Deborah Silver: Sing Happy

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Deborah Silver

Sing Happy

54 Below, NYC, October 25, 2014

Reviewed by Elizabeth Ahlfors for Cabaret Scenes

Deborah-Silver-Sing-Happy-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212With glamour, pizzazz and authority, Deborah Silver pulled out all the stops for a one-night-only benefit for the Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook.

Directed by vocalist Marilyn Maye, Silver was backed by Musical Director/pianist Tedd Firth and a smashing band of musicians—Tom Hubbard on bass, Brian Pareschi and Trevor Neumann on trumpet, Dave Riekenber on reeds, Mark McLean on drums and guitarist Bob Mann.

In her New York cabaret debut, Silver was singing happy, selecting at least 25 favorites from the Songbook, most performed only in snippets. Sheathed in shimmering silver, her focus was definitely up-tempo, ebulliently working the stage with a selection from Fats Waller to a zesty dance medley with “I Could Have Danced All Night” by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. One of her few ballads was a languid rendition of “How High the Moon” (Nancy Hamilton and Morgan Lewis), nicely nuanced with Firth’s piano accompaniment.

Highlights included guest Tom Wopat, who joined in a medley from Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, Silver revealing her down-South roots “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly” and Wopat all smoothness with a slowly swinging “My Defenses Are Down.” Their duets included “They Say It’s Wonderful.” Wopat added his jazz-tinged version of But Not for Me” (George and Ira Gershwin) and Marilyn Maye later came onstage to lead the show to an end with her invigorating trademark rendition of “It’s Today” (Jerry Herman).

Much credit was directed at the show’s producer, Dick Robinson, in the audience. Robinson is host of Legends Radio and also the Founder/Chairman of the non-profit Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook.
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While Silver showed tenderness with her 17-year-old son, Spencer Silver’s guitar accompaniment of “What a Wonderful World” (Bob Thiele/George David Weiss), I felt that she did not deliver fresh interpretations or honest communication. Here, the focus seemed to be cramming in as many tunes as possible. Silver sparkles as a big stage entertainer, but it would be interesting to see her singing thoughtfully in a small club.
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Elizabeth Ahlfors

Born and raised in New York, Elizabeth graduated from NYU with a degree in Journalism. She has lived in various cities and countries and now is back in NYC. She has written magazine articles and published three books: A Housewife’s Guide to Women’s Liberation, Twelve American Women, and Heroines of ’76 (for children). A great love was always music and theater—in the audience, not performing. A Philadelphia correspondent for Theatre.com and InTheatre Magazine, she has reviewed theater and cabaret for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia City News. She writes for Cabaret Scenes and other cabaret/theater sites. She is a judge for Nightlife Awards and a voting member of Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle.