Deborah Cox Delivers Glittering Cabaret Debut at 54 Below Following TITANIQUE Run

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The New York Pops Underground scores the headliner of the season.

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Well, it has finally happened - that for which many have hoped, that for which many have wished, that for which we have all been waiting. Deborah Cox has finally come to 54 Below. The Tony Award-winning venue that has hosted the likes of Vanessa Williams, Chita Rivera, Patti LuPone, Jennifer Holliday, Marilyn Maye, and Ariana DeBose can now boast the diva of last year’s theatrical season, Titanique’s Molly Brown, herself. An award-winning singer of r&b and smash dance hits, Ms. Cox has played concert halls, symphony spaces, amphitheaters, dance clubs, festivals, and arenas around the world, even dropping in at a little Hall named Carnegie, right here in New York City… but those who appreciate the intimate nature of nightclubs, supper clubs, and cabarets have dreamed of being in a room where they could see the Canadian Music Hall of Famer in action from just a few feet away. And leave it to the New York Pops to be the ones to make it happen.

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The New York Pops Underground is an annual fundraiser for the New York Pops program PopsEd, and every year the people at The Pops make sure to bring an exciting and gifted headliner to 54 Below. This year they nabbed Ms. Cox just as she was coming off of her first Tony Award nomination as one of the producers of Titanique. The Pops folks made great good use of delicious anticipation, offering the guests of their high-priced event a reception, a fantastic concert by the (teenage!) PopsEd Alumni Ensemble band, speeches by Maestro Reineke, a live auction, and an exceptional menu by the 54 Below chef (the vegan option was BEYOND), but when the time came, a discernible shift in the energy of the room could be felt. People closest to the kitchen craned their necks to see their Diva preparing to enter. iPhones were poised to film and photograph the grand entrance. Steven Reineke’s introduction set, perfectly, the tone for the special guest. And when Deborah Cox appeared, resplendent in a shimmering mother-of-pearl-colored gown and wrap, there was pandemonium as 54 Below added a brilliant new jewel to their crown.

For her hour-long musical cabaret, this veteran of four Broadway shows (plus the National tour of The Bodyguard) focused most of her attention on the musicals that have made her a part of the theatrical community of New York, though there was a Celine Dion drive by as the one-time Dion backup singer played Celine’s hit “I’m Alive,” there was an Aretha Franklin tribute by way of some Burt Bacharach, and there can never be a Deborah Cox show without her smash hit “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here” - for tonight, it was the original r&b version, performed to perfection as the evening closer. With the exception of these tracks, every composition performed originated out of Aida, Jekyll & Hyde, The Bodyguard, The Wiz, and Titanique; and every number was an aria designed to bring down the house, which they did, as the crowd cheered, waved napkins, rose to their feet, and cried out, “We love you, Deborah!” Yes, love Deborah Cox, they certainly did. After all, this isn’t just one of the great voices; it is one of the unique voices. This is one of the voices that, if you heard it on the radio, over the sound system in a store, elevator, or nightclub, or on a Spotify shuffle, you would KNOW, “That’s Deborah Cox.” There is no mistaking that silky sound, and, yes, people talk about voices sounding ‘silky,’ but, in the case of Deborah Cox, you can hear the textures in the tones, as you would feel the textures on a sheath of honest-to-goodness silk. This is the voice. This is also the woman.

Tonight’s 54 Below audience did not just get to hear exciting live performances of “I Have Nothing,” and “Someone Like You,” and “Easy As Life”; they got to know Deborah Cox a little. Ms. Cox does play symphony halls with concerts of this nature, shows where she gets to chat with her audience a little, but, much of the time, Miss Deborah is singing her club hits and doesn’t get to do the talkie-bit thing. Tonight, the crowd got to see her hi-LARIOUS Clive Davis impression. Tonight, the people got to hear Deborah Cox talk about growing up poor, and how music was her refuge, and then hear the joke about how being poor as a kid made that mother-of-pearl dress oh-so special. Tonight, the audience got to hear about how rewarding it was for Diva Deborah to get to stretch her comedy chops in Titanique after all those years of doing the serious stuff (hello Aida and Jekyll). And, speaking of Jekyll, tonight we got a brief reacquaintance with Deborah’s Jekyll Cockney accent, amidst some right proper giggles. Oh, yes, there were vocals, there were unbelievable vocals, but there was an intimate hour of getting to know Deborah Cox. The lady is lovely, she is real, she is funny, she is caring, and she is made for this kind of work. One hopes there will be many more appearances at 54 Below and other clubs of this nature, around the country.

Aiding The Unbeatable Deborah Cox in her efforts tonight was longtime (magnificent) musical director, Brian J. Nash, who was a thrill to watch as he conducted while playing the heck out of a setlist of anthems and power ballads, as well as a crackerjack band ( please see their names below ), featuring two of Deborah’s Titanique castmates, Sara Gallo and Kristina Leopold. From the booth, Amanda Raymond and Sarah Goldstein worked wonders with the sound and lighting design; it was like being front and center at The Garden - just gorgeous. Everyone on hand provided Broadway’s newly anointed diva with the perfect setting to shine and showcase an evening of highlights, but especially her Titanique showstopper “All By Myself” (sans paddle) and a number she did not, actually, sing in The Wiz, “Home.” This one number, alone, was worth the money spent to sit in that room with this once-in-a-lifetime talent just four rows away, exhilarating and enthralling a throng of people who (on a night when a LOT of high-profile events were happening in NYC) wouldn’t have been anywhere else. This was, hands down, the highlight of the cabaret season.

The Pops Underground/Deborah Cox band was Alec Berlin on Guitar, Emma Ford on Drums, Kenny Davis on Bass, Brian Nash Musical Directing from the Piano, with Sara Gallo and Kristina Leopold on backup vocals.

Find great shows on the 54 Below website HERE.

HERE is the Deborah Cox website.

Learn more about the important work that the New York Pops does with PopsEd (and donate!) HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Review-The-Unbeatable-Deborah-Cox-FINALLY-Comes-To-54-Below-20261005)._