By Andrew Poretz . . .
Marieann Meringolo’s performances consistently make one wonder why on earth she isn’t a much bigger name in cabaret and beyond. This terrific, award-winning performer has an excellent voice and superb delivery. She can carry funny material and interpret sensitive ballads equally well. As the quotes on her label’s bio attest, major critics love her. This reviewer endorses that sentiment.
Ms. Meringolo continued her monthly Chelsea Table residency with A Lot of Livin’ To Do! Under the direction of The brilliant Will Nunziata, the star packed a lot of great material into 75 minutes. Her song choices ranged from jazz standards to Broadway classics, to pop, with some obscure gems for Ms. Meringolo to mine. She was accompanied by her musical director Doyle Newmyer, bassist Boots Maleson, and drummer Brian Woodruff.
The star was dressed in a chic, all-black New York outfit, with leather pants and a gold chain around her waist. She opened strong with the title song from Bye Bye Birdie (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse). Ms. Meringolo’s funny delivery of “Are You Havin’ Any Fun?” (Jack Yellen/Sammy Fain), a modest Tony Bennett hit, revealed just how delightfully silly its lyrics really are.
A swell medley of “Nice n’ Easy” (Lew Spence/Alan and Marilyn Bergman) and “That Face” (Lew Spence/Alan Bergman) introduced the lyricist stars of the evening, the Bergmans, who wrote the lyrics for six of the songs in the set (“That Face” was written before the couple met). More Bergman followed, with a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of “It Might Be You,” from the film Tootsie, with a melody by Dave Grusin.
“Thou Swell” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart) featured the excellent Brian Woodruff on the drums. Ms. Meringolo flaunted her rhythm chops by singing most of the song against only Woodruff’s drums, before the full trio came in.
Ms. Meringolo’s strong interpretative skills brought out nuances of meaning in Billy Joel’s “Summer Highland Falls well beyond Joel’s own recording.
A generous performer, Ms. Meringolo gave the spotlight to her long-time collaborator, Doyle Newmyer, for a duet of his fine original composition, “Head Over Heels.” The song has something of a country vibe. The pianist is a competent singer, and their harmony parts were exquisite.
The star spoke of her time as a single woman in the days before dating apps, when she’d meet potential partners in bars and give them her phone number. The angst that came from desperately waiting for a phone call from that stranger was the basis for some marvelous physical comedy in “It Must Be You” (“It Must Be Him,” the 1967 Vikki Carr hit by Gilbert Becaud/Mack David). She comically pleaded with her phone, “It must be you, oh please God, it must be you, if it’s not you, then I shall die.” This was a brilliant piece of musical and physical comedy.
Ms. Meringolo admitted to something of an obsession with her musical idol, Johnny Mathis, with a delightfully funny and serendipitous story of meeting Mathis after a concert, at a time when she had a well-received Mathis tribute show. Her three-song Mathis medley ended with a gospel-like “The Twelfth of Never.”
Each show in Ms. Meringolo’s residency has a special guest, and tonight’s was quite special. Karen Mason, a Broadway and cabaret star this writer has reviewed on multiple occasions, got right down to business with “If I Close My Eyes” (Billy Goldenberg/Alan and Marilyn Bergman). Ms. Mason was in great voice. Shortly into her second number, “The World Goes ‘Round” (John Kander and Fred Ebb), a guest seated ringside got up to leave, which at this venue is impossible to do discreetly. “Now? You couldn’t wait? The high notes come later!” Ms. Mason declared to much laughter, as the guest sheepishly and slowly made her way through the crowd and up the glass staircase, all the while mouthing profuse apologies. The entire thing was hilarious, and brilliantly handled by Ms. Mason.
There were more highlights to come, including a spectacular “Fifty Percent” (Billy Goldenberg/Alan and Marilyn Bergman). Ms. Meringolo, whose partner is a woman, sang the song as a same-sex torch song. She told of a time when Billy Goldenberg came to her show. He thanked her for bringing the song “full circle.”
Karen Mason returned to perform the oft-recreated Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand medley of “Get Happy”/”Happy Days Are Here Again” with Ms. Meringolo. This served as a perfect segue for Ms. Meringolo’s powerful rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Jule Styne/Bob Merrill). Though she borrowed some of Barbra’s iconic phrasing, she made it her own, albeit slightly slower and with more enunciation, bringing some lyrics into sharper focus.
Ms. Meringolo’s “finale” was a stunning “I Am Blessed” (Marsha Malamet and Mark Mueller). This was described as a “song of blessings” by her friend Marsha, who is struggling with Parkinson’s disease but really lives the words of this song. A well-deserved standing ovation was rewarded with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.” This slowed-down, intimate arrangement was a powerful postscript to a wonderful evening.
Marieann Meringolo: A Lot of Livin’ To Do! took place at Chelsea Table + Stage, 152 West 26th Street in the Hilton Fashion District Hotel chelseatableandstage.com
Photos: Maryann Lopinto, except where indicated
