Review: Ann Kittredge Takes a Look at Love in ROMANTIC NOTIONS at Chelsea Table+ Stage

Chelsea Table + Stage is quickly becoming the most adventurous cabaret venue in New York. Since its opening in 2021, It has been daring in its programming and unconventional in its rotating menus. The room itself is a burst of colors and a collection of diaphanous chiffon curtains. The ovular stage fits into the crook of the curving entrance staircase. It is a look meant to evoke old-time supper clubs like The Latin Quarter and El Morocco. The room is very wide like the defunct Metropolitan Room,  which presents some challenges in performing to every seat in the house. But it is a place to see and be seen, an old-fashioned concept with a modern sensibility. It has refused to specialize in a genre of entertainment. It presents rockers, cabaret artists, performance artists, standups, storytellers, and instrumentalists. It is the perfect place for artists looking for a safe space to experiment.

Enter Ann Kittredge, a veteran of Broadway, Off-Broadway, concert halls, jazz clubs, and recently,  the recording studio. Last week she presented a concert to celebrate  the release of her new album ROMANTIC NOTIONS. The album is a series of songs exploring the many aspects of love and romance. Ms. Kittredge is an engaging performer with a pleasing voice and a wonderful sense of style and elegance. She is a very good storyteller when engaged in serious songs. She is somewhat challenged in more joyful material, but more about that later.

There are some performers who are particularly adept at engaging the room and taking in every person one at a time. And there is another type of performer who finds the internal heart of the song and sings as though they are the only one in the room. There is nothing intrinsically right or wrong about either style. Ann Kittredge is quite good at the latter introspective style. She finds the layered subtext of a scene in song,  making it something very real and touching. She runs into trouble when singing songs that are more on the surface. She doesn’t seem as able to bring that subtextual obstacle to perky material. She tends to try to project herself outward in such songs when her strength lies in looking inward.

Her show opened with the very beautiful song "Romantic Notions" from the musical Romance/Romance, which just happens to be the first show I ever saw on Broadway. The song is about being unable to let go of certain unrealistic expectations we have about romance. Ms Kittredge found just the right tinge of regret that makes the song fly. In my opinion, she could have delved a little deeper into Carole King’s “I Felt the Earth Move.” She played around with a kittenishness that suggested first love when the song is from the perspective of a woman who has failed at love and had the courage to try again. She also took the light approach to Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” playing the surface of the lyric but never quite getting to what caused her to pick up the phone in the first place. She did a very lovely job with Darnell White’s “There You Are” and George Strait’s “I Wanna Dance With You. “

She seemed to hit her stride with Jimmy Webb’s song of almost love, “Didn’t We?” The more ambivalent lyric offered her more opportunity to be introspective. She also found a rich undercurrent in “What the World Needs Now,” Bacharach and David's paean to hope in a harsh world. She gave a very lovely tribute to the late Steve Lutvak in his song,  “I Just Wanted You to Know.”

She started to relax into her program in the last third. She did some beautiful storytelling in “Where’ve You Been?” Which tracks the trajectory of a marriage over the years. She found the beautiful core at the center of the story. She brought that same treatment to a classic in Arlen & Mercer’s “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.” There was something wonderful cooking under the surface of this old chestnut about looking on the bright side. The highlight of the evening was a marvelous rendition of Bob Dylan’s "Mr. Tambourine Man." The lyrics are somewhat elliptical and Ms. Kittredge took them and created a beautiful story out of them. She brought a collective tear to every eye with Billy Joel’s “You’re My Home.” This is the kind of material she sinks her performer’s teeth into and it was a joy to watch.

The most daring tune of the night came at the end. She sang a rapturous guitar-only solo with the wonderful Sean Harness of one of the most earnest love songs ever written, Victor Herbert’s “Sweet Mystery of Life.” It was in no way cloying. The two wonderful musicians created a moment that felt spontaneous and deeply, honestly romantic.

Throughout the night the unsung hero was Christopher Denny’s fresh and beautiful arrangements. Rex Benincasa on drums, Jay Leonhart on bass, Aaron Heck on reeds, and the aforementioned Sean Harkness on guitar provided beautiful sounds to support those of Ms. Kittredge herself. It was a stage full of awesome musicianship. Director Barry Kleinbort kept the proceedings moving along, although a little sharpening in the first third would be helpful.

Ann Kittredge is a unique talent. She has a lovely voice and is capable of great emotional depth. When she is singing just for herself, she is compelling to watch. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this very talented singer.

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For more information about Ann Kittredge, and to order Romantic Notions, please visit annkittredge.com

For shows and dinner reservations at Chelsea Table + Stage, go to chelseatableandstage.com

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