This month marks the 103rd anniversary of the birth of Judy Garland (June 10, 1922-June 22, 1969), legendary star of the screen, concert stage, and recording studio. Her illustrious career, famed but troubled life, and enduring legacy were celebrated on June 16, at The Yale Club of New York City, by performer, writer, and producer Jenna Pastuszek, returning to the venue’s “Musical Mondays” series following her blockbuster sold-out concert Me, Myself & Barbra last April, with her one-night-only show GET HAPPY!: An Evening Celebrating the World’s Greatest Entertainer, Judy Garland, which has already played 45 major regional theaters, performing arts venues, and community centers in thirteen states. Judging by the sensational NYC performance and the effusive reaction of the audience, there are sure to be many, many more!
Accompanied on piano and melodica by her music director and “right-hand man” Joshua Zecher-Ross (currently serving as music director and conductor of the Broadway hit Operation Mincement, which he enthusiastically discussed and pointed out is one of four shows currently on Broadway focused on dead people!), Pastuszek delivered a set list of fourteen numbers (plus an affecting encore of the hopeful and wistful “Moon River”) – including a selection of songs and medleys from Garland’s films The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Easter Parade (1948), her concert albums Judy Live at Carnegie Hall (1961) and Judy at The Palace (1952), and her weekly TV variety series The Judy Garland Show (1963-64) – interspersed with direct-address commentary and personal stories about her love of Judy (a visit to her mausoleum in LA’s Hollywood Forever Cemetery gave her chills and made her feel as if Garland was reaching out to take her in her arms), the lessons learned from her (believe in yourself, don’t be afraid; keep going, your dreams are worth chasing; always be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else), and her own journey over the past five and a half years through the trying times of the pandemic, from developing the show via Zoom to the excitement of returning to the live stage.
It was all presented with sincere admiration and respect for the iconic contributions of Garland, not as an impersonation but with Pastuszek’s own signature style and masterful talent, showcasing her ever-engaging stage presence and irresistible rapport with the audience, exquisitely beautiful perfect-pitch vocals, flawless breath control and awe-inspiring long notes, and heartfelt delivery brimming with emotion and empathy for the lyrics of the songs, as conveyed in her facial expressions, gestures, postures, and moves, while swaying to the lively beat of Zecher-Ross’s bouncy piano-playing. Simultaneously spectacular and intimate, this top-notch cabaret concert once again proved her to be the consummate singer and performer (and voiceover artist, voice teacher, and performance coach) and affirmed why The Yale Club invited her back again this year, to the obvious delight of the packed house.
The show opened with Pastuszek taking the stage and launching into the jaunty, upbeat, well-chosen medley of the titular “Get Happy,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” and “Off to See the Wizard,” immediately filling the room with good cheer and high energy. Other smartly paired favorites with fluid transitions were the upbeat mix of “The Trolley Song” and “Zing Went the Strings,” the “Rainbow Medley,” featuring the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, embraced by Pastuszek with a dreamy distant gaze, and “Joint Is Jumping” matched with “I Got Rhythm” (does she ever!), in which she performed some jazzy scatting. Another crowd favorite was her blockbuster rendition of “Singing in the Rain,” as she actively moved around the stage to the jubilant beat (while pregnant!), kept us tapping our feet, and made everyone in attendance “get happy.”
There were also some stirring torch songs popularized by Garland – “The Man That Got Away,” which built to a powerful crescendo, a slow-tempo “That’s All,” sung seated, and the impassioned “You Made Me Love You” and “You Go to My Head,” in which Pastuszek’s emotive acting skills were put to fine use – all of which, she noted, made her feel so good even though they’re sad. And she related her experiences during the challenging COVID shutdown to “It Never Rains But What It Pours,” calling it a metaphor for the past five years, and “Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home,” relating it to being put out of her Brooklyn apartment of ten years and making a trek to Montana and the Pacific coast of California with her husband and their belongings. But there were even more buoyant tunes with a positive message, from the ebullient “A Lot of Living To Do” and “Hey Look Me Over,” to “That’s Entertainment,” with which she closed the concert and praised the power and resilience of theater to overcome, to survive, and to thrive, and to thrill audiences and performers alike, as this outstanding show (in the tradition of Judy Garland) most assuredly did.
Running Time: Approximately one hour, without intermission.
GET HAPPY! played on Monday, June 16, 2025, at 6:30 pm, at The Yale Club of New York City, 50 Vanderbilt Avenue, NYC.
If you missed the show in NYC, you can check out Pastuszek’s calendar of upcoming performances by clicking on the link above and watch the sizzle reel below:
