Review: Micky & Coco Dolenz At 54 Below

By Fred Velez

Micky Dolenz made a triumphant return to Feinstein’s 54 Below nightclub, located in the former basement of the famous Studio 54 Theater, for three sold out dates on March 24, 25 and 29. The March 25th show was particularly special as it was also the New York Broadway cabaret debut of Micky’s sister Coco Dolenz whose show followed her brothers. Micky’s show was an abbreviated version of his ‘A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock & Roll’ revue, with Micky mixing up his Monkees hits with Broadway tunes.

Micky Dolenz at 54 Below. Photo by Fred Velez

‘Hey Micky/D.W. Washburn’. Video by Cindy Jasgur

Among the songs included were ‘D.W. Washburn’, ‘I’m A Believer’, ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’, ‘Goin’ Down’, ‘Don’t Be The Bunny’ from ‘Urine Town’, ‘Mr. Cellophane’ from ‘Chicago’, and the beautifully poignant ‘But Not For Me’ from ‘Girl Crazy’.

Video by Cindy Jasgur.

Video by Cindy Jasgur.

Video by Cindy Jasgur.

Photo by Fred Velez

Taking a departure from the usual format of his show, Micky was joined by Coco and they thrilled the audience with their wonderfully tight harmonies on the Everly Brothers ‘Crying In The Rain’, ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ and a lovely rendition of ‘Daydream Believer’ in which they encouraged the audience to join in. Micky ended his portion of the show with a wonderful version of ‘Pure Imagination’ from the Willy Wonka movie and from the upcoming Broadway production of ‘Charlie & The Chocolate Factory’.

‘Pure Imagination’. Photo by Fred Velez

‘Pure Imagination’. Video by Cindy Jasgur

Coco Dolenz at 54 Below. Photo by Fred Velez

Coco Sings The Blues. Photo by Fred Velez

After an intermission to allow for a stage change, Coco Dolenz took the stage and wowed the audience from the start with ‘I’m Still Here’. Like her brother, Coco has a great stage presence with a wonderful singing voice. Coco was very funny and delighted the crowd with such songs as ‘The Sunny Side Of The Street’, ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’, a lovey version of The Muppets ‘Being Green’ and a howling funny ‘Control Yourself’.

‘I’m Still Here’, video by Cindy Jasgur.

‘Sunny Side Of The Street’, video by Cindy Jasgur.

‘Being Green’, video by Cindy Jasgur.

‘Control Yourself’, video by Cindy Jasgur.

During the mid point of her show Coco brought Micky back onto the stage to join her in a beautiful version of ‘Me & Magdalena’ from the Monkees ‘Good Times’ album which was a definite highlight of the evening.

‘Me & Magdalena’, video by Cindy Jasgur.

Coco ended her show with the song ‘One Voice’ and was handed a bouquet of flowers by Jodi Ritzen from the recent Monkees conventions. Coco received a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

After the show there was a meet & greet with Micky and Coco at the ironically named ‘The Three Monkeys’ bar where raffles were held to raise funds for the Make A Wish Foundation which Micky supports. Among the special guests who attended the March 24th opening were Little Steven Van Zandt from the Bruce Springsteen band who is a big Monkees fan and has supported them on his Underground Garage radio show. Monkees band member Dave Alexander attended the March 25 shows. Zilch podcasters Sarah Clark, Melanie Mitchell and Christine Carlson Wolfe were also among the attendees, several fans coming from as far away as England and Japan.

With seating for a little over 150, Feinstein’s 54 Below club was a perfect venue for an intimate show featuring both Micky and Coco Dolenz. Here’s hoping that they’ll be invited back real soon.

Photo by Mona Bagatelle Shenker

Link: Micky Dolenz ‘A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock & Roll’ CD

Fred Velez, 2017.