Paul & Rochelle Chamlin: The Marvelous Mr. Mercer

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Paul & Rochelle Chamlin

The Marvelous Mr. Mercer

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, February 19, 2020

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Paul & Rochelle Chamlin

Husband and wife team Paul and Rochelle Chamlin are charming people to spend some time with. Attending their show is like hanging out with some beloved family members who happen to have a good deal of musical talent. She’s got a solid Broadway belt and a clever way with a witty lyric.
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He plays the piano with aplomb and sings with a classic baritenor that occasionally strays toward stentorian tones reminiscent of such second-level Broadway leading men as George Gaynes. Their voices blend quite well on their frequent duets.

The program was devoted to the works of the sentimental gentleman of the South, Johnny Mercer—both his collaborations with a variety of composers and his work as both lyricist and composer. The evening was a very nice mix of standards and rare songs for both movies and the stage. A few of the forgotten numbers have been forgotten for good reason (“A Word a Day” from Top Banana is a comedy number that the combined estimable talents of Phil Silvers and Rose Marie couldn’t rescue so the Chamlins couldn’t be expected to). Others were truly sweet gems such as “Affable Balding Me” (from Texas Li’l Darlin’ with music by Robert Emmett Dolan) and the dry knowing humor of “Getting a Man” (Saratoga). And “The Pleasure of Your Company” (The Good Companions, André Previn) proved to be an ideal opening number.

Mercer’s more serious work also received its due, with a fine conversational “Come Rain or Come Shine” and a “My Shining Hour” delivered with tender simplicity (both with music by Harold Arlen). A lovely arrangement combined two lesser-known ballads from Li’l Abner, “Love in a Home” and “Namely You” (music by Gene de Paul). A second medley of “This Time the Dream’s on Me” (Arlen) and “Dream” (lyrics and music by Mercer) blended the two songs beautifully.

Assured musical support was provided by Tom Hubbard on bass and Daniel Glass on drums. The program moved along smoothly under the direction of Teresa Fischer. The evening was neither exciting nor revelatory; it was just a pleasant time with some very nice people who presented their material with intelligence and skill.

Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Nobel, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."