Reviews: Catching Up on Shows Is a Whirlwind .... at Urban Stages & 54 Below

Catching up on some of my December cabaret/concert-going, let me take you through a maze of soirees with segues that ends up being sort of like six degrees of separation or a circular path.  WINTER RHYTHMS, the multi-event extravaganza bonanza offered at Urban Stages on West 30th Street devoted one of its programs to Celia Berk singing songs written in whole or in part by the inspiring Elizabeth “Betty” Sullivan. 

The stance is: tender yet strong; elegant yet down to earth; yearning yet serene.  Melodies are graceful and lyrics are often focused and direct, eschewing irony and embracing basic truths and philosophies. 

Anchored by heartfelt numbers about prizing “A Dream and a Song” and the comforting knowledge of a home-sweet-home place “Where My Picture Hangs on the Wall,” the set list also had reflections on faith and loss that were thought-provoking and beamed with honesty.  Hearing them with Celia Berk’s unfettered approach in her deep timbre (what Mrs. Sullivan calls her “cello voice”) captured the deep feelings, even if the overall tone, temperament, and “musical temperature” stayed mostly in one warm (albeit cozy and comfort zone-y) energy. There was some respite with the between-songs spoken segments that included bits of Betty biography and quotes. 

The two women apparently have quite the mutual admiration society going and Ms. Berk of New York is steeped in the songbook and life story of Mrs. Sullivan of Oklahoma who was in the first row and came onto the stage to put the marvelous cherry of the sundae by singing and playing a number near the end and taking a well-deserved bow.  In this true class act, guitarist Sean Driscoll and violinist Seoyeon Im joined pianist Jon Weber to create super-simpatico accompaniment. The lovely set was directed with taste and thoughtfulness by Jeff Harnar.  And among the large audience sighing and smiling were the songwriter’s daughters, cabaret mainstays KT Sullivan and Stacy Sullivan.

And that’s a perfect lead-in to discuss a festive holiday-oriented show at 54 Below that featured the singing of the aforementioned KT Sullivan, Stacy Sullivan, Jeff Harnar, with Jon Weber again manning the keyboard; they were joined by singer Todd Murray. Titled We Love the Winter Weather: Songs of the Season, it was a merry mix long on humor and pep, with engaging vocal harmonies, nostalgia, and even made room for the dopey novelty tune “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer'' (with KT gamely trotting about the stage). The religious side of Christmas had only a cameo (Stacy’s fine “O Holy Night”) and singing about Hannukah was movingly handled by Jeff. 

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” the number that was thought of for years as harmlessly flirty fluff, and now considered (by some) to be glorifying sexual manipulation, got a successful ultra-modern LOL twist pseudo-”politically correct” re-do with Todd and Stacy checking all the boxes for cooler heads prevailing in the “Cold” situation.  The piece de resistance of the act – a full show within a show — was a winking romp through the story and songs of the beloved movie White Christmas, with the plot’s many unrealistic elements and convenient coincidences mocked (fondly) by narrator Jeff who stepped into the Danny Kaye role opposite Stacy in the Vera-Ellen part, while Todd and KT enacted the characters played by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. And what fun to have actual sisters singing “Sisters,” with big white feather fans and all.  

Now we segue to another holiday show, back at Urban Stages. The 19 performers were from the Circle in the Square Theatre School. This wintry mix included pop songs in different styles – solos, duets, group numbers – with attitudes ranging from sentimental to playful, quite a bit of energy and spunk, beaming and belting, with some things flavored with characterizations and costuming, formal or fun-seeking. 

Circle Sings the Season was a very full show, saluting the time of year to let it glow with “Let It Snow” and “Let It Go” and letting it rip with some electric guitar accents (pianist Joe Baker was musical director and arranger for the notably eclectic repertoire). For me, some pieces landed better than others as a few intentions seemed unclear and not all selections were ideal showcases for possible personalized interpretations. Most of the super-famous songs were saved for a mega-medley near the end with the full ensemble where their joy and camaraderie were evident.  The audience seemed to be full of friends and/or fellow students wildly applauding and cheering (“whoooo-hooooo!!!”) the performers. Coordinating the project was Sara Louise Lazarus, who is on faculty at Circle in the Square and known for her work in other theatre/cabaret circles.

Continuing in our degrees of separation, Ms. Lazarus was director for the two Urban Stages programs recalling the history of the Algonquin Hotel hosted by ebullient Michael Colby. 

The second part (like the first one, reviewed earlier) had the ubiquitous and steady Michael Lavine at the piano, gathering many singing actors – some different from the originally announced line-up — to acknowledge the musicals written at least partly while their creators were in residence. This allowed for the welcome return of Steve Ross with another nifty nod to Noel Coward, songs from the Lerner & Loewe classics My Fair Lady, with both Anita Gillette and Shana Farr (who does her own program at the venue on Saturday) getting a chance at the leading lady songs, and Camelot, with Jim Stanek stepping in and doing royally well on that musical’s title number. Also represented with its title song was a Broadway production that is rarely discussed in retrospectives: Illya Darling, drawn from the movie Never On Sunday.  Much of the stage time went to samples of musicals with lyrics by Mr. Colby himself, such as Charlotte Sweet.  

It’s always a pleasure to bask in the light cast by cast members whose years of honed know-how and professionalism radiate, like Karen Ziemba and Jon Peterson.  While some numbers had more of a feel of a semi-staged reading with performers such as Major Attaway and Leah Hocking relying on printed pages in white notebooks they held, others were blessedly not. One of those paperless people, getting high marks for high notes and high-flying comedy touches was soprano Megan Smyrna (who has played her winsome character before and makes the most of moments and reactions; she’s also on the recently released CD of Colby material written with various composers, Other Lives, based on a  concert also done at Urban Stages where the annual Winter Rhythms series keeps the rhythm going through December 17.  Don’t you wish your grandparents had owned a hotel like the Algonquin where you’d grow up meeting legendary figures of the arts and later get to rehearse and write your own musicals there or in the annex?             

The reminders of the songs with a connection to the Algonquin also cue a reminder that, despite the Oak Room therein no longer actively presenting the kind of cabaret acts Mr. Colby’s earlier program revisited, the melody lingers on in the lobby there on West 44th Street, on Tuesdays.  That’s when, singing and playing the piano, is none other than KT Sullivan.  So, you see, we’re back full circle, ending this where we began with a talented lady of the Sullivan clan.  Maybe it wasn’t the usual SIX degrees of separation, but who’s counting?  

Visit the Urban Stages Winter Rhythms website HERE.

THIS is the 54 Below website.

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