Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – At Birdland, MELISSA ERRICO conjures back “old” New York glamour with her love letter to the city (and Sondheim)

• By drediman
• February 17, 2024
• No Comments

Currently at Birdland Theater, you can find Broadway star Melissa Errico (My Fair Lady, High Society) delighting audiences with her latest cabaret act. Entitled A Manhattan Valentine, the show arrives just in time for Valentine’s Day. But instead of your traditional Valentine’s Day fare, she gives audiences a show that’s more nuanced that just a set of straightforward love songs. Like her last show at Birdland — the wonderfully atmospheric Out of The Dark: The Film Noir Project — her latest seeks to manifest love in a more comprehensive manner, particularly from a more mature, wistful perspective.

Coinciding with the release of her latest album Sondheim In The City, it’s no surprise that the show is laced with Sondheim songs depicting life and love in the Big Apple. As its title suggests, A Manhattan Valentine is largely a love letter to the city that never sleeps, including (at least at the performance I attended) such Sonfheim gems as “What More Do I Need” from Saturday Night, “Another Hundred People” from Company, “Can that Boy Foxtrot” from Follies, and “Good Thing Going” from Merrily We Roll Along. Collectively, they paint a vivid portrait of New York as only Sondheim can. But that musical giant wasn’t the only songwriter on display — Kurt Weill (“Speak Low”), Joni Mitchell (“Chelsea Morning”), and Michel Legrand (“You Must Believe in Spring”) also contributed their unique genius to the mix. Errico even sidesteps New York, segueing into a brief Parisian segment, during which she beautifully duets with the great French vocalist Isabelle Georges (a particular crowd-pleaser was their glorious harmonizing in the iconic mash-up of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again”).

Throughout, Errico was in fine voice, even if she was allegedly recovering from a cold. Her lovely vocal stylings brought a jazzy, relaxed quality to her set list. Few performers are as determined — and successful — at conjuring the glamour of “old” New York, and she does so once again in A Manhattan Valentine (I found her stories of her family’s ties to the legendary Zeigfeld Follies to be particularly fascinating). Over the years, she’s managed the transition from musical ingenue of the Broadway stage to cabaret star with intelligence and grace — and it shows with the lovely confidence she exudes when holding court and the ease with which she wields her rich voice.

RECOMMENDED

MELISSA ERRICO: A MANHATTAN VALENTINE
Cabaret
Birdland Jazz Club
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 18