54 Sings Kander & Ebb’s Woman of the Year
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, November 29, 2017
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Woman of the Year was a moderate hit back in the early 1980s, due in large part to the glamour and star quality of its leading lady Lauren Bacall, and her two successors, Raquel Welch and Debbie Reynolds. Shorn of its dazzling stars, its excellent staging and high quality design, the score was revealed to be mostly rather ordinary with Fred Ebb’s lyrics more satisfying than John Kander’s music.
None of that is the fault of the hard-working, large cast of performers at the concert version presented at Feinstein’s/54 Below as part of their continuing series of rediscovering Broadway scores. Considering the short rehearsal time, everyone deserves a round of applause, especially the large ensemble squeezed onto the small stage to deal with such challenging material as “It Isn’t Working.”
Among the highlights of the evening were Hunter Ryan Herdlicka’s “Happy in the Morning,” Robert Cuccioli’s “Sometimes a Day Goes By,” and one of the great comic duets from Broadway, “The Grass Is Always Greener,” delightfully offered up by Dee Hoty and Anita Gillette. Curiously, the three numbers were consecutive in the second half of the show showing an odd balance in the score.
The Tess Hardings of the evening included Joyce DeWitt, Christine Pedi, Christine Toy Johnson, Eve Plumb, Luba Mason, Natalie Douglas, Klea Blackhurst, Julia Murney, and Hoty. As her romantic vis-à-vis Sam Craig, Bradley Dean, Kevin Zak, Brad Oscar, and Cuccioli all filled the role nicely. Also chirping in were Todd Buonopane, Robbie Rozelle, John Epperson, and Mary Callanan as other characters inhabiting their world. The charming host for the evening was Peter Filichia, with Robert W. Schneider, director, and Joshua Zecher-Ross providing musical direction.