What Makes Me Tick

At the beginning of the month, Marc Kudisch brought his new cabaret show, “What Makes Me Tick” to Signature Theatre. It's a glorious performance, one where Kudisch commands every song, be it from Broadway or the top 40 list. Kudisch opens with the number 'What Makes Me Tick' by Michael John LaChiusa (cut from The Wild Party), and moves into a melody of songs and musicians that influenced his childhood. Blood, Sweat, and Tears; Sammy Davis, Jr.; Harry Bellafonte; and Fiddler on the Roof all make the list. Kudisch tells us what it was like growing up as an awkward, pear-shaped child.

He didn't do musicals as a kid. His first experience auditioning was for a high school production of My Fair Lady. He didn't know what to do, until he remembered that from the age of eight he had been marching around his living room singing along to 'Bring Me My Bride' from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

For almost two hours, Kudisch has the audience spellbound. He has a remarkable ability, with every song, to make you feel like you have never heard it before. Even during pieces I'm not fond of, such as 'Sincere' from Bye Bye Birdie, I was fully engaged by Kudisch's honesty and commitment.

Kudisch spends most of the performance nodding to the past. But for his finale, he nods to what he hopes might be his future. He ends the show with 'If I Were a Rich Man' from Fiddler on the Roof. It's a tour de force; Kudisch's emotional connection to the role is strong. You get the impression that he is auditioning for you with this song. He sings it with something to prove. Though Kudisch may not be on the list of performers that immediately springs to mind when you consider who should play Tevye, seeing him perform this song makes it very clear that he should. If anyone would ever be able to truly step out of, even obliterate the shadow of Zero Mostel, it is Kudisch. And for the encore, Kudisch gives you yet even more reason to love him, with a fantastic verson of Mumford and Sons' 'Awake My Soul'.

5 stars.