Review: Melissa Errico A Valentine Fantasy In I CAN DREAM, CAN'T I? at Birdland Theater

Cabaret great Melissa Errico returned to Birdland on Friday night for her Valentine’s residency, this year titled I CAN DREAM, CAN’T I?  The subtitle for the show is CLASSIC SONGS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY, and the songs performed at the 7 pm show are certainly classics, but make no mistake - they sound as fresh as though they had been composed especially for the occasion.  That is because any and every song in the hands of Melissa Errico is going to be a completely new experience; even if you already know every single word, every single note, every single emotion the composer and lyricist layered into their musical storytelling, Melissa Errico will show you some new aspect to the composition.  Friday night was no exception, indeed, for this writer, it was even more new, even more fresh, even more unexpected than could have been imagined.

I’ve been watching Melissa Errico perform for a long time.  Since first starting at BroadwayWorld in 2019, I have greedily tried to grab every single Melissa Errico show for myself - it doesn’t always happen because other correspondents have asked for the chance to cover an Errico cabaret, so I have begrudgingly stepped aside for them.  Also, there have been times that scheduling simply doesn’t work out and I’ve had to miss a performance, like the Christmas show just this last December.  In the past, I have been unable to attend a single one of Melissa’s Valentine shows, so I had no frame of reference when walking into Birdland two days ago, but it occurred to me, almost immediately, that this is a side of Melissa I have never seen before, a sound of Melissa I have never heard before.  I wondered what prompted the change… was Melissa venturing into a different lane?  Was it something created specifically because of Valentine’s Day?  Or was it, perhaps, this new Musical Director, Andy Ezrin?  I didn’t know and I didn’t care - I only cared that I loved it.  Loved it, underlined and bolded.  Here was Melissa Errico the jazz singer.  Now, I’ve heard Melissa do every type of singing there is to do (ok, so I’ve never heard her bust out with any Carmen and am sure she would slay the role) but I’ve never heard her do this.  Friday night she slinked and shimmied up onto the stage in her clingy, flowing burgundy gown, all Oleta Adams and Anita Baker, sultry and sensual with modern-day jazz vibes just right for Valentine’s Day and, especially, for nightclubs with dark corners for doing dark deeds (which, incidentally, Melissa spotted from the stage, even with the lights in her eyes).  From the opening number “Come Rain or Come Shine” it was apparent that this was going to be Melissa Errico at her steamiest, and (not to be too objectifying here but) this is Melissa Errico at her sexiest, ever - no wonder she reminisced about the time she played The Goddess of Love in One Touch of Venus.  One glorious Andy Ezrin arrangement after another, Ms. Errico hypnotized and entranced the audience… and a big part of that enchantment was her crowd work.  Many a singer does not know how to handle their audience; they merely stand and sing to a spot on the back wall.  After that opening Arlen/Mercer number and before the swoon-worthy “I Got Lost In His Arms,” La Errico took some time to talk to the patrons at a table house right behind the stage to make sure they could see and hear, as well as the lady downstage right to ask if the amplification was too loud.  Throughout the entire night, she flirted and played with couples at tables, encouraging more cuddling, more kissing, more hand-holding, and making certain that everyone was following along with her customary tantalizing tangential talks, as well as detailing the set design, like a bouquet of flowers from her longest-time Valentine, her Daddy, even reading the card to the crowd.  And up on the stage the love, respect and appreciation flowed freely for her band, David Finck, Eric Halvorson, and Mr. Ezrin.  Melissa Errico didn’t just PLAY The Goddess of Love - she IS The Goddess of Love, for it is impossible to not fall a little bit more in love with her with each passing moment of each new show.

Usually, a Melissa Errico show has a theme.  Mister Sondheim.  Monsieur Legrand.  New York City.  Swing music.  Torch songs.  Miss Errico is a mistress of themes and, ever the intellectual and always the aesthete, she does a deep dive into her subject matter… and even though she assured the audience that this was a night without theme, just a night of songs about love, there was still a theme, and the theme was the magic of Melissa.  For her Valentine’s residency at Birdland Theater, Errico covers all the bases, from the fun, character-driven “The Gentleman is a Dope” to the voluptuous “Fotografia” and everything in between.  Declaring that “Love isn’t really a club act,” the actress with a song found powerful emotion in remembering her chosen family, Marilyn and Alan Bergman and Michel Legrand, three collaborators responsible for three of Melissa’s selections for the evening - to reveal which ones would spoil the surprise for future audiences but trust me when I say this:  all three performances warranted the word “WOW” in my notes.  It is worth commenting that, while the entire program of I CAN DREAM CAN’T I? is live entertainment at its best, for this writer and romantic there were particular highlights in a wistfully simple “There’s a Small Hotel” and a Stevie Wonder mashup that actually made it a little hard to breathe, so resplendent and poignant was it.  There is also significance in remarking upon the presence of two original compositions, both of them a light of hope for other singers seeking new material.  Those singers would be well advised to look up “Ever Since” by Michael Errico (brother to Melissa) and “I Remember” by David Finck (Bass player to Melissa, backing her up on his own tune which is more than just a little groovy).  Love is using your platform to showcase the artistry of a member of your family (genetic or artistic) and it does a heart good to see Melissa Errico using her stage to shine a light on the work of her loved ones - it’s even better because the songs are so good.  But it isn’t surprising to observe because one of the qualities that can be, most, appreciated about Melissa Errico is her loyalty, and that loyalty doesn’t just extend to the people in her circle - it goes out to her audiences.  It is easy to see that the lady cares, deeply, about the people in the seats out front, that she wants to entertain them, to make them feel, to make them laugh, and maybe even to shine a light into places they might need it, all through her artistry, all of which she succeeds at.  That is why she is so important to the cabaret and concert industry - Melissa Errico may be too young to have been one of the architects of cabaret but she is definitely one of the pillars holding the industry up.   Melissa Errico is, in fact, one of the corner pillars upon whose shoulders the art form of cabaret rests, and the proof is playing tonight at 7 and 9:30 at Birdland.  So do yourself a favor and go to THIS link, make a reservation, grab someone special (romantic or not), and go out tonight.  Go out tonight and fall in love.  Fall in love with Melissa Errico and the art form of cabaret.

The I CAN DREAM, CAN’T I? Band is Eric Halvorson on Drums, David Finck on Bass, and Andy Ezrin Musical Directing from the Piano.

Melissa Errico has a website HERE.

The Birdland main page is HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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