BWW Reviews: Gregg Marx and Sharon McKnight Are Together Again for the First Time at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal

On Sunday, July 21, Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal in North Hollywood presented Gregg Marx and Sharon McNight, Together Again for the First Time. Gregg, a former Emmy-winning soap-opera star turned singer and Sharon, a thirty-five-year show-biz veteran, including Broadway, provided definite contrasts in style and material. That's not always a successful combination for a cabaret show, but in this case it worked.

To the superb accompaniment of pianist John Randall, the stars came out together to sing "Old Movies," a clever ditty by Craig Carnelia replete with movie titles and star names. Then Sharon left the stage and Gregg performed the next six numbers. He's a handsome, stylish crooner, with a rich voice that he used to great effect on sexy versions of "Ain't Misbehavin'," "I Only Want Some," "Slow Boat to China," and Porter's "It's All Right with Me." In the Middle of "The Coffee Song," Sharon returned to the stage and mock- heckled Gregg. Then Gregg left the stage and a totally new show emerged.

Sharon McNight is a real pistol, brassy and bawdy and a belter. She reminded me a lot of the early Bette Midler in her live shows. She made hilarious off-color remarks "We saw some of the no-hos on the street tonight;" and "You remember records-they're black and twelve inches" were two of the most memorable. Her performance of Al Stillman's "Meantimes" was a real crowd pleaser, as was Kander and Ebb's "Everybody Girl," which Sharon sang a la Mae West. She was effective on quieter songs as well: Randy Newsman's soulful, R&B-flavored "Guilt" and Craig Carnelia's "Kid Inside," a song about yearning for lost youth. Mary Liz McNamara's "Haiku," about a failed writer's success with the Japanese poetic form, drew loud laughs, especially for the writers in the audience.

Gregg then joined Sharon for the finale, "Blow Me," a very funny tune that uses what seem to be dirty commands until the rest of the phrase is uttered. ("Blow me....a kiss from across the room.") I had a good time at this show, and I look forward to Marx and McNight being together again for the second time.