Review: STANDARD TIME WITH MICHAEL FEINSTEIN Enriches A Night At Carnegie Hall

The stage burst into life as Michael Feinstein came front and center for  STANDARD TIME WITH Michael Feinstein AT Carnegie Hall on November 15, 2023.  Accompanied by Tedd Firth on the piano, David Finck on the bass and Mark McLean on the drums, America’s consummate musical artist jumped into the music on cue. In an unusual performance, Feinstein allowed theatergoers into his own musical mindset, rather than just showcasing others.  Attired in simple black trousers and white open shirt, but topped off with glittering black sequin dinner jacket, Feinstein held court, belting song after memorable song that held significance for him throughout different periods in his life.  “Come into my mind,” as the late, great Robin Williams would say. Sit back, for, now, the old razzamatazz started!!

Michael Feinstein began the high-energy evening with a rich and sonorous medley of three of his favorite pieces - “Hello Young Lovers” (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II), “It’s Alright With Me” (Cole Porter), and “ Lover Come Back to Me” (Oscar Hammerstein II/Sigmund Romberg). Relaying personal anecdotes along the way, such as how a 99-year-old Irving Berlin hung up the phone mid-conversation with him, and that George Gershwin’s final words before he died were for his dear friend, Fred Astaire, Feinstein gave the packed audience his personal insights into each composer or musical interpretation. 

Joyfully punching out Irving Berlin's “I Love A Piano” gave an inner glimpse into a feisty young Feinstein engaging his newfound love of piano and song, while a poignant rendition of the song “You and Me Against The World,” written by the talented Paul Williams and immortalized by singer Helen Reddy, gave the usually exuberant Feinstein pause for thought.  He revealed that this song, so adored in youth, could not truly be understood until the wisdom of age really explained the lyrics.  But it was Michael Feinstein’s deeply emotional richness of voice that gave a soulful quality to “St. Louis Blues," which was written by W. C. Handy, who we were told was the first African-American musician to have a pop music hit way back in 1914. 

Michael Feinstein offered a look into his prodigious and encyclopedic knowledge of music.  From the obscure “Rhode Island Is Famous For You,” originally performed by Jack Haley, Sr. in the 1948 Broadway musical Inside U.S.A., to Cole Porter classics,  STANDARD TIME WITH Michael Feinstein wrapped each song as a lovely present for the rapt house.  

When, at last, the time had flown by, the standing ovation continued for several minutes for the iconic and celebrated musical force known as Michael Feinstein. 

STANDARD TIME WITH Michael Feinstein AT Carnegie Hall FEATURED the renowned Michael Feinstein, Tedd Firth on the piano, David Finck on the bass, and Mark McLean on the drums.

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