Photos: Ruby Westfall and Ellington Berg Play THE SEASON at Red Eye NY

Ruby Westfall and Ellington Berg made their duo debut as cabaret performers last night at Red Eye NY.  The two singing actors and one-time university classmates presented THE SEASON: SELECTIONS FROM THE 2006 - 2007 BROADWAY SEASON to a cabaret room that was justthisclose to being standing room only.  The performance marked the first time that Westfall has appeared on the New York City cabaret stage, though Berg has been around the block more than a time or two.   In the name of full transparency, it is incumbent upon me to say that Ruby Westfall is a member of my family.  The daughter of a near-lifelong friend, Ruby grew up calling me Uncle Stephen (which she still calls me today), and I have served as a de facto godfather to her.   I was in the room last night with her mother, godmother, and three other family friends.  For reasons that need no explaining, I must recuse myself as a reviewer (though Uncle Stephen always thinks she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and will always encourage people to see her play).  At this time, though, I shall cease offering personal opinion and offer, as the saying goes, just the facts, Jacks.

Ellington Berg and Ruby Westfall presented their hour-long musical cabaret focusing on the musicals presented during the 2006-2007 Broadway season, which they declared to be one for which they both have strong devotion.   With musical director Wendy Feaver at the piano, Westfall and Berg performed songs from Legally Blonde, Spring Awakening, 110 in the Shade, Les Misérables, Grey Gardens, and Company, with a medley of songs from other musicals like A Chorus Line, Mary Poppins, and Curtains (also, one off-Broadway musical, Title of Show).    The audience reacted positively to the program, especially a game that Ruby and Ellington invented for the occasion:  Both actors being extremely well acquainted with the play (and score of) Spring Awakening, they challenged their audience to choose who would sing, and when, in the following manner.  Musical Director Feaver would play a medley of songs from Spring Awakening, which Ellington and Ruby would tag team, and any time that an audience member wanted the singers to swap, they could throw a dollar into a tip bucket at the foot of the stage.  Once a new dollar was introduced to the bucket, the singers would switch, frequently in mid-sentence.  From Ruby to Ellington,  back to Ruby, then back to Ellington, as patron after patron rushed the stage to change the human jukebox with another tip.   Westfall did a mash-up of songs from 110 in the Shade, while Berg did the same with the musical Grey Gardens.  Together, they melded two songs from Les Mis.  There was a special shout-out to Wendy Feaver, who undertook to Musical Direct their show while on a break from the MOULIN ROUGE tour.  Ellington and Ruby have hinted that this might be the first of a series.  Interested parties can get updates on that by way of their mutual social media platforms.

Follow Ellington Berg on Instagram HERE.
THIS is the Ruby Westfall Instagram page.

Find great shows to see at Red Eye NY on their website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher