Cabaret Review By Ron Fassler . . . .

In the early days of her stage career, Christine Ebersole waited for her break while standing by and replacing in her first three Broadway shows. By 1980, she scored big as Ado Annie in a revival of Oklahoma! and from then on she has been one of the most dazzling go-to musical theatre actresses of her generation. Dare I even say of all time? Okay, I dare.

Her portrayal of two distinct characters in Grey Gardens (2006) as a mother and her own daughter thirty years apart, is the stuff of legend. And for good reason. I saw her both off and on Broadway and it was one of those rare performances that linger in the mind and heart in indescribable ways. Her last appearance in War Paint (2017), in which she co-starred with Patti LuPone, was a wonder. Her delivery of the song “Pink,” the work of composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie (who also did Grey Gardens) exudes dramatic tension and delicate shadings. She’s appeared in many plays, musicals, films and television series, currently concluding her fifth and final season on the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola. Perhaps its ending will allow for her to return to Broadway where she hasn’t created a new role in six years.

The opportunity to see Ebersole on stage as herself is currently pre-packaged for the holiday season in a week-long engagement at 54 Below which opened last night (Tuesday). In I’ll Be Home for Christmas, she is sharing the stage with her longtime friend and musical director Billy Stritch, no slouch as a vocalist either. If you’re feeling some early winter chill, cozy on over to the warmth that’s glowing (even without a fireplace) on West 54th Street.

In the eighty-minute set, backed by Michael O’Brien on bass and Ray Marchica on drums, we are treated to an array of Christmas songs, but also great material from the two shows for which Ebersole won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: the aforementioned Grey Gardens and the 2001 revival of 42nd Street (that’s the show where she met Stritch, who was cast as Oscar the rehearsal pianist for the show within a show, Pretty Lady). Their teaming up in nightclubs and concert stages is now entering its 21st year and if you’ve never seen or heard them on CD, now’s the time.

Ebersole was in top form on opening night which she told the audience was the first time she and Stritch had ever played 54 Below. They embraced the room with their smart musicianship and provided an evening without a single lull. Bubbly and entirely herself in front of an audience, she asked the audience at one point, “What words can I give you that will comfort me at this time?,” a perfectly wacky remark that she delivered with a proper sprinkling of disingenuousness. And she charmed by sharing with us her rendition of “Jingle Bells” as a three-year-old, courtesy of her father who preserved her singularly distinctive voice in its infancy on a reel-to-reel tape recorder.

The set list was appropriate to the time of year with such standards as “Winter Weather,” “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” “Snowfall,” Winter Wonderland,” “Christmas in L.A.” and for an encore, “White Christmas.” Stritch not only provided sensational accompaniment on piano but harmonies galore. It’s not for nothing this onstage relationship has stood the test of time for so long as they complement one another beautifully.

Some other tunes delivered were “Surrey With the Fringe on Top,” “Sunday in New York,” Joni Mitchell’s River and even “There’s a Boat That’s Leavin’ Soon for New York.” But for me, the favorite of the night was Ebersole soaring on “Another Winter in a Summer Town” and “Drift Away,” two of the remarkable ballads from Grey Gardens. In fact, it gave me the idea that a concert cast reunion of that show would be a sensational evening at 54 Below. Somebody? Please?

The 42nd Street numbers included “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “We’re in the Money” and “You’re Getting to Be a Habit With Me.” Personally, I’ve been in a Christine Ebersole habit for more that forty years and as far as I’m concerned the Al Dubin’s lyrics for the song ring true:

Oh, I can’t break away
I must have you every day
As regularly as coffee or tea.
You’ve got me in your clutches and I can’t get free
You’re getting to be a habit with me (can’t break it)

You’re getting to be a habit with me.

Christine Ebersole with Billy Stritch: I’ll Be Home for Christmas opened December 12th at 54 Below, 254 W 54th Street and is playing through Saturday, December 16th. For tickets, please visit https://54below.org.

Photos: Ron Fassler