On Sunday July 7, Kritzerland presented its 35th show The British Invasion, music from UK musicals of the 60s and 70s, at Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. I can only say to Bruce Kimmel, "good show, ole' boy"!
It was a delicious evening of some well-known songs from hits like
Oliver!, Half a Sixpence and
JC Superstar, but most of the material was from very unfamiliar shows, with many 'loverly', truly lovely tunes. Sensational musical director
Shelly Markham was at the piano throughout the 80 minute set and the roster of gifted singers included, on the female side of the fence:
Chelsea Emma Franko,
Tessa Grady,
Jenna Lea Rosen and guest star Kerry O'Malley; on the male side:
Robert Yacko,
Barry Pearl, and very special guest
Tony Tanner (pictured left) who very successfully replaced
Tommy Steele originally in the import hit
Half a Sixpence.
Highlights of the night were Tanner's oh so charming rendition of the title song "Half a Sixpence" and his delightful patter about working with such great ladies of the theatre like
Barbara Harris, Bea Lillie and
Ruth Gordon. Pearl scored with Fagin's "Reviewing the Situation" from the most recorded show ever
Oliver! and then returned in a delightful duet with Rosen of "I'd Do Anything" coupled with "It's a Fine Life" also from
Oliver! An unlikely pair with uber flair! Yacko gave his all to "Some of Us Belong to the Stars" paired with "Something Different" from the show
Billy (Billy Liar) and then returned later to bring down the house with "If I Ruled the World" from
Pickwick. O'Malley's one solo "As Long As He Needs Me" from
Oliver! was dynamically delivered. What an unforgettable artist! Franko was a devilish delight with "When Does the Ravishing Begin?" from
Lock Up Your Daughters paired with "I Could Be the One" from
The Card, composed by
Tony Hatch, who, with
Jackie Trent was responsible for most of
Petula Clark's great hits like "Downtown" and "Don't Sleep in the Subway". Grady tapped her toes and our troubles away with "If the Rain's Gotta Fall" and later did a beautiful rendering of "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from
Jesus Christ Superstar, which was a hit recording before it played the stage, first as a concert then later a fully produced musical and hit film with
Ted Neeley,
Yvonne Elliman and
Carl Anderson.
Jenna Lea Rosen did an absolutely stunning delivery of "Where Is Love?" from
Oliver! and even
Shelly Markham got into the act with "My Favourite Occupation" from 1965's
Charlie Girl. Everyone, including the audience, sang out "Consider Yourself" from
Oliver! loud and clear
after the finale.
As always, there was some wonderfully fun and enlightening trivia from Kimmel about the shows such as
The Good Companions, which was
turned into a musical in 1974 with music by Andre Previn and lyrics by
Johnny Mercer and starring none other than now superstar Dame
Judi Dench. I loved his opening joke about using an iPad to read his notes throughout the show, "A Jew and an iPad? That's an oxymoron!" Thanks as well to producer
Adryan Russ for her invaluable assistance in all of these programs. Kritzerland will return August 4 with a salute to
Meredith Willson (
The Music Man) and
Gene de Paul (
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and
Li'l Abner). Make early reservations, as most shows deservedly sell out - call 818-754-8700.
Photo Credit: Jim Spada
musical director Shelly Markham
left to right: Michael Sterling, Kerry O'Malley
left to right: Tony Tanner, Kerry O'Malley
left to right: Robert Yacko, Barry Pearl
left to right: Jenna Lea Rosen, Chelsea Emma Franko, Tessa Grady
left to right: Robert Yacko, Kerry O'Malley, Barry Pearl
left to right: Tony Tanner, Kerry O'Malley, Ed Donovan
left to right: Robert Yacko, Barry Pearl
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