Five for Fighting: The Quartet Variant Reviewed

Even the best performers – Rufus Wainwright comes to mind for this reviewer – benefit from a strong supporting cast. For musicians, even a second voice or instrument offers sonic contrast and often more complex harmony. And in the hands of a good arranger – think of Linda Ronstadt’s collaboration with Nelson Riddle – the result can be more than the sum of the parts.

The combination of Good Tunes + Good Arrangements makes the point as well as any exercise in conceptual addition.

Timebound though they may be, Jon Ondrasik’s Grammy-nominated Five for Fighting String Quartet New Tour Dates with String Quartet – Five For Fighting achieved this greater-than-sum result in an October 2024 performance at Long Island’s Jeanne Rimsky Theater in Port Washington NY. It’s a more nuanced result. A more “intimate” performance, as Ondrasik himself declared earlier in 2024 to Motif’s Al Gomes. More space for “storytelling” than dance, he said.

Maybe so, but there were pulsing rhythm and dance themes aplenty.

Attribute much of this to the catchy, accessible arrangements by violinist / orchestrator Katie Kresek, 2021 Tony winner for co-orchestrating Moulin Rouge. In addition to delivering moving lead-ins, solos and bridges for Five for Fighting tunes, the October String Quartet let it rip late in the show. Once Ondrasik left the stage. Kresek, Melissa Tong (violin), Chris Cardona (viola) and Peter Sachon (cello) took charge, as if to say they too had come out Fighting. In a single extended sequence, they reeled off concert hall dissonance, idioms from the classical repertoire (was that quote from Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole?) and classic pop (Aha’s “Take on Me” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”) both with enthusiastic audience singalongs.

Ondrasik’s good taste in collaboration and the Landmark’s excellent sound combined for delights that went beyond Fight for Fighting’s core audience. There was something to remember for every seat in the sold-out venue. No substituting for the lack of a percussionist, but backup rock musicians should be looking over their shoulders.

The Hits, Covers and Quotes

Walking down memory lane, you’ll encounter Five for Fighting’s hits, which include "Superman (It's Not Easy)," "100 Years," and "The Riddle" (2001, 2003 and 2006 respectively). The evening’s show included both performances from Ondrasik’s best known work and some songs lesser known by Billboard Chart numbers but readily identified by the Port Washington audience.

The Port Washington audience included dedicated Fighting fans familiar with the deep catalog cuts.

When the performance ended, featuring the dramatic extended cover of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the audience reaction was rhapsodic. Sure, a musical shout-out to Queen, but all the more tasty for the musical preamble that included extended quotations from classical music that were very probably not what the audience imagined would be on the Five for Fighting menu that evening.

The Appetizer

Speaking of menu, the evening opened with a charming performance by the duet of Olivia Lee and Caroline Lace (@LaceandLee). Ms. Lee, Ondrasik’s daughter, and Ms. Lace offered up some pleasant originals and a memorable cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic “America.” They did not need to fight for attention on this particular evening.

Up Next

Here’s Landmark’s February 2025 lineup, or see the full 2025 season lineup.

Pushcart Players Stone Soup /1 February 2025

On w Winter’s Night / 8 February 2025

Friends of the Brothers / 15 February 2025

Manhattan Comedy Night / 22 February 2025

Jim Messina (see my review from his 2020 Landmark appearance) /28 February 2025