Review: PETE 'N' KEELY at Carnegie Hall Is Laugh-Out-Loud Fun

Fictitious ex-spouses also put the “ex” in “exuberant,” “exaggerated,” “excess,” and “extra-fun.” Once married and performing as a popular pop singing duo, the marriage broke up and so did the act, but they agree to come back together for a reunion event to boost their sagging solo careers. They are the titular characters in the spoofy, goofy, satirical miracle of mirth called Pete ‘n’ Keely. Christopher Sieber and Jennifer Simard played the pair for a one-night event on February 17 at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall. On their night off from the Broadway musical Death Becomes Her, they proved that satire and shmaltz and sass become them.

The set-up for the set of songs (using mostly established standards) is a concert presented as a 1968 TV special allowing fans to see and hear Pete and Keely together again, reprising their hits, with glitzy specialty arrangements. Think Las Vegas extravagance; the more embellishments and flourishes the better. As they reflect on and reprise their hits, there’s banter and bluster (tight, sharp, script by James Hindman), residual resentments emerge in big and little ways. They interrupt each other, make passive-aggressive snide remarks, not-so-veiled insults, exchange looks that could kill. The splashy stylings and interactions borrow heavily from the smiley, razzle-dazzle repertoire of role model married entertainers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, including their memorable uber-peppy numbers “This Could Be the Start of Something” and “It’s Us Again.” Other material, for solos and duets, includes such classics as “Fever,” “Lover,” “Besame Mucho,” and a dizzying, dazzling mega-medley-to-end-all-medleys of dozens of songs that name cities. As the somewhat oily Pete and the semi-sultry Keely strut their respective stuff, we await every over-the-top touch and under-their-breath put-down.  

The responsive attendees at Zankel Hall rewarded Sieber and Simard's chemistry and energy with much laughter and hand-clapping, the latter initially cued by giant “Applause” signs carried onto the stage, asking us to go along with the premise that we were the audience at this supposed live 1968 TV special. While commercial breaks were announced for the sponsor, Swell Shampoo (its participation brought the tangled exes back together “so think what it can do for your split ends”), instead of hearing the ads, we hear the squabbling when the stars are off-mic. Could the “lather-rinse-repeat” steps for hair be echoed by Pete and Keely’s feelings of attraction bubbling up again for a repeat of their old connection, with forgiveness and apologies?  

The pace is terrific. This zingy property was first unleashed at the beginning of this century, starring Sally Mayes and George Dvorsky, who have returned to it a few times, and their work was preserved on a cast album. It’s also been done by others in regional theatre. Missing from the initial production(s) is a wonderfully wacky segment that purports to represent a Broadway musical about Cleopatra that Pete and Keely starred in. The original songs created for this were written by director Mark Waldrop and Patrick Brady. The latter returned as music director/pianist, leading a trio, and adding some fun interacting with the stars, having lines of dialogue as the beleaguered “TV pianist” trying to hold everything together.

Pete ‘n’ Keely remains a real hoot.

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Follow Christopher Sieber on Instagram @christopher_sieber. Follow Jennifer Simard on Instagram @thejennifersimard.

Find more upcoming shows at Carnegie Hall on their website.

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