By Andrew Poretz …
Broadway great Norm Lewis wowed ‘em when he kicked off the Midsummer MusicFest at The 92nd Street Y. Working with the top trio – music director Billy Stritch, bassist George Farmer and drummer Perry Cavari, Lewis’s rangy, powerful baritone covered Broadway standards, and even some jazz.
The star made a dazzling entrance in full formal tails with a white vest, top hat, and cane. He deadpanned, “Too much?”, to great laughter. Mr. Lewis is quite funny and quick-witted. He declared that his concerts were more like “being in my living room … except you’re paying to be here.” He encouraged questions, “but not while I’m singing.” His charming opening remarks only endeared him even more to his admirers.
Mr. Lewis opened with a pair of Duke Ellington songs, since he was asked to include jazz, which is admittedly not his forte. His take on “Sophisticated Lady” ended with a stunning falsetto. On the more rhythmic “Satin Doll,” he evoked something of an operatic Bobby Short. The star’s voice has a rich bottom not unlike Billy Eckstine’s, while the top of his chest voice is close to a tenor.
The star, speaking of his title role in Porgy and Bess in 2012, pretended not to remember the name of his costar, Audra McDonald. “Google it,” he joked, before taking Ms. McDonald’s part for himself in “Summertime,” astonishing the audience by singing in a stunning countertenor voice. Though it was for a laugh, he might have passed an audition as a mezzo-soprano. At the break, the arrangement switched to a jazzier version, in his usual voice.
A slow, bluesy “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (Frederick Lowe/Alan Jay Lerner) was terrific. Grabbing a stool, jacket off, Mr. Lewis crooned “Misty” (Erroll Garner/Johnny Burke), after a funny story relating an apparent tall tale Johnny Mathis told in concert. Mathis claimed to hold the Guinness world’s record for “fathering children” through the many seductions made to the sound of his recorded voice.
The star generously shared the stage with the golden-throated Nicolas King for a duet on the Louis Armstrong hit “What a Wonderful World” (George David Weiss and Bob Thiele), which they recorded for Mr. King’s latest album. Mr. Lewis told Mr. King, “It’s like looking in the mirror, which garnered much laughter. Though their voices and styles are quite distinct, they blended together beautifully.
Mr. Lewis took advantage of having two masters of the Mel Tormé songbook on stage, and gave Mr. King a duet with Billy Stritch. The pair learned at Birdland that they both perform a famous Tormé medley of “Just One of Those Things” (Cole Porter) and “Green Dolphin Street.” Their voices meshed in spectacular fashion, even scatting together in perfect harmony.
The star returned to the stage in a groovy, white and black satin smoking jacket. One of the show’s biggest highlights came with a relatively obscure song, “It Amazes Me,” which Mr. Lewis found on Tony Bennett’s live Carnegie Hall album. Mr. Lewis sang seated on the stool, right by the piano, giving the song a very intimate feel, as if this really were the star’s living room.
Billy Stritch joined Mr. Lewis on Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the Child.” A meaningful song for him as a co-founder of Black Theatre United, he and Billy had never heard a man sing the song before. (After the show, this reviewer made both performers aware of the 1968 recording by David Clayton-Thomas with Blood, Sweat and Tears.)
The star finished the set with a powerful “If I Ruled the World” (Leslie Bricusse/Cyril Ornadel) fused the James Brown and Tony Bennett arrangements Mr. Lewis admired. A standing ovation was quickly rewarded with an encore of Sondheim’s “No One is Alone,” with exquisite piano voicings by Mr. Stritch.
Though the lights came up and audience members prepared to leave, Mr. Lewis surprised everyone by returning to the stage and asking, “One more song?” In a musical equivalent of winning the game a second time, the star sang “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Webber), a show Mr. Lewis starred in on Broadway as the only Black performer ever to play the lead role.
An Evening with Norm Lewis took place on July 11 at The 92nd Street Y, 92NY.org (1395 Lexington Avenue).
Photo: Richard Termine
