Review - Andrea McArdle at The Metropolitan Room: You're Gonna Love Tomorrow

While I certainly wouldn't suggest that Andrea McArdle has been living in the past, that's where she's spent most of her Broadway career; first getting noticed as the Depression-era social climber in Annie, and then nabbing roles in LES MISERABLES, State Fair and Beauty and The Beast (Hey, "once upon a time" counts as the past.); not to mention playing young Judy Garland in the TV bio-pic, Rainbow. (Taking a cigarette break along the way to play Ashley in Starlight Express.)

But on the cabaret stage of The Metropolitan Room, she is all sassy, contemporary urban gal. As she sings her New York anthem of choice (Strouse and Charnin's "N.Y.C.," of course), looking sharp in a casual, but stylish dress, you can imagine her starring as the romantic heroine of a musical penned by the likes of Nora Ephron or Candace Bushnell. She's gone from adorable to smart, confident and likeable and it looks and sounds good on her.

Her latest stint at The Metropolitan Room is a somewhat revised version of the show she did here a year ago. A major change is that, although she retains a friendly rapport with the audience, much of her between-song patter has been eliminated. Being a big fan of good patter, I was disappointed not to hear again her funny stories about working with Dorothy Louden and Carol Channing and of thinking that landing the plum role of Arnold Horshack's little sister on Welcome Back, Kotter would be her big television break. But less talking means more singing ("Remember when you actually had to be able to sing to star in a Broadway musical?") and that she does with a clarion belt that floats deep, smoky tones through warm and textured vibratos. She rarely strays far from the standard interpretation of classics like "Cabaret," "Over The Rainbow," "Superstar" (her token pop song) and "The Trolley Song," but her phrasing is impeccable and her acting choices are solid.

Though not exactly known for doing comedy ("I wanted to audition for Madame Thénardier but they said, 'No, you're playing Fantine.'") she shows a funny side with a novelty number penned by Charnin where she plays an audience member who is shocked to see that the little girl she once saw in Annie has now developed more than just her vocal range.

Mr. Sondheim gets a full workout as she colors the lyric of "Everybody Says Don't" with the vocal dexterity of an Olympic gymnast maneuvering around the uneven parallel bars, slows down "You Can Drive A Person Crazy" into a snazzy flirtation and adjusts the lyric of "Broadway Baby" into a plea for a good role. ("I need a show 'cause I'm a wreck / Maybe Disney's thinking of a female Shrek.") Later in the evening she belts out gutsy determination with "Some People," as a character she's wanted to play since she was eight.

Joining McArdle at piano is the fresh-out-of college (more or less) Justin Paul, who charms the audience with a sweetly-voiced solo of "Rainbow Connection."

Oh yes, and she sings "Tomorrow," too, of course. And if you've never heard her sing it as an adult you're missing an opportunity to see an artist plunge into her past and pull it up to meet the performing requirements of the present. There is a cooling hipness she brings to Charnin's open-hearted lyric set to Strouse's lightly back-beated march. With a mature glint that comes from someone who knows the ins and outs of that song better that anyone, she exorcises any hint of corniness and delivers it as a confident woman who knows that every new day brings an opportunity to turn any bad situation around. She's grown up and she's made the song grow up with her.

Speaking of which, you want to feel old? That kid who played Annie has a daughter who can now legally drink.

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