Wine bar hosts monthly open mic
Along with Beaklyn, Baby Brooklyn and Brooklyn North (aka BroNo or NoBro), Beacon recently acquired another nickname: Broadway North.
Singers gotta sing and there’s enough critical mass that the Broadway in Beacon open mic fills Reserva Wine Bar on Main Street each month with a raucous crowd raring to revel in musical theater — tap dancing included.
“There’s been a real shift in work-life balance and theater folks don’t have to suffer for their art anymore by living in tiny boxes,” said co-host and pianist Will Reynolds. “People try out for Broadway shows from all over the country [virtually] and, if they get the part, they move. We in Beacon don’t have to relocate.”
Jen Malenke devised the idea for a Broadway satellite after attending an event at Reserva at which the performer invited people to come onstage and sing. Malenke took inspiration from Manhattan piano bars that allow singers to hand their sheet music to an in-house accompanist and put over one tune.
In Beacon, that pianist is Reynolds, who pulls off the task well. “I know 60 to 70 percent of the songs,” he said. “The rest, I’m just going for it.”
The evening unfolds with an element of improvisation. Though the hosts map out the pace, they will shift acts on the fly.
“We alternate the ballads with the up-tempo songs and also mix young people with older folks,” said Malenke. “We don’t want four ringers in a row, so we spread them out. We have these tentpole moments, but we’re storytelling and don’t want to stay in one mood forever.”
After an opening number, Act 2 kicks off with a Mad Libs, which takes a beloved number and recasts key words in the lyrics (often in ribald fashion). Everyone belts out the final version.
Last month, Reynolds performed a localized take of “On Broadway,” by The Drifters, that referenced the waterfall, the dummy light and climbing Mount Beacon, “but just don’t go on the weekend / because the city folk will all be there.” He conducted folks to echo the phrase “in Beacon” after the main “on Broadway” refrain.
During the show, Malenke zipped around as MC and cheerleader. Beyond doling out high-fives, she joined the harmony parts, adjusted the microphone mid-song for performers, turned sheet music pages and handed Reynolds glasses of white wine (which he kept by his feet).
She also sang two tunes and introduced the month’s special guest: Rueby Wood, a fellow cast member from the first national tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that began in 2018.
Truth be told, booze lubricates much of the revelry. Reserva “is usually closed Wednesdays, but this is one of their highest revenue nights,” said Malenke. “The best thing is that local people can walk home.”
Joanne Tetteris, who lives in Beacon, dressed like a performer but didn’t sing. “It’s nice to be able to see something local like this on a weeknight,” she said.
Ken Martinez and Janet Rossbach came from Newburgh. “I laughed a lot, and it was a phenomenally good night out,” said Martinez. “I didn’t think they’d be this good.”
On the small stage by the door, Connor Bond and Ali Grieb improvised a ditty about gonorrhea and falling in love at Target. “It was everything I dreamed of and more,” said Malenke from the wings. “I’m crying over here.”
In between an appearance by Mylee Rose, a high school student from Lagrangeville, and ringer Carrie Gibson, who held out her last note for dramatic effect, Gianna Cusato pulled on tap shoes and shuffled her feet to “I Got Rhythm.”
Shooting sideways glances at the music stand and sometimes closing her eyes during a rendition of “She Used to Be Mine,” by Sara Bareilles, speech therapist Daria Gates, whose office is down the block, nailed the high note at the end and sent the audience into a frenzy.
Brian Waite, who performed “No Time at All” from Pippin and received raucous applause, thanked the crowd and joked that “it’s nice to be in Beacon, the heart of Broadway.”
Reserva Wine Bar is located at 173 Main St. The next Broadway in Beacon is Wednesday (Aug. 28); doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show. Tickets are $10 or $15 plus fees at bit.ly/broadway-beacon-2024.
Photos by Alex Kunz
