"Not all of Broadway's back until everyone is back."
Towards the end of the night, those words from Jakeim Hart elicited cheers and applause from the crowd at 54 Below. Hart, along with Anthony Genovesi, Gian Perez, and Sam Poon, were all set to bring Sing Street to Broadway after a run at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW). The pandemic unfortunately postponed this, and they each took the opportunity to explore their own sound, each creating incredible solo material.
All four artists have captured unique sounds with their own music that play to their instrumental and vocal strengths, and their individual voices are only strengthened when performing together. The night featured a blend of their solo music, each performing two or three of their own songs; as well as music from the show that brought them all together. By featuring their own individual music, it felt like the audience got to spend time in each of their heads and gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for them as individuals, whether the songs have been released or only recently sung in front of others for the first time. Gian Perez excels on the guitar, it was a joy to watch him bring his skill and personality to every single song they played. Sam Poon played just about every instrument they had on stage with them, switching flawlessly. Anthony Genovesi spent the night behind the drum set, making them a stand out part of each song, especially his own. And Jakeim Hart brought a gentle quality to his vocals that matched both his music and the songs of Sing Street beautifully.
To go back to Hart's words towards the end of the show, he made a very valid point. While many shows have reopened in recent weeks, with many more on the way, artists and fans alike wait for more shows to set their returns in stone. It would be a disservice to artists like Hart, Poon, Genovesi, and Perez to proclaim that Broadway has made its return without their talents on the stage. They succeeded in practically blowing the roof off of 54 Below, sharing a small piece of themselves with the audience in the process. It was a joy to watch them in Sing Street back at NYTW, and it was even more of a joy to see them bring bits of themselves to 54 Below. I greatly look forward to seeing them shine once again when they get to return to Sing Street and take to the stage of the Lyceum Theatre again. They deserve it.