Did any of you happen
to catch Tuesday night's episode of television's "social experiment"
program, Beauty and the Geek?
(Yes, I promise you this column is about this past weekend's Broadway
Cabaret Festival. Just go with me on this.) It's the show where
they pair up brilliant, but socially inept, guys and fabulous looking, but
not-too-bright, women and see if they can learn from each other. (Oh, and
this season they have the exciting twist of including a brilliant, but socially
inept woman and a fabulous looking, but not-too-bright guy, but that's beside
the point.)
Anyway, on Tuesday night the beauties and geeks had a field trip to the annual
comic book convention known as Comic-Con. Now sure, most Americans can
recognize Superman and Batman, but upon entering this collective of
connoisseurs, the geeks suddenly found themselves in an environment where they
were the cool kids. You could see the glow on their faces and their
confidence rising as they wandered among those who shared their passion and
knowledge.
It reminded me of the feeling I had this weekend attending
A Tribute To Stephen Schwartz,
An
Evening With Betty Buckley and
Broadway
Originals! (an afternoon of performers singing from roles they originated,
either in Broadway premieres or in the original casts of Broadway revivals),
the three concerts comprising Town Hall's
3rd Annual Broadway Cabaret Festival.
Imagine spending an entire weekend among people to whom you don't have to
explain your excitement anticipating hearing Liz Callaway singing "Meadowlark." Imagine just
striking up a conversation about Betty Buckley with someone who doesn't start listing
their favorite
Eight Is Enough
episodes before asking, "You mean she sings, too?" Imagine sitting in an
audience where you're not the only one applauding after Anita Gillette sings
the opening line of "The Secret Service (Makes Me Nervous)." That's the
difference between the person who enjoys musicals and cabarets and the real
geek. Excuse me... connoisseur.
No amount of credit for the success of the festival, as well as other regular
Town Hall events like
Broadway Unplugged
and
Broadway By The Year is enough to
bestow upon creator/writer/host Scott Siegel. Soft-spoken, unassuming,
yet fiercely bright and with a wit that sneaks up on you, he's not quite the
image most Americans picture when they think of lovers of musical theatre, but
for the geeky connoisseurs who know that a strong book is just as important as
a catchy score, his knowledgeable anecdotes and background material provide the necessary structure for the evening. Did you know that George S. Irving
was in the original cast of
Oklahoma! but was drafted shortly after opening night?
Or that Stephen Schwartz spotted Kristy Cates singing at The Duplex and
cast her as Elphaba? Or that Joan Copeland is the sister of Arthur
Miller?
The weekend was filled with the kind of magic moments that may not mean much to
those who never venture toward the showtune section, but to those who relish the
musical culture that comes out of Times Square,
it was heavenly.
The
Broadway Originals! concert has
always been my favorite part of the festival, particularly when Broadway's
senior citizens get up on stage and prove they've still got it. As I
mentioned before, Anita Gillette, who Siegel introduced as one of the few people
around who can say she originated a role in an Irving Berlin musical, once
again displayed the adorable comic knack that won her acclaim in
Mr. President as a presidential daughter
whose dating life gets disrupted by the secret service. As an encore, she
Charlestoned to "Oh, Gee!", a flapper number that was added to
Jimmy to help cover a set change but
wound up being a highlight of the show. The 85-year-old George S. Irving,
still a robust and richly voiced specimen of musical comedy panache, wowed the
crowd with a hearty "I'm Alive, I'm a'Tingle, I'm a'Glow" which he introduced
in
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and
received a huge ovation -- not to mention countless laughs – with his naughty
showstopper from
So Long 174th Street,
innocently titled "The Butler's Song." (It's my estimation that between
special events and concert revivals, Mr. Irving has sung "The Butler's Song"
more times after the show closed than he did while it was on Broadway.)
Jill O'Hara, whose voice still sounds exactly as it does on the
Promises, Promises cast album, explained
that her hit song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," was written when Burt
Bacharach and Hal David discovered she could play the guitar. And though
she didn't perform, the house rocked with applause as the 90-year-old Celeste
Holm, the first of countless young girls who would musically plea that she
"Caint Say 'No'" took a bow.
The great Andre de Shields, Broadway's original Wiz, displayed delightful verve
in "So You Wanted To See The Wizard," while
Sweeney Todd's
first Tobias, Ken Jennings, once again became the timid lad who earnestly sang "Not While I'm Around" to Angela Lansbury.
The thrilling combination of spectacular vocals and thoughtful phrasing was
evident in the performances of Donna Lynne Champlin ("I'm Always Chasing
Rainbows" from
Hollywood Arms), Susan
Bigalow ("Just A Housewife" from
Working) and Martin
Vidnovic ("There But For You Go I" from
Brigadoon),
while the beauty of Jerry Dixon's baritone enchanted with "Some Girls" from
Once On This Island. David Miller was
majestic in his unamplified "Che Gelida Manina" from
La Boehme and Brad Oscar's "Haben
Sie Gehört Das Deutsche Band?" from
The
Producers was musical comedy silliness at its most joyously showbiz.
A recurring theme of Friday night's tribute to Stephen Schwartz was the
kindness and generosity of the evening's honoree. Having earned great
success at a young age (Schwartz had three musicals running on Broadway at the
same time –
Godspell,
Pippin and
The Magic Show – while still in his 20's) the composer/lyricist was
able to use his celebrity, as the song says, "For Good." Scott Siegel told
of his tireless work for ASCAP, the organization that helps secure rights for
songwriters. Steven Lutvak told of the equal partnership the famous songwriter
offered on their collaboration, "Rewriting History." Composer/lyricist
John Bucchino, whose
A Catered Affair
is Broadway bound, spoke warmly of Schwartz's mentorship and Jim Caruso, ever
so entertainingly smarmy with "Extraordinary" expressed appreciation for the
man's support in the early stages of his career.
Jane Olivor, who Schwartz accompanied at piano during his fledgling days, was
on hand to sing a gentle, "The Hardest Part of Love," while Jason Graae, one of the flat-out funniest men in
cabaret (and a heck of a musical theatre actor, too) layered "Popular" with so much
hilarious schtick (music director/pianist Alex Rybeck was an exceptional foil)
that in the middle of the number he faked taking a phone call from Idina Menzel
and quipped, "I'll call you when I'm off stage... in about 25 minutes."
Liz Callaway warmed as many hearts with "Lion Tamer" as spines she tingled with
"Meadowlark." Lari White, whose roots are in country music and gospel, offered a bit of a honky-tonk feel
to "Blame It On The Summer Night," my choice for the sexiest song in all of musical
theatre. Other wonderful moments included Michael Winther's beautifully
fragile "Simple Song," Max von Essen's ravishing "Proud Lady," director Scott Coulter's
impassioned "God Help the Outcasts," Lisa Howard's noble "Children Of The Wind"
and Jill Abramovitz's sharply funny "It's An Art," which caught all of the
lyric's trickier rhymes.
After Stephen Schwartz thanked those he has worked with along the way with a
heartfelt "For Good" his wife Carole livened things up with a rousing "No Time At
All," pointing out that her husband wrote this insightful and humorous look at
growing old when he was just 21.
Broadway audiences have been thrilling to Betty Buckley's high belting since
the days when she double entendred the pleasures of Thomas Jefferson's violin playing
in
1776, but her full evening concert
on Saturday night showed an artist whose taste and talent often ventures off
stage.
Yes, she did sing "Memory," which she's happy to call her signature song,
completely taking on the Grizabella persona without the benefits of fur and makeup.
She hit some spectacular tones with "Just One Look" and "Come Rain or
Come Shine," but a lady can't be expected to belt all night, no matter how
exciting she still sounds at 60, so quieter moments, like a liquidly smooth
"Stardust" and a playful, slightly more adult interpretation of "One Boy"
provided mellower experiences.
But aside from tasty American songbook classics like "C'est Magnifique" and "It
Might As Well Be Spring," Buckley's repertoire also includes pop favorites that
exploit her masterful storytelling skills like Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Come
On, Come On" (which she calls her favorite song of all time), a pair by James
Taylor ("The Fourth of July" and "Fire and Rain") and an encore by some guy
name Tom Waits. Come to think of it, I've noticed quite a few cabaret
singers these days doing selections by Tom Waits. Maybe I should check
out one of his CD's some time. Or better still, maybe he can write a
musical.
After the concert, while... umm... some of us were stuffing ourselves with the
generous reception spread, Ms. Buckley was generously spending over an hour in the
lobby, signing CD's for fans. That's swell.
Photos by Maryann Lopinto: Top:
George S. Irving, Center: Stephen Schwartz, Bottom: Betty Buckley.
Michael Dale's Martini Talk appears every
Monday and Thursday in BroadwayWorld.com.
