Review: LUCIE ARNAZ: I GOT THE JOB!- SONGS FROM MY MUSICAL PAST at Feinstein's At The Nikko

A sold out two-night engagement at Feinstein’s at the Nikko was a testament to the enduring draw power of veteran actor/director/song stylist Lucie Arnaz. Those in attendance were treated to a reprise of her well-crafted, autobiographical concert performed and recorded live at the Purple Room in Palm Springs last year. Arnaz remains in top form, with a sharp, clear voice that never gets too brassy and at moments sounds like a young Barbra Streisand minus her later treacle. Most of all, Lu is a consummate song stylist, able to wrap you up in the lyrics and evoke the gamut of emotions each carefully selected number requires.

Right from the sassy, uplifting opener of “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” from Bye Bye Birdie, you knew you were in for a treat musically. Half the show is delicious banter - backstories from her illustrious career and the icons/mentors who shaped its course. First her parents Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz encouraged her to perform. TV became a weaning ground until mentor Vivian Vance (Ethel Mertz from “I Love Lucy" fame) reminded her that theatre waited for her. There’s very few performers left who can speak to the genesis of classic shows and songs like Lucie can, making us feel like we’ve been invited to the inner sanctum of creativity.

In this show she not only sings songs she performed on stage but some that she wished she did. An example was the lovely “Out of My Dreams” from Oklahoma, a tune normally devoted to high sopranos. Shifting it down a few keys, and accompanied by her longtime friend and collaborator/arranger Ron Abel, the song makes perfect sense. Arnaz gives credit where credit's due, paying homage to the creative talents who shaped her career. Michael Bennet, Cy Coleman, and Dorothy Fields creating Seesaw is spoken of reverentially and we hear her lovely interpretation of “Poor Everybody Else.” From 1978’s revival of Irving Berlin's musical Annie Get Your Gun Arnaz sang the iconic “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” and the more intimate torch song "I Got Lost in His Arms".

A loving tribute to the late Marvin Hamlisch was realized in “I Still Believe in Love” from They’re Playing Our Song and a set highlight was her delicate rendition of “Loose Ends,” a number eventually cut from  Cameron Mackintosh’s The Witches of Eastwick. Arnaz, who originated the role of Alexandra, owns this song and reaches deep down into her gut to make us feel paternal abandonment. From her touring work with Tommy Tune in My One and Only Arnaz offered Gershwin’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It.’ More great anecdotes of going up on her lines onstage, working with the greats (Neil Simon, Jerry Herman to name a few), and the joy of performing wove a magical spell during her performance.

She even paid tribute to composer/musical director Ron Abel with a tune from a workshop of his show Hazel, a planned Broadway musical about Hazel, the cartoon character created by Ted Key first introduced in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943 and 1960s television incarnation portrayed by actress Shirley Booth. “He Just Happened to Me” displays the romantic side to the usually wise cracking maid and was yet another set highlight. Arnaz closed the show with a touch of wisdom to be imparted to her three grandchildren and to the audience as well with Stephen Schwartz’s “No Time at All” from her role as the granny in Pippin - a role she took on at age 63.

Lucie certainly doesn’t have to work financially, but it’s her joy of performing that compels her to continue to trod the boards to our benefit. Her vocals and unique perspectives on showbiz can entertain far longer than the 90-minute runtime of this remarkable show.

Upcoming: Coming in November at Feinstein's at the Nikko is the charming, handsome, funny, and soaring-voiced leading man who played the lead role in Phantom over 2,00 times on Broadway. Hugh Panaro performs he celebratory show "Man without a Mask" on November 29th and 30th.