By Ron Fassler . . .
As a teenager, I watched Lucie Arnaz week in, week out on her mother’s CBS-TV series “Here’s Lucy” over the course of its six season run (Monday nights at 9 PM). She was a teenager herself—seventeen when she started, bypassing college for the education she received working alongside her mom (the comedian’s comedienne, Lucille Ball) and her brother Desi Jr. Her resume is a long one, boasting near-continuous employment for fifty-five years in close to every capacity of the business. This week, she and her gorgeous head of silver hair are entertaining audiences at 54 Below in an autobiographical show she calls, “I Got the Job! Songs From My Musical Past.” Having turned a sparkling seventy-two just last week, not only does she still possess a strong singing voice, but she also proves in this ninety-minute cabaret act that it is possible to defy the vagaries of time. And revel in it!
Charming, self-deprecating, and blessed with the genetics of expert comic timing, Arnaz nostalgically shared a no-holds-barred chronological journey of her life and career with an enthusiastic crowd. Her scripted patter felt spontaneous, a testament to her acting chops. “I’ve shared the stage with some of the greatest talents of all time . . . and other people,” she joked (while giving credit for the line to Jim Caruso). Her choice of songs, primarily drawn from the shows she’s done, bore particular emphasis on Annie Get Your Gun—in which she performed during a long, hot summer at the old Jones Beach outdoor theater on Long Island—and They’re Playing Our Song, the one Broadway role she got to create from scratch. The stories she employed to introduce the numbers were carefully chosen and immeasurably pumped up the songs with extra humor and vitality. Her attention to lyrics, often taking one line at a time with specificity and care, marks the soul of a true artist.
Backed by the musical stylings of the gifted arranger Ron Abel at the piano, the otherwise empty stage felt full. Opening the show with reworked lyrics to “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” she returned to the song for her encore, where she gave a heartfelt rendition of Irving Berlin’s original words. She also recounted a telegram (remember those?) that was sent to her by the great man himself on the opening night of Annie Get Your Gun, and which recited from memory (wouldn’t you memorize something like that?). She also offered personal insights into the creative process, telling stories that emphasized the hard work (and play) that goes into the art of a show. There’s something of the teacher about her: life lessons freely shared.
Highlights included portions of songs like “Poor Everybody Else” from Seesaw, which she starred in on its first national tour in the mid-70s, and “You Can’t Get a Man With a Gun,” a Berlin song that even Stephen Sondheim marveled at (stating that it’s “as good a comic song as has ever been written by anybody. You look at the jokes and how quickly they’re told, and it still has a plot to it”). While discussing the three versions of “I Still Believe in Love” that were written by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager while They’re Playing Our Song was in previews, Arnaz perceptively explained that “even geniuses don’t know when they’re doing their best work.”
She learned firsthand from a genius. It’s not hyperbole to say that Lucille Ball was one and, as Arnaz reminded the audience, her education was non-stop. “We did musical numbers on that show all the time. It was a crash course in musical theater. I danced the Charleston with Ginger Rogers!”
This was my first experience seeing Arnaz live on stage—ever. It was quite an introduction. My recommendation is to get to 54 Below before she completes her four-show run there. But hurry, it ends tonight. She’s a treasure.
Lucie Arnaz: I GOT THE JOB! Songs From My Musical Past ran this week at 54 Below (254 West 54th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway). www.54below.org
Photos: Ron Fassler
