BWW Reviews: 4 GIRLS 4! McKechnie, McArdle, McGovern And Graff Kick Off The Annenberg's Starry Cabaret Season!

The Annenberg Theatre kicked off its' starry 2014-2015 Cabaret Season with four of Broadway's most celebrated leading ladies - Donna McKechnie, Andrea McArdle, Maureen McGovern and Randy Graff - in an unforgettable evening of song and story to a "standing room only" crowd dotted with several other Broadway luminaries including Carol Channing, Kaye Ballard and composer David Zippel. Under the masterful musical direction of John McDaniel, this quintessential quartet delivered well beyond my already high expectations and to say the evening was "memorable" would be nothing short of an understatement.

The ladies opened with a delightful, albeit predictable, "Together Wherever We Go" that highlighted their divergent personalities and differing performance styles, celebrating their uniqueness with an air of playful camaraderie, and setting the tone for the evening to come. The opening number left me hopeful that they would join together again as a group (or in duo or trio) but that was, sadly, not to come to fruition. Instead, each took their turn performing a fifteen-minute "solo set" which left the show a bit uneven, as some were more "standout" than others. That said, I wouldn't have traded out one of these delicious divas - they perfectly balanced each other with the inimitability of their individual styles and choices of material.

Randy Graff's set consisted of "On The Sunny Side Of the Street", "Alfie" and "People" --- but it was with her signature "You Can Always Count On Me" that she held the audience firmly in the palm of her hand. Graff is masterful with a lyric and mesmerizing at every turn. She performed in a somewhat "fourth wall", "detached from the audience" manner that displayed her brilliantly nuanced delivery, but seemed to leave the audience a little cold. Her "Alfie" was layered and lush and Graff gave it new life by bringing fresh context to a rather well worn lyric. Four songs seemed not nearly enough - I could spend an entire evening under the spell of this incredible artiste.

Maureen McGovern could not have been a more polar opposite to Graff. She was laid back and informal with a joyful exuberance that was immediately infectious. Her set was eclectic and unpredictable, ranging from a free-spirited jazz rendition of "A Tisket, A Tasket" to a very moving "There's Got To Be A Morning After" to an earthy "Blues In The Night". But it was her acapella (and, might I add, sans microphone) "Over The Rainbow" that was unexpectedly emotionally riveting and, for lack of a better word, breathtaking. McGovern took the collective breath away from an enraptured audience.

Andrea McArdle was, perhaps, the weakest of the fabulous foursome. Although her vocal delivery is always thrilling, she seemed a bit out of step in this Cabaret genre and her "between song banter" seemed uneasy, awkward and uninspired. She felt a bit like a deer in the headlights from start to finish. She opened with "NYC" (from Annie) which promised a bit more than she delivered from the balance of her set. Her "In The Cool Of The Evening" was a little lackluster and her obligatory "Tomorrow" had seen better days. It was only in her rendition of "Wherever He Ain't" that she demonstrated the chops of an iconic Broadway star - the song and singer were perfectly matched and she was, for three minutes, compelling and rather extraordinary. She closed her set with "Home" (The Wiz") which fit perfectly in her voice, but was emotionally anti-climactic.

Donna McKechnie rounded out the evening with a highly polished and perfected act that seamlessly blended songs and stories from her career ranging from "Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do" (recounting her arrival to NYC and her initiation to the Broadway stage) to her magical night with "Fred Astaire". McKechnie is style and grace and class from word one. She embodies everything you imagine a Broadway legend to be - her poise and polish are exhilarating. Her "Where Am I Going" (Sweet Charity) was a dramatic triumph and her "Music And the Mirror" nearly exceeded the memory of "the first time".

The evening ended with a sixteen bar reprise of the "Together" opener with no surprises in store. That was the only "shame" - the evening was begging for some musical "icing on the cake" and a finale by the foursome that topped all that had come before. Perhaps in another iteration.

"4 GIRLS 4" was the ideal appetizer to a starry season at The Annenberg Theatre that boasts Betty Buckley (January 17), Christine Ebersole (February 21), Liz and Anne Hampton Calloway (March 21) and Sam Harris (April 11). For tickets or further information visit www.annenbergtheater.org

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