Review: FUNNY HOW IT HAPPENS at Ridgefield Playhouse

On February 14, 2021, St. Valentine's Day, my wife and I had the pleasure of seeing our first live show of 2021, FUNNY HOW IT HAPPENS, performed at the Ridgefield Playhouse in our home town, Ridgefield, CT at 8:00 PM. For the past 13 years, my wife and I have had a tradition of seeing a show on Broadway on or close to St. Valentine's Day. This year, with Broadway shut down due to Covid, our tradition still continued, but with Broadway coming to us! This show includes comedy and musical numbers that reflect true stories about the performers, Broadway's husband and wife power couple Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett. They sing and speak about their amazing journey towards their marriage and other shared experiences in their lives as a married couple. They also share their positive experiences with some celebrities whose paths their careers have crossed.

With the concept influenced by the stories of other musical couples such as Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, and even Sonny & Cher, Jarrod and Kelli present a show that encompasses the humor and friendship that make marriages strong, while they provide insight and inspiration that resonate with the experiences of other married couples, drawing genuine connections with their audiences.

Jarrod and Kelli skillfully selected the songs they performed to incorporate songs meaningful to their relationship, songs significant to their careers, and songs that have traditionally been audience favorites. Every song was an excellent choice, whether they performed them solo or as a duet. Their harmony and stage chemistry resonate the deep connection of two performers who are deeply in love with each other and want to communicate that love to their audiences. I enjoyed every song whether it was a song I was familiar with or not. Among the songs were "Close to You," (which happens to be my parents' wedding song) "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," (which happens to be my wife's parents' wedding song) "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Be My Baby," "You've Got a Friend," "Cabaret," "I Got You, Babe," "New York State of Mind," and even a lounge act arrangement of "You Give Love a Bad Name." The instrumentation, during this time of social distancing, was a solo piano, brilliantly played by Adam Ben David.

Jarrod and Kelli have left FUNNY HOW IT HAPPENS open to potential future additions and revisions, as new life events occur, giving every audience a presently relevant and updated live experience. I highly recommend this show, wherever it may be performed.

This show (that was also performed at 4:00 PM) was Jarrod and Kelli's first live performance since February of last year. This was also the Ridgefield Playhouse's first live performance of 2021. The Ridgefield Playhouse has more live shows scheduled this year , which can be viewed on their website at https://ridgefieldplayhouse.org/.

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