Caberet Review by Andrew Poretz . . . .
The always glorious Broadway and cabaret star, Melissa Errico, whom this writer has reviewed often (including HERE and HERE in 2023), unveiled her exquisite new album, Sondheim in the City, smack in the middle of her Manhattan Valentine series at Birdland Theater. The star performed ten sets between Valentine’s Day and February 18, with the album-only shows taking place on February 16 and 17. Theater Pizzazz was on hand for the album-only set.
Many of familiar Sondheim songs appear on the album, along with several obscure pieces and a few surprises unknown to all but the most inside cognoscenti. Ms. Errico performed nearly every cut from the album, mostly in the same order.
Ms. Errico was backed by music director/accompanist Tedd Firth, bassist David Finck, and drummer Eric Halvorson. For this set, she was also joined for half of it by trumpeter Bruce Harris, who also plays on the album (as did Messrs. Firth and Finck).
Shortly before showtime, there were many empty seats before an astoundingly large party of 30 “musical theater kids” suddenly showed up to pack the room.
The star wore a stunning cream gown. She weaved stories about Sondheim, the music and her life as a New Yorker (by way of Manhasset) into a musical Manhatttan essay. The song order helps to relate the story of the love/hate relationship New Yorkers have with this crazy town, through the lens of Sondheim’s brilliant lyrics.
Ms. Errico opened with “Dawn,” from the unproduced film, Singing Out Loud, with Mr. Harris sharing center stage. At first, he overpowered her vocals until the sound was adjusted. The trumpeter has excellent tone and feel. Interestingly, thanks to the modern recording process that does not require musicians to record together, Ms. Errico never met Mr. Harris in person before this evening! These pros sounded as if they’d been playing together forever. His presence was the equivalent of having her own Harry “Sweets” Edison to greatly enhance many of the numbers.
If “Dawn” began the story, a brisk arrangement of “Another Hundred People” evoked the next wave of people coming off the ferry, train, or even migrant bus into New York. Ms. Errico performed an intriguing, uptempo medley of “Opening Doors” (from Merrily We Roll Along) with “What More Do I Need” (Saturday Night). “Opening Doors” has a melodic connection to “Good Thing Going,” from the same show, which was included later in the set.
In Ms. Errico’s breathless opening monologue, she revealed a long history of correspondence with Stephen Sondheim that started when he emailed his comments regarding an article she wrote for the New York Times. In his lyrics, Sondheim asks a lot of good questions, she noted, and those questions were the core of the show.
In a wonderful bit, she also showed a book someone had spotted on her bookcase in one of her pandemic Zoom videos – “Irish Erotic Art” – which caused her to “go viral.” She displayed the book and opened it for the audience to see that all the pages were blank! This was quite funny, and the perfect setup for the delightfully risque “Can That Boy Foxtrot!” This charming song could have been written when her Aunt Rose was a Ziegfeld Girl. Ms. Errico donned a white feather boa, and Mr. Harris supplied a hot trumpet solo to make this number sizzle.
“Uptown, Downtown” is a song cut from Follies, though it eventually made its way into “Marry Me A Little.” The clever lyrics describe Harriet, who flits between her two lives as a low-rent “downtown” low-rent gal and her upscale, “uptown” half. With lines like “it’s so/schizo,” the star handles such witty material deftly, and she sang the last part as something of a “moll” character, perhaps a throwback to last Valentine’s Noir show. Mr. Harris departed for another gig at Café Carlyle, where uptown Harriet might have awaited him.
Ms. Errico turned to Mr. Firth for a stunning “Anyone Can Whistle,” with only piano accompaniment. Her stirring, emotional delivery was perfect. The star, who believes Sondheim’s songs “can live outside the plays” (his songs were always written specifically for the characters), upped the ante further with a moving “Good Thing Going.” A special film of her rendition of this song was released, along with the album, on the day of the show (see it HERE).
For the show-stopper “Broadway Baby” (Follies), she pulled on long, black dress gloves “from Amazon” and a fur stole. No surprise, this Broadway baby knocked it out of the park.
When she sang “Sorry-Grateful” (Company), “the great ambivalent song about ambivalence,” Ms. Errico worked herself up emotionally, seeming to tear up at the break. Continuing in this vein, she displayed strong acting skills in an exceptional and emotional reading of “Being Alive” from the same show.
With “another hundred people” waiting for the late show, Ms. Errico closed the show with a “coda” of “Nice Town, But” a previously unreleased and unproduced Sondheim song she managed to get hold of. It is not on the album. You should have been there! The album, which this writer has listened to in its entirety, is a must-buy.
Melissa Errico: Manhattan Valentine played at Birdland from February 14 to 18 (315 West 44th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenue) (www.birdlandjazz.com).
Photos: David Kenas
