Liz Robertson: Sings Lerner Without Loewe

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Liz Robertson

Sings Lerner Without Loewe

The Pheasantry, London, U.K., December 17, 2016

Reviewed by Thanasis Kalantzis for Cabaret Scenes

Liz Robertson
Liz Robertson

Liz Robertson is a performer who needs no introduction. Feathers in her cap include some pretty difficult and sought after-leading roles in musical theater, in shows such as A Little Night Music, The Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, The King and I, Love Never Dies, Side by Side by Sondheim and many more. Her show Lerner Without Loewe explores lyrics Alan Jay Lerner wrote outside his successful partnership with the composer Frederick Loewe, a partnership that produced such musicals as My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Camelot and Gigi.

Robertson was married to the playwright-lyricist, as he liked to call himself, so the show was her tribute to her late husband, their life together and all that made them fall in love, despite the many differences between them: she is British, he was American; he was shorter than she and a chain smoker while she had never touched a cigarette in her life; and, of course, at the time they met, she was a 25-year-old playing Eliza in My Fair Lady, and he was a 61-year-old, hugely successful librettist—another term he enjoyed.

She started with the beautiful and serene “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” from the musical of the same name, interjecting information about how she and Lerner met. In that spirit she continued, with the funny and light “Why Him?
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” from Carmelina, describing exactly the questions she was asking herself at the beginning of their relationship. (Music for both those shows by Burton Lane). “Green Up Time” and “Here I’ll Stay” from the very interesting musical Love Life (music by Kurt Weill) are both fast and vocally demanding songs that were delivered with relative ease and attention to detail.

The melodic and suggestive “Love with All the Trimmings” (Clear Day, movie version) meshed well with “Love Before Breakfast” (Carmelina)one of Lerner’s favorite songs.  She also sang “A Million Miles Away Behind the Door” (added to Lerner & Loewe’s Paint Your Wagon score for its  film version, by Lerner and Andre Previn) a song that would make every self-respecting feminist shudder—and “How Far Is It to the Next Town” from Lolita My Love (with composer John Barry) in a slow operatic rendition.

“I Love My Wife” and “I’ve Been Married” from the legendary musical flop 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a collaboration with Leonard Bernstein, were beautifully sung by the artist who, with comic flair, reminded us of Lerner’s prolific number of marriages.  Robertson was his eighth and last wife before he died in 1986.
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The pace slowed down with “There’s Always One You Can’t Forget” (Dance a Little Closer, a show she appeared in on Broadway, with Charles Strouse’s melodies) that rolled beautifully into “Too Late Now” (Lane, written for the motion picture Royal Wedding) both touching renditions that revealed the singer’s intimate feelings.

Naturally, the singing was really good—with the exception of a couple of off-centered notes in the very beginning. On the other hand, I found the arrangements too traditional and lacking in excitement. Nevertheless, I really appreciated Robertson’s show.
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  It’s a wonderful feeling you get when you are in the presence of living legends who come on stage and share personal experiences and anecdotes about legends who are not with us anymore.   

The artist was skilfully supported by Theo Jamieson on the piano and Rob Levy on bass.  

Thanasis Kalantzis

Thanasis started reviewing for Cabaret Scenes in 2012. He started by reviewing primarily jazz and cabaret artists visiting from the U.S., but these days, he concentrates on British talent. Recently, he added covering musical theater to his duties. He was born in the heart of rural Greece in 1967. He studied Archaeology at the University of Thessaloniki, worked as an excavator in the prehistoric town of Akrotiri, Santorini, and then spent two years on the beautiful island of Crete excavating a Roman village, among other sites. In 1991 he moved to London to study for his MA in Archaeology at University College London thinking that, upon completion, he’d return to Greece and continue with his excavation work. Nevertheless, he gave this amazingly diverse city a go, and started working with various companies, including the Horniman Museum, Sotheby’s and, most recently, the Big Lottery Fund, the organization that allocates lottery funds to arts and charities. His been in London for 26 years, and is happily married to his husband and runs a small, successful business.