Back in 2001 when a friend of mine told me there was a girl (and a "real girl," mind you; not a drag queen) doing a tribute show to Ethel Merman, it was all I could do to conceal my skepticism and disdain.  I rolled my eyes and said something like “…oh well, I suppose I have to go see it…”.  Of course, there had been Rita McKenzie’s excellent Call Me Ethel show and recording in the 1980s, but McKenzie was more of an imitator who specialized in the more mature Merman and I wasn’t sure I was ready for (or needed) another Merman imitation.  With that said, it should probably come as no surprise that within minutes of Klea Blackhurst beginning her sensational show, Everything the Traffic Will Allow: The Songs and Sass of Ethel Merman at Danny’s Skylight Room (prior to an open-ended run at Jack Rose, then above B. Smith’s restaurant on 47^th Street), not only was I eating my words, I was falling hopelessly in love with one of the most accomplished performers I had ever seen.

Blackhurst, who in 2001 was already a well-established musical theater performer in shows like Oil City Symphony and Radio Gals, can certainly do a literal imitation of Merman that ranks with the best of them.  Wisely, however, Everything the Traffic Will Allow does not involve imitation; rather, it’s a loving homage to Merman that reveals as much about Blackhurst herself as it does "the Merm."  Weaving anecdotes and stories about her own upbringing as well as Merman’s career, Blackhurst created a magical theater piece that let’s the audience see itself reflected through her own hopes, dreams, obsessions and passions.

The good news is that, eight years later, Everything the Traffic Will Allow remains as fresh, vibrant and funny as the first time I saw it.  In a stroke of luck, Blackhurst is performing a short run of the show on Saturdays (through Sep. 5) at the Snapple Theater Center on the set of The Fantasticks and everyone who loves musical theater, as well as great performers, shouldn’t dream of missing it.  In the intervening years, Blackhurst has starred in shows (and made CDs) that spotlight the work of Vernon Duke and Hoagy Carmichael (the latter with the estimable Billy Stritch), but it’s clear that her Merman masterpiece remains near and dear to her heart.  Her calm, cool, classy stage demeanor is unflappable and her comedic timing is as razor-sharp as ever.  As for Merman’s music, Blackhurst’s brassy, clarion mezzo belts out her signature tunes with a verve that’s thrilling, while the lovely (and often under-appreciated) ballads benefit from Blackhurst’s heartfelt delivery.  As always, the arrangements by Michael Rice and the accompaniment by the Pocket Change Trio, are sensational, providing the perfect canvass for Blackhurst’s vocal art.  It was an inspired idea to underlay the melody of “Moonshine Lullaby” against “I Got Lost in His Arms,” and Rice’s slowed-down, ragtime version of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” remains a tour-de-force of musical imagery that Blackhurst knocks out of the park.

In short, Everything the Traffic Will Allow easily remains one of the very best cabaret shows I’ve ever seen; the kind of show I could see every week because it’s better than sex or drugs.  It’s about the power of personality and how it can change your life forever which Blackhurst, certainly one of the most gifted and versatile performers working today, has used to come into her own as a singer, a Merman acolyte and a woman who creates her own opportunities.  I’ve no doubt that Ethel would love it!

Everything the Traffic Will Allow: The Songs and Sass of Ethel Merman plays at the Snapple Theater Center (210 West 50^th Street) on Saturdays at 5:00 pm through Sep. 5.  Call for reservations at 212-921-7862 or go to www.ticketmaster.com

David Hurst
Cabaret Scenes
July 18, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org