Review: LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE: THE MUSIC OF JULIE GOLD at the Laurie Beechman

Is there anything more thrilling than hearing composers—voices “not yet ready for prime time”—sing and play their own music?

Ask the singers, songwriters, friends, and celebrities who filled the Laurie Beechman Theatre to hear Julie Gold at the grand piano in the legendary 42nd Street club. She played her notes and sang her lyrics, creating an evening that felt intimate, personal, and distinctly New York.

And then it got even better.

Julie’s guest for the evening, Stephen Flaherty, came to the keyboard and played the very first notes he wrote for the electrifying opening number of the Broadway musical Ragtime. As he explained, “These were the notes before they met the words.” Flaherty and his songwriting partner, Lynn Ahrens, had been asked to write four songs on spec in just eleven days—“to get the gig,” Stephen recalled.

Julie began the evening by modestly describing herself as a mediocre pianist with a not-so-good voice. What she neglected to mention was that she is one of our most gifted songwriters, with music recorded by Nanci Griffith, Patti LuPone, Lea Salonga, Judy Collins, and Donna Summer. Her signature song, “From a Distance,” became a worldwide hit in Bette Midler’s recording and won the 1991 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

Throughout the evening, Julie’s melodies and direct, deeply emotional lyrics filled the room. More than a few audience members were visibly moved. It was the kind of musical evening that could only happen in New York City—an evening overflowing with love, love, love.

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