Andrea Marcovicci: A Gershwin Valentine

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Andrea Marcovicci

A Gershwin Valentine

Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, November 18, 2016

Reviewed by Alix Cohen for Cabaret Scenes

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Andrea Marcovicci

Andrea Marcovicci can arguably be called a cornerstone of the era when cabaret was appreciated and sought out, clubs proliferated at many levels, talented performers made a good living. Many of those in tonight’s audience fondly recall the glass filled with blue champagne or seeing the artist wear her father’s white tie and tails at the Algonquin Hotel’s fabled Oak Room. (RIP.)

A Marcovicci show is meticulously researched and crafted, invariably including apt quotes, literature or poetry. This is an actress. She connects with everyone in view, focusing on those up front as if confiding. There are no walls and few defenses. Communication is paramount. One is illuminated as well as entertained.
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“Isn’t It a Pity?” “we never met before…” Marcovicci begins. “That’s the first lie of the evening. I know all of you,” she half quips. The song is an amiable stroll, a wistful shrug. With “Love Walked In” she continues, buoyed by Jered Egan’s skilled, rhythmic bass line. “Tonight is about romance and poetry.
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Love either unrequited or quited.” These two songs date 1933 and 1930. Inveterately curious, Marcovicci tracked down “I Was So Young, You Were So Beautiful” (lyrics: Irving Caesar/Al Bryan) which saw the light in 1919. She sings with rueful yearning, leaning out towards us.

The Gershwins found early success with Fred and Adele Astaire (Adele was the star then). Marcovicci sings both parts in “The Half of It Dearie Blues,” or rather, she plays both parts, creating characters. Familiar, swaying numbers out of Funny Face are preceded by a quote from Audrey Hepburn. Scrupulous about enunciation, the words “tingelish” and “Engelish are sung as intended. They fall trippingly off the vocalist’s practiced tongue.

“I’ve Got a Crush on You” emerges in long, sighing phrases. “Embraceable You” takes the feeling further. Hands clasped, she’s infectiously head over heels. Poems by Ogden Nash, Sara Teasdale, Mark O’Donnell, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Dorothy Parker fit like puzzle pieces. Parker’s The Red Dress is a particular favorite. This may be the first time I’ve seen her recite it wearing “the dress,” however. (All women should read this poem.)

From atop the piano we hear a wounded rendition of “But Not for Me.” Every lyric feels as if it struggles to get out. “Boy Wanted” is charming, but too breezy to effectively describe the older woman advertising for a gigolo. “The Man I Love” is torch. Marcovicci’s established style elongates phrases. When accompaniment does otherwise, as with this selection, it feels as if the singer is helpless against a careless world.

“Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” a duet with MD/pianist Shelly Markham, would’ve been better served had each sung verses (he only joins in on choruses). Oddly, here, where word pronunciation becomes wordplay, Marcovicci’s emphases are a bit heavy handed. Markham then performs a lilting “Some Faraway Someone” with respectful sentimentality. (The Gershwins with Buddy DeSylva from 1924’s Primrose, adapted from an earlier song.)

We close with a lovely “Maybe”: “Soon or late – maybe,/If you wait – maybe,/Some kind fate – maybe,/Will help you discover/Where to find your lover” performed as written—heartfelt and unfussy. Marcovicci’s trill has become a warble and she often pushes too hard, stressing her voice. Still, the elegance, spirit and intelligence of this remarkable artist remains front and center.

Alix Cohen

Alix Cohen’s writing began with poetry, segued into lyrics then took a commercial detour. She now authors pieces about culture/the arts, including reviews and features. A diehard proponent of cabaret, she’s also a theater aficionado, a voting member of Drama Desk, The Drama League and of The NY Press Club in addition to MAC. Currently, Alix writes for Cabaret Scenes, Theater Pizzazz and Woman Around Town. Additional pieces have been published by The New York Post, The National Observer’s Playground Magazine, Pasadena Magazine and Times Square Chronicles. Alix is the recipient of six New York Press Club Awards.