Review: Linda Purl Gets Birdland Theater IN THE MOOD With Sensational SONGS FOR JUMPING BACK INTO LIFE!

There was a collective sigh of relief last Sunday, emitted from an overflowing room of people gathered to get something they wanted, something they have been living without, and something that is essential enough to warrant a sigh of relief: an audience with Linda Purl. The great American actress and staple of the cabaret communities on two coasts had not performed a solo show in New York City in two years, was not a participant at the recent cabaret convention, and had even been abruptly shut out of an off-Broadway play and sent to Middle-America to wait out the pandemic. Through regular postings on social media, some news stories, and one virtual cabaret on Metropolitan Zoom, Purl had stayed active and in touch with friends, fans, and followers, but the need to sit in a nightclub to hear and see Linda Purl live is a real thing, and after what seemed an eternity, the sold-out house at the Birdland Theater finally had that need met.

IN THE MOOD: SONGS FOR JUMPING BACK INTO LIFE! could not have been a more appropriate title for Linda Purl's return to Birdland. One of the most poetic and eloquent speakers to ever hold a microphone in their hand, Ms. Purl touched periodically on the pandemic in ways wistful and empathetic in order to illustrate for her audience that we all remain connected by the happening, even though everyone's personal experience has differed. Then Linda took those references and threaded them into a musical program designed for celebration: celebration of life, celebration of togetherness, celebration of music, celebration of survival. Using the likes of Sondheim, Jobim, Bricusse and Coleman, Linda Purl raised her voice in joy and in song in a way that she hasn't done before. For Linda Purl has never sounded better.

A more than accomplished singer, Ms. Purl has been bewitching audiences for decades with a voice so rich, so glorious, so unique sounding as to encapsulate every experience in life from the most breathtaking natural wonder you've ever seen, to the feel of the finest fabric at the couturier, from the taste of the most sinful culinary creation you've ever tasted to the sound of your mother's voice soothing your tired soul. No voice is like Linda Purl's and she has kept her instrument and artistic aesthetic strong and interesting by always continuing to examine, to grow, and to work at it. That is how Linda found herself, a few years ago, collaborating with Tedd Firth in an exploration of the jazz genre. As their work together opened avenues and peeled back petals for Linda, her storytelling became more intricate, more personally informed, and more exciting to both hear and watch. Through her work with Firth, Linda evolved into a different kind of artist, producing a new sound, a new brand, and a new album, and though Firth was not on hand for her Birdland show, Linda's close friend, Billy Stritch, took expert care of Firth's charts and Linda, the result being that the fun they were having compounded the fun the audience was having, particularly during their musical interactions, when the esteem and admiration each has for the other was plainly visible. Together, the duo backed up by drummer Ray Marchica and bassist David Finck played seventy minutes of musical stories, almost all of them recognizable but most of them reinvented in refreshed versions of the narratives, courtesy of Firth and Purl's expeditions into the material

Because Linda Purl is a great actress, the depth into which she is able (indeed more than willing but, rather, insistently so) to discover levels of storytelling heretofore uncovered is profound. Whether completely renovating "Everybody Says Don't" or making a magical mash-up out of "Pure Imagination" and "Neverland", Purl has the uncanny knack of restructuring the way you once considered a classic, bestowing upon the listener the gift of something brand new, yet with the comfort of being familiar. Even in her most elegant attire of midnight blue velvet, there was always an element of unbridled child-like enthusiasm as Linda raced, face-first, into the adventure of discovery provided by the compositions, the arrangements, and the men who were offering up utmost support.

Particularly enjoyable Sunday night was a timely "Autumn in New York" that resonated with every New Yorker who has seen their fair city represented in a film, novel, edifice, or urban landscape that reminds them of their home. The highlights for this writer, though, were a textbook performance in musical storytelling that simultaneously leans into innovation while remaining traditional-esque ("I'll Be Seeing You") and a straightforwardly honest jazz treatment of a Cy Coleman classic ("You Fascinate Me So), the latter rather dedicated to Linda's much-publicized pandemic romance with television acting icon Patrick Duffy. Given the gleeful openness with which Ms. Purl shared the romance-on-steroids story with the audience and the number of times Mr. Duffy could be observed discreetly filming his sweetheart, one can't help but imagine that at least part of Linda's performance and the soaring sounds coming out of her voicebox-O-gold have something to do with love. Because this artist, this woman who represents the standard to which all singing artists should aspire, brought the art of singing and the sound of her voice to new levels, levels powerful and perfect.

Find great shows to see at Birdland HERE

THIS is the Linda Purl website

Linda Purl will play The Triad for New Year's Eve 2021. For information and tickets visit the Triad website HERE.

Linda Purl gets a five out of five microphones rating for performing her entire show without the use of a lyric sheet, tablet, or music stand.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

To post a comment, you must register and login.