Christine Andreas
Love Is Good
Beach Café, NYC, September 28, 2017
Reviewed by Ron Forman for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Stacy Sullivan
Beach Café host Mark Nadler introduced Christine Andreas as today’s best female cabaret vocalist. After watching and listening to her almost 90-minute show, Love Is Good, I found it difficult to argue with his assessment. Performing in English, French, or Italian, she combines a beautiful sound with impressive range, power, and impeccable phrasing. In addition, her outstanding acting skills make every song a production number.
Husband Martin Silvestri is her musical director and accompanist and their long-time relationship assures that they are always in synch. Their back and forth banter is often quite funny. Andreas describes Love Is Good as her most personal show, and her reminiscences add to the entertainment.
After opening with “Storybook,” a number that she performed in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Andreas performed two songs with verses that, for some, may give no clue to what the song will ultimately be—a soaring “Fly Me to the Moon” followed by “My Heart Stood Still,” ending with her thrillingly holding the final note as the applause grew louder. A delightful story about singing for President George H. Bush led into “I Could Have Danced All Night,” which she sang in a revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway. She acted out all of the things states produce in a delightful duet with Silvestri of “Rhode Island Is Famous for You.” Her memory of working with lyricist Sammy Cahn in his show Words and Music preceded her performance of his “Teach Me Tonight” (music: Gene DePaul). She paid loving tribute to lyricist Hal David with the medley of “Alfie” and “What the World Needs Now Is Love” (music on both: Burt Bacharach) closing by repeating the phrase “everyone” movingly four times.
Her smile lit up the room when she sang “He Loves Me.” The highlight in an evening filled with highlights was a duet with Silvestri of “I Remember It Well,” which left me feeling warm all over. She closed with a medley of “I Love Paris” and “La Vie en rose.” Andreas ended her encore of “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” by repeating “forever, forever, forever.”
