Review: McBroom and Callaway Are Simply DIVALICIOUS at 54 Below

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow readers! Bobby Patrick, your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you ALL the Tea!

Well, my lambs, Little Bobby has just now set down his coat and camera, sat down at the keyboard, and settled into work. Moments ago we walked through the door from 54 (Below) where we were treated to the absolute privilege of seeing (& hearing) songstress legends Ann Hampton Callaway and Amanda (THE ROSE) McBroom, performing the New York City debut of their show DIVALICIOUS. This program, which was first performed in Great Barrington in 2016, finally landed on the isle of Manhattan Thursday night to the delight of all. Consisting almost entirely of music the ladies have penned themselves, either together, separately, or, in some cases, with the evening's music director/pianist, Michele Brourman, the set truly made the room swing, sway, and sigh in equal measure throughout. Both singers were in better-than-fine voice and looking spiffy, chic, and sleek in coordinated black sequin jackets and sparkly jewelry. Individually, Callaway & McBroom have written more songs than most of us have heard in our lifetimes and DIVALICIOUS is a culmination and curation of some of these works, along with salutes to some of their faves, like Dorothy Fields and Jacques Brel.

As forever fans of the Great American Songbook, the ladies incorporated a few crowd-pleasing standards with their Anndards and Amandards. Starting the evening with Billy Hill's THE GLORY OF LOVE, the sisterly vibe between the two filled the room and set it up for the fun that would follow. Callaway took the solo mic first with Kern & Hammerstein's ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE done up in a nifty jazz arrangement that allowed her to show off her scat singing ability and, oh my dears, the DooBee DooBee Doo of it all. Ann is a master jazz singer and she served those chops a few times throughout the night. Her paean to rocky love stories FINDING BEAUTY (which will be the title track of their new album - coming soon) started out "bouncy" but then took on the breadth and the tempo of real love with all its ups and downs. Even though she tripped over her own lyrics a couple of times, she was barely phased and just rolled her confession of those booboos right into the song and just kept on going, prompting one of our table companions to remark, "She's just unstoppable." McBroom began her solo stint with a bluesy, sexy song she composed with Brourman titled EGGS, all about the morning after the night before, and the essential breakfast that must follow. Then came what has to be Bobby's fave solo of the night, WHEELS. Composed for the sequel revue A... MY NAME WILL ALWAYS BE ALICE, McB explained that the inspiration for the song was the obituary she read for Hollywood silent film star Mary Maclaren, a one-time box office competitor of Clara Bow who fell upon hard times after talkies and wound up living her own West Coast version of Grey Gardens, cats, foul pests and all. WHEELS was a love song to Mary, whose life kept rolling along from the top of the hill, down to the streets, and however the world fought to shove her aside, her insistence on being free kept her wheels rolling, whether they were on automobiles or a rusty old shopping cart. A consummate storyteller, the tales Amanda weaves in her music create great heartfelt, sigh-inducing moments, as with INFORMATION PLEASE, written with Callaway, and which they were premiering for the first time in NYC on the 54 B Stage. Telling the story of a lonely little girl who would reach out to her friend, Sally, the information lady that lived in her big black house phone, and the words of calm encouragement Sally would impart to help get her through tough times and, oh my darlings, in the showbiz lingo - Not a dry eye. Moving quickly to a lighter note, Brourman regaled the audience with the Brourman/McBroom-scribed novelty number YOU'RE ONLY OLD ONCE (which told of hormones that kick in when you're young and kick right back out again when you're old) had this rainbow reporter giggling far longer than we should have after the music stopped.

Sharing words and music together along with Brourman and Bassist Ritt Henn, Ann Hampton Callaway & Amanda McBroom gave the crowd at 54 Below a night to remember, and the good news is there are more to come with 7 PM shows Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4, AND - with a streaming hook up on Saturday's show so you can see this magic from the comfort of your own home. Get your tickets to this one, dearlings, because Bobby awards McBroom and Callaway's DIVALICIOUS our full...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Get Your Tickets To The Live Shows: HERE

Get Your Tickets To The Live Stream ($25-Saturday, March 4 at 7 PM Eastern): HERE

Keep Up With All Things Callaway On Her Webbysite: HERE

And Amanda's Dot Com Is: HERE

Show Michele Brourman some site love: HERE

All Photos By Yours Truly, Bobby Patrick

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