Maxine Linehan: What Would Petula Do? A Tribute to Petula Clark

  • Post author:
  • Reading time:2 mins read

Maxine Linehan

What Would Petula Do? A Tribute to Petula Clark

Metropolitan Room, NYC, January 18, 2016

Reviewed by Joel Benjamin for Cabaret Scenes

Maxine-Linehan-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212Let’s face it: No matter how sophisticated and worldly Petula Clark was, the songs she sang—at least the songs that made her famous—were not. Tony Hatch wrote her greatest hits, including “I Know a Place,” “Downtown,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway” (with Jackie Trent) and “Call Me,” which all have very “white bread” imagery and June/Moon rhymes. (Check out “Downtown.” Does anyone really want to go there?; “Don’t Sleep in the Subway”…really?) Fortunately, Clark was a fine singer, a good actress and a charismatic personality. She certainly had her finger on the pulse of the public that adored her, giving them the bouncy, catchy songs that sold in the millions.

Maxine Linehan’s What Would Petula Do?: A Tribute to Petula Clark had the benefit of Linehan’s fine voice, earnest interpretations and the arrangements of her Musical Director Ryan Shirar (which may have been too evocative of the originals).  Even Linehan’s tribute song, “What Would Petula Do?” (Gerald Stockstill/Kenneth Jones) was more girlishly adoring than mature.

In contrast, “Old Devil Moon” (Burton Lane/Yip Harburg), “With One Look” (Andrew Lloyd Webber/Don Black/Christopher Hampton) and even “The Sound of Music” (Rodgers & Hammerstein), all of which Linehan sang with passion and grace, have lyrics that are stylish and refined, welded to classy melodies.

Linehan is clearly a superb vocalist, possessed of a strong, multi-layered vocal instrument and a passion to communicate her feelings. She might have served Petula Clark better with fresher, purposely different versions of the songs: fast ones sung slowly to get the full juice from the lyrics or slow ones given sexier rhythms to add some sensuality.

Her fine band included the bassist Steve Doyle and the drummer Clayton Craddock.

Joel Benjamin

A native New Yorker, Joel was always fascinated by musical theater. Luckily, he was able to be a part of seven Broadway musicals before the age of 14, quitting to pursue a pre-med degree, which led no where except back to performing in the guise of directing a touring ballet troupe. Always interested in writing, he wrote a short play in high school that was actually performed, leading to a hiatus of nearly 40 years before he returned to writing as a reviewer. Writing for Cabaret Scenes has kept him in touch with world filled with brilliance.