Ann Kittredge
Fancy Meeting You Here: An Evening of Ahrens & Flaherty
Feinstein’s/54 Below, NYC, 5/29/19
Reviewed by Marilyn Lester
Photo: Jeff Harnar
Like a gourmet meal, with fine ingredients coming together to produce a superb result, Ann Kittredge, in Fancy Meeting You Here, achieved that same effect. The combination of exquisite voice (with terrific range); just enough smart, naturalistic narrative; a bit of comedy; enthusiasm; authenticity; and sensitive acting skills added up to an evening of entertainment perfection. Following a splendid prelude of “Ragtime,” by music director-pianist Alex Rybeck and bassist Mary Ann McSweeney, Kittredge made a dramatic “Rocky” entrance complete with boxing gloves and silk robe. As the show progressed, Rybeck’s lush playing and arrangements proved the perfect fit for Kittredge’s style and interpretation of Ahrens and Flaherty.
Standouts were several. A trunk song, “Garden,” illustrated the strength of Kittredge’s affinity with Ahrens and Flaherty: melody takes a backseat to storytelling. In that regard, the singer did the works proud. With “Make Them Hear You”/“Still Standing” and “Human Heart,” Kittredge had the audience in the proverbial palm of her hand. The thread of social justice running through the songwriters’ work—resonant with Kittredge—was beautifully parsed in “Back to Before.” With guest artist, Marcus Lovett, the pair performed a comic “Shut Up and Dance” and a sublime “The Bend of My Arms” with great chemistry. Kittredge’s director, Andrea Marcovicci, took the stage for a lovely and sweet duet of “At the Beginning,” a fitting summation of a satisfying collaboration
