Review by Ron Fassler . . .
Friends who have been performing together in tandem for almost twenty-two years, Christine Ebersole, a two-time Tony Award winning actress and Billy Stritch, a Grammy Award-winning vocalist and pianist par excellence, sincerely know how to put on a show. And by using the word sincerely, I mean just that. Nothing is forced, not the singing or the patter. They just invite us into their world for an hour or so and, miraculously, cares disappear. Their charm and informality are back on display at 54 Below for a week of holiday cheer and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll figure out a way to slip into the warmth of one of the best cabaret rooms in the city for service and entertainment.
Backed by the always dependable Ray Marchica (drums) and Michael O’Brien (bass), the set is tight with expert musicianship. A mix of holiday songs and Broadway’s best, the comfort and ease with which these four people make beautiful music is a thing of joy. A medley of W. Earl Brown and Tucker Freeman’s “I Love the Winter Weather,” paired with Irving Berlin’s “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” made for a sensational opener, followed by Ebersole crooning “My Favorite Things” (we all know who wrote that one, right?) They easily hooked everyone by their third number, “Christmas Long Song,” a truly beautiful ballad with music by the underrated Johnny Mandel, mainly known for writing the theme to M*A*S*H, and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Notedly, it was only this past September that Alan Bergman passed away at ninety-nine. He was pre-deceased by his wife Marilyn, who lived to ninety-three, and Mandel made it to ninety-four. Let’s hear it for longevity!
And with regard to longevity, I have personally had the pleasure of seeing Christine Ebersole on stage for nearly fifty years. She played Agnes, Lily Garland’s maid, in the musical On the 20th Century (1978), after Judy Kaye moved up from the part in order to replace the fired Madeline Kahn as Lily. My friend and fellow theatre historian and critic, Peter Filichia, caught the young Ebersole when she went on for Kaye and, having seen all three women, found her to be the best Lily Garland. I was astonished by her Ado Annie in the 1979 revival of Oklahoma! and I was fortunate to also see her as Guenevere opposite Richard Burton’s King Arthur in Camelot (1980) as well as in such non-musicals as Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Getting Away with Murder (1996) and Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (2000).
Stritch has been at the game a long time too and first met Ebersole when they were cast together in the 2001 revival of 42nd Street, which won the actress her first Leading Actress in a Musical Tony (Grey Gardens was her second). With his gift for the piano, Stritch started making money by the age of thirteen when he formed a rock group with some local kids who were a bit older. Becoming an arranger and musical director and veering more towards Broadway and jazz, he’s had important and close collaborations over the years with Liza Minnelli, as well as Tony Bennett and Marilyn Maye. The friendship with Ebersole has not only endured but has resulted in two CD’s, “In Your Dreams” (2005) and “Sunday in New York” (2008). I highly recommend them.
It was not only holiday fare that made up the setlist at 54 Below, as Ebersole’s two Tony-winning roles were well represented with songs from 42nd Street and Grey Gardens. Hilarious in the former, she broke hearts in the latter, with her performance as Big Edie (Act One) and Little Edie (Act Two) among the greatest—if not the greatest—I’ve ever seen interpreted onstage in a musical by any actress. Seriously. At 54 Below, she sang “Will You,” followed by a reworking of “Another Winter in a Summer Town” that interpolated “Drift Away” to maximum emotional effect. Scott Frankel’s music and Michael Korie’s lyrics should be inspirational to anyone who desires to write for the musical theatre.
At the end of the night, after a false exit of which she made fun (can we once and for all figure out a way to not test an audience’s patience with this routine?), Ebersole returned for a rendition of “Silent Night” that ended the evening on a dramatic and moving note. It felt just about right as a sum up for performances from both Ebersole and Stritch that offered a combination of comical nonsense and goosebumps. Their show, to bring up the British phrase, is the Full Monty.
Christine Ebersole with Billy Stritch: I’ll Be Home for Christmas is playing at 54 Below, 254 W 54th Street, NYC November 29, 30, December 2, 3, 5 and 6 at 7pm. For further information and tickets, please click here:
Photos by Ron Fassler.
Headline photo: Billy Stritch and Christine Ebersole.
