Musician John McDaniel first accompanied two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin last year on an Alaska cruise. Now he’s the force behind her Provincetown debut this weekend in a show titled Sing Pretty, Don’t Fall Down. Baldwin will be the first of seven Broadway stars McDaniel brings to town this summer.
Their partnership began because Baldwin’s 13-year-old son had wanted to visit Alaska for years. So, she asked to be one of the performers on a cruise organized by Playbill Travel, brought her family, and was part of the entertainment. She sang with McDaniel, who accompanies stars on a few such cruises each year. They hit it off.
When McDaniel invited her to work together in Provincetown, the answer was obvious: “He plays so beautifully, he likes my repertoire, and I love singing with him,” she says. Likewise, McDaniel calls Baldwin one of his new favorites. “We have the best time,” he says. “She’s so lovely, so charming and disarming, and funnier than I think people know.”
Those traits may become evident in the stories Baldwin plans to tell between songs. “The songs are wonderful,” she says, “but when I go see somebody who has built a career in theater, I know there are good stories about being behind the scenes, and what really happens, and the near misses and close calls, so I try to tell those stories.”
Fans of musical theater might know Baldwin from roles like Irene Molloy in the 2017 Hello, Dolly! revival or Sharon McLonergan in Finian’s Rainbow (2009), where she first got widespread notice. Ask younger fans, and they’ll likely know Baldwin from Big Fish (2013). Baldwin says that, though the adaptation had just 98 Broadway performances, it’s become a favorite in high school and college theaters.
“I hear from a student every month or so on Instagram or Facebook saying, ‘My school is doing Big Fish. We love it so much. I’m playing your part. Do you have any pointers? Can you send us a video?’ ” Baldwin says with a laugh. “People under 30 love that show.”
The isolation caused by the pandemic increased Baldwin’s appreciation for chances to communicate with fans, especially younger ones. “I feel like theater and music belong to everybody, and if I can help foster students’ appreciation and understanding of a song or show, I want to encourage their enthusiasm,” she says. “Even if they don’t become an actor, they become a theater lover and audience member, somebody who seeks to understand a little more about the human condition through telling stories.”
As for McDaniel, he’s a Grammy- and Emmy-winning music director, composer, director, orchestrator, and producer. He worked as music director for The Rosie O’Donnell Show and last year’s Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Love + Laughter birthday special.
In 2014, he first played Provincetown in Four Girls Four at the Crown & Anchor with Andrea McArdle, Faith Prince, Donna McKechnie, and Maureen McGovern. He accompanied Shirley Jones there the next year. He came back in 2021 to play for Melissa Manchester at the Post Office Café, then was invited to return in 2022 with a series of concerts featuring three Broadway stars.
This year’s new series expands that idea into the summer season and beyond that venue: two of McDaniel’s Broadway-star shows are at Provincetown Town Hall, including a July 21 concert with Darren Criss of Glee fame.
“I couldn’t be more excited to spend some time in Provincetown; it’s a unique and beautiful place,” says McDaniel, noting that the stars he works with feel the same way. “It’s a very easy ask. People quite quickly say, ‘I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll learn a new show.’ ”
Baldwin’s shows will be a mix of Broadway hits and songs she simply likes to sing. She has a wide repertoire; her many concert appearances include Follies this month at Carnegie Hall and recent showcases of music by Leonard Bernstein, Maltby & Shire, and Sheldon Harnick. She starred in A Little Night Music in New Jersey in March and will star in The Prom in Connecticut in July.
While she admits to being “a sad-song, ballad kind of gal,” Baldwin tries to mix in a lot of up-tempo numbers because she wants audiences to have a good time. She’s excited about the intimacy of the 98-seat venue at the Post Office. “I like to make it spontaneous and about us all being together as opposed to ‘Here’s what it’s like on Broadway,’ ” she says.
McDaniel also loves what he does, both playing the music and being with audiences. While he’s happy to be readying a Nat King Cole musical for a New York production next spring, the one-on-one relationship with performers in concert is special.
“I love supporting an artist,” he says. “When I’m sitting at the keyboard, I love being the full orchestra for them.”
One on One
The event: Kate Baldwin in concert with John McDaniel
The time: Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m.
The place: Post Office Café and Cabaret, 303 Commercial St., Provincetown
The cost: $65 at postofficecafe.net
