Neal Richardson
Pennies from Heaven
The Gaslight Theater, St. Louis, MO, March 5, 2015
Reviewed by Katie McGrath for Cabaret Scenes
If you search the term “Happiness” in the iTunes app store, you’ll find no fewer than 970 apps designed to make you feel better. Or you could simply have attended Neal Richardson’s cabaret show, Pennies from Heaven.
Neal and his band—Henry Palkes alternating with Neal on piano, Tom Byrne on guitar and Ethan Edwards in dual role of cellist and director—appeared before a packed house.
In his introduction, Brent Tentri said, “I suspect Neal is incredibly special to everybody in this room.” No doubt. Richardson has been teacher, music director, arranger, mentor and cheerleader for many hundreds of us in the St.
Louis cabaret and theater community.
But this, finally, was his night. Charmingly self-effacing, he told us, “I’m not used to being here” as he stood center stage. For once he derived the benefit of singing his own signature arrangements that evoke fresh encounters with well-loved (if not oft-heard) songs, staring with Irving Berlin’s 1936 “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket,” moving right into the 1940s with “I Hear Music” by Burton Lane and Frank Loesser.
Richardson spoke about the joy he takes from teaching his music students, saying that the two most glorious words in the English language are “show tunes.” He leapt into a complex, humorously connected mélange of snippets from musical theater, covering more than a dozen plays from Oklahoma! to Rent at breakneck speed.
His voice was smooth and open, especially appealing at tender moments, such as on Billy Joel’s “You’re My Home” and Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein’s “The Folks Who Live on the Hill.” His version of “The Rainbow Connection,” beloved by Kermit the Frog fans everywhere, felt mature, reflective and poignant.
Midway through the show, Richardson invited Ben Nordstrom to join him on stage.
Despite Nordstrom’s renown in the area, it was my first chance to hear him sing. Now I understand what all the fuss is about. The guy has a voice so lovely and a stage presence so darned charming that it’s nearly criminal.
As usual with any Neal Richardson production, the arrangements were distinctive and moving. The guitar and cello provided a rich, orchestral sweep throughout the evening, most memorably on “The Kid.
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St. Louis is lucky to have a man of Richardson’s substance, experience and talent in our community. On this night in March, 100 of his biggest fans had him happily all to ourselves.
