Michael Feinstein

Feinstein’s at the Carmichael, Carmel, IN, May 13, 2021

Reviewed by Ron Forman

I was so starved for real, live cabaret entertainment that the 11-hour drive to Carmel Indiana for the grand opening of the Hotel Carmichael was a small price to pay to see Michael Feinstein perform for the opening night of Feinstein’s at the Carmichael. I was surprised to learn that this very lovely boutique hotel, dedicated to the Great American Songbook, is not named for Indiana-born Hoagy Carmichael but in fact is a combination of CARmel and MICHAEL Feinstein. Feinstein was a major player in getting the hotel built and had significant input into the design of the cabaret room as part of the original plan for the hotel.

Feinstein the cabaret artist is much more than a wonderful singer. He is a truly great entertainer.
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I have seen him perform many times over the past decade and his shows are always great fun. His big smile as he enters on stage brightens the room. Amazingly, his singing appears to be getting better each time I see him; his voice keeps getting richer and more powerful. What makes him extra special is that he is naturally very funny. His off-the-cuff remarks are often hilarious. In this show he included Covid-19 themed parodies of popular songs including “Injectable You,” “Not Close to You,” and “Vaccinating Rhythm.” Music director Tedd Firth is a valuable addition, as his piano solos invariably draw applause. Phil Palumbi (bass) and Mark McLean (drums) enable Feinstein to show off his ability to swing.

The show opened with the trio playing “Up a Lazy River” and Feinstein belting a very lively “From This Moment On,” both songs written by songwriters born in Indiana— Hoagy Carmichael (music by Sidney Arodin) and Cole Porter. He then reprised what he said was the first song that he had ever sung in a cabaret, “Isn’t it Romantic,” the performance included a funny chorus that I had only heard performed by Maurice Chevalier in the 1932 film Love Me Tonight. He then paid tribute to Nat King Cole with a medley of “L-O-V-E” and “Almost Like Being in Love,” featuring a dazzling piano solo by Firth. It was followed by a very soft mash-up of “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “You and Me Against the World.” Feinstein’s shows are never dull given that he likes to follow soft and slow numbers with up-tempo ones as he then did with “St. Louis Blues.”

No cabaret performer is more knowledgeable about the Great American Songbook than Feinstein, who after speaking about composer Johnny Mandel, performed an especially moving “Where Do You Start?” written by Mandel with Alan and Marilyn Bergman. He then did a mash-up of songs from different eras; the Eddie Fisher hit “Wish You Were Here” and Carole King’s “So Far Away” meshed perfectly. He updated “Hooray for Hollywood” with very funny new lyrics.

Back at the piano, he delightfully put together the songs of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard Of Oz, “If I Only Had a Brain,” “If I only Had a Heart,” and “If I Only Had the Nerve.” He closed with a very powerful “For Once in My Life.” Before his encore number he said, “It would be dumb not to do a Hoagy Carmichael song,” leading into “How Little We Know” (lyrics by Johnny Mercer).