Michael Winther is a charmer.  He's easy-going, personable, witty, and blessed with a lovely voice.  He makes it nearly impossible not to enjoy him when he appears in cabaret.  Who wouldn't enjoy hearing Winther's presentation of new love songs?  He does it well and gives them their due, often more than their due. That said, his show, New Love Songs at the Metropolitan Room demonstrates that even the most ingratiating of performers do better when their material matches their allure and talents.

Three of the songs are poems, put to music by two different composers.  Unfortunately, poems – even excellent ones – are not lyrics, and most often they don't translate well to a musical idiom. The lyrics to some of the other songs were more musically adaptable but suffered from less-than-sterling melodies.  It made one appreciate anew why some show tunes and standards survive, remain a delight and are sung over and over decades after they were first introduced.

The opener, “Take a Look at Me,” by John Mercurio from Diva Diaries, would have benefited from an intro.  The lyrics ran “I'm not like you, but I'm the one you got.”  Sounding contentious, it was a strange beginning for a night of new love songs, until the audience was later apprised that the song was that of a young gay man addressing his father.  Understandably, the love of one for another is not limited to romantic love.  The program's collection of tunes was a mixed bag.  At least one of the new love songs with William Finn's lyrics was so sexually explicit that I am reluctant to repeat them here.  Winther did admit “I was shocked to sing these lyrics in my alma mater...”   One other song just makes the cut-off point: “The sun and the moon shiver when I drop my pants.”  Rodgers and Hammerstein, I miss you.

That's not to say the show lacked its bright spots.  Winther's presentations were well received by his audience, and a number of his fifteen selections were melodious and engaging.  “Still Love,” by Brenda Milburn and Valerie Vigoda, a tribute to enduring love over years of togetherness, and “A Wish,” that had Norma Winstone lyrics put to a piano solo by Fred Hersh, worked beautifully.  Clearly, there are songwriting talents out there, and Michael Winther knows how to put a song over.  But just because a love song is new or breaks fresh ground with its lyrics doesn't make it appealing.  Hats off to Winther's desire to introduce new songwriting talent.  Next time, hopefully, he'll do a better job of cutting the wheat from the chaff.  And possibly treat us to one by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Kimberly Grigsby was Winther's musical director, and Micharel Barbieri the show's technical director.  Michael Winther and New Love Songs can be seen again at the Metropolitan Room on Monday, June 30^th.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
June 18, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org