Review: MELISSA ERRICO: SEASON FOR JOY at Bay Street Theatre

In Her Season For Joy, Melissa Errico sings and streams from the Bay Street Theatre stage adding a touch of theatrical beauty to an online Christmas Celebration

Look up here my angels! It's me up here in this shiny soap bubble coming in for a landing (Ohhhhh Ohhhhhh hehehehehehehe) TOUCH DOWN! That's right my lovely Rainbow Tribe, It's me, Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Ja'Miss me? I have returned to put the silent T back in CABARET and to bring you all the T. So, after 9+ months of rolling the BWW Cabaret boulder up this hill solo, my boss, talented wordsmith, Stephen Mosher, rang me up and cried HELP! So, taking back some of the reins of reviewing Bobby is ready to get back down to business ... Melissa Errico.

You know her, you love her, you can't live without her and if you don't know, love, and live for La Errico, you should. This is a lady who lives to perform and has the chops to go from Stage, to screen, and from small venues to large, and now she lights up the virtual platform with her obligatory Holiday show, Season For Joy; streaming straight from the stage of Sag Harbor's own Bay Street Theatre. "But wait!" I hear you say, "Wait! Bobby!? You mean she's not standing in front of a green screen in her Basement and/or garage singing to tracks or, heaven forbid, a mini Casio?" Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with any of those situations - during this hellish lockdown-social distance-don't-touch-NOBODY-and-for-SURE-don't-congregate-inside-your-fave-bars-venues-and-haunts era of our lives, we of the theatre have had to cut our suit to fit the covid cloth. But, SURPRISE!! Season For Joy is a fully realized concert. Errico, resplendent in a blue-green sequined gown, sings with her socially distanced, appropriately masked, but physically present Music Director, the brilliant Tedd Firth, right there on the stage with her mixing his wonderful arrangements with Errico's crystalline voice. Kicking the night off with a jazzy, upbeat Favorite Things, the lady must move from song to patter and back again sans applause as the theatre she is singing in is sans audience. TBH, it is slightly jarring at first to be enjoying a performance that feels live, but that does not elicit audible response; except for the times that we were compelled to clap solo over our bowl of popcorn.

It is a testament to Errico and Firth that they are able to keep a live concert energy flowing out of the screen engaging their viewers for a full hour. Melissa's charming talking bits inform and amuse as they always do and she moves from song to song with her effortless stream of consciousness while being honest about the fact that she and Firth have had little time to actually rehearse. Not that it matters OR that it shows since the show moves so freely between two experts who know each other so well. There are lots of surprises throughout the show including guest performers joining the lady through the magic of technology. Who pops in on this charming evening to sing with Melissa? Well, that would be telling but Bobby will say this, there is a Tony winner in the mix along with other charmers you will recognize if you have followed the lady's online presence (and recipes) during our 2020 season of trials and triumphs. Other surprises in the show come in the form of some new lyrics dropped into old faves penned by the witty New Yorker essayist, Adam Gopnick. These gems pop in to give one a good chuckle, ring a few bells, and give some angels their wings.

The production values of the show are of a pleasantly high level with video artists adding light dustings of snowflakes and Christmas tree backgrounds, that simply enhance the beauty of the music with a few virtual visuals. The virtues and drawbacks of streaming live performing to your home computer, AppleTV, or other devices have been extolled and decried throughout the whole of 2020 and Bobby is not going to join in that fray. Suffice it to say these are the times in which we live and Season For Joy is something we all could use no matter how Grinchy we are feeling. AND THE GOOD NEWS IS, Bay Street is offering the concert video for you to see in your own time and in your own PJ's for a lot less money than you would pay to see the lady in venues with a food and drink minimums. Now through January 1, you can partake of an On-Demand (24 Hour Available Stream) of Season For Joy with proceeds going to help one of our most important regional theatres continue to bring entertainment and education to the greater New York area. Let's face it, those of us who love the art of cabaret have had to adjust, and bringing a show of the caliber of Errico & Firth's into your home is the top of the line in that adjustment because Bobby gives Season For Joy

A Full 5 out of 5 Rainbows.

You can purchase a 24-hour viewing stream of Thursday night's live performance now through January 1, 2021: HERE

Follow Melissa Errico's

Insta: HERE

Twitter: HERE

And Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

To learn more about Bay Street Theatre, see their webby: HERE

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