EC354156-F938-6C58-BB408024373BA8BB

 

Review by Joe Regan Jr.

 

 

On Tuesday, March 3, two veteran singers, teamed up to give us “The Redheads: Alicia Terri & Corky” at the Metropolitan Room with the collaboration of music director arranger Barry Levitt and bass player Steve Doyle. Both women, dressed to the nines in black outfits, opened with a duet on “S’Wonderful,” with special lyrics and comments back and forth. Let me state that on a horrible snow storm night, the Metropolitan Room was packed with other singers, family, and many great performers. I know them both from open mics in town, especially Alicia who has a knack for finding special unusual songs and doing long arrangements of them. Many of the singers in the crowd were those who heard her before at Trudi Mann’s open mic brunch. Alicia, who has had several husbands, was only using her first name through most of the act. Corky, who admits to 82, has been married to the same man all her married life, and some of her children and grandchildren were in the house. Although both women’s voices are not what they once were, they more than made up for that with their special phrasing and dramatic skill.

The two women tossed a coin to see who would sing first. Alicia won, and sang two moving songs about life. Then she told Sophie Tucker stories about how Tucker abandoned the men in her life and learned to live alone without them, carrying her own suitcase for life. Alicia went into the Tucker specialty number “I’m Living Alone and I Like It,” which was one of the highlights of the show.

Corky’s solo section began with “Where Am I Going,” and then, dedicating to her children and grandchildren, a tender mash up of “September Song” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Then a great song her husband suggested she sing, “Power of Love” about a husband and wife held together by just that – the power of love!

Alicia brought on stage two flowing red boas and the women sang a riotous version of “Sisters” and, with special lyrics, “Friendship.”

Corky, alone, jested with Levitt, and sang “Them Their Eyes” about him, and then did a tender “Lies of Handsome Men.” After that moment, she belted out “I Am What I Am,” and it was a great acting performance.

When Alicia returned, she blasted out with the Styne/Comden & Green “Fireworks!” She followed that with a very tender and moving version of “The Way He Makes Me Feel” from “Yentl.” And she closed with a great finish, a song entitled “This Is My Life,” written by B. Canfora and Normal Newell – –  “This is my life/And I don’t give a damn for lost emotions…Let me live/let me live/This is my life/This is my life/this is my life!”

Corky Romash joined Alicia Lazansky on stage and they reprised “S’Wonderful,” with more special lyrics. It was a happy occasion and I can’t wait to see them again, individually or paired up.

www.metropolitanroom.com   212 206-0440