don’t attend.

Cabaret journalist Stu Hamstra spoke up at the meeting on several occasions to warn the MAC board that it was heading down a dangerous path. He later described his objections in his newsletter in which he wrote, “So now a chosen elite (not even a membership-elected elite) will be able to eliminate [potential] nominees that don’t fit their particular vision of quality cabaret before the full membership even sees the full original list of entries!” We agree with Hamstra that these changes are ill-advised, and we’re concerned that it may be impossible to put together a genuinely credible committee of the kind that the MAC Board has in mind. In its efforts to improve the credibility of its awards, MAC is seriously undermining the very reason for its existence by disenfranchising the vast majority of the membership from participating in the nominating process.

By refusing to solicit the advice of its general membership, the organization puts itself in jeopardy of becoming out of step with its constituency. These changes are seismic, and yet the Board has presented them as a fait accompli. Moreover, though MAC has not even codified its new rules in writing, they will still go into effect this year. We’re not saying that the new way of doing things won’t work; its certainly debatable, and that’s exactly the point. Why not debate the merits of the new rules and procedures with the members?

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Jazzy Jack

He’s got the looks, the charm, and the talent to set hearts aflutter, but Jack Donahue doesn’t always close the deal with his audience in his current Oak Room engagement. His patter is quick-witted, funny, and thoroughly engaging. There is nothing wrong with his voice, either; he has a pleasing tenor and considerable vocal control. The disconnect takes place in the areas of song selection and arrangements. Donahue, who has already made a name for himself as a cabaret singer and an actor, is transforming himself into a jazz artist; that transformation is not yet complete, but the attempt is fascinating to watch.

The singer is at his best with lyric-driven songs, using his vocal and acting chops to deliver deeply felt performances. He succeeds in some of the jazzier numbers as well, but there are times when his renditions feel self-conscious and studied. At these moments, Donahue seems to be singing the arrangements rather than the songs. When his personality comes through as distinctly as the notes, he will have truly arrived as a jazz artist; at this moment, however, he’s still an artist in search of his art form.

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[To contact the Siegels directly, e-mail them at siegels@theatermania.com.]