Stearns Matthews
Featuring Adam & Matt Podd
Me and the GershTwins
Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC, March 13,2018
Reviewed by Rob Lester for Cabaret Scenes
I can sum up Stearns Matthews’ all-Gershwin act borrowing titles of included numbers. Most tersely: “’S Wonderful.”
And “Isn’t It a Pity” all shows can’t be so elegantly sublime? Masterful Mr. Matthews, mellow and mellifulous-voiced, mostly crooooooons. Maybe too many ballads for some, “But Not for Me”; this ballad banquet is a blessing, and “Love Is Here to Stay.” Is “GershTwins” a typo missed by our proofreader having “A Foggy Day” in his vision? No, “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” readers. The “Twins” are just that: lookalike brother musicians/arrangers Adam and Matt Podd; one can superbly “Slap That Bass.” Both can proudly proclaim “I Got Rhythm,” covering piano, accordion, drums…. “Fascinating Rhythm” indeed! Plus: they amusingly sing to their may-as-well-be-reflections, facing a “Funny Face,” getting laughs.
At ease, eager-to-please gents breathe music… joy radiates. Lucky we reviewers, whose job is basking in Gershwin glow provided by pros, drink it all in and don’t pay for drinks: “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” right? I could go on and on (“Blah, Blah, Blah”), but we all have our (word) limits.
