Anita Gillette & Lee Roy Reams
An Evening with Anita Gillette & Lee Roy Reams
Birdland, NYC, June 13, 2022
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Everyone has a delightful Aunt Eloise and Uncle Sven who after a few drinks at a family gathering—a wedding, a birthday party, a bar mitzvah—get up on stage and sing a bouquet of songs while telling funny stories about the family. Well, amp up the talent by about 100 (and subtract the drinks), and you have a sense of what this delightful evening at the legendary Birdland was like when it featured the Broadway veterans (who both defy time) Anita Gillette and Lee Roy Reams. For a show put together with six hours of rehearsal time, it was amazingly smooth and quick moving; they worked together and individually to charm and entertain the celebrity-studded audience. It was a family celebratory night indeed.
They were adorably clad in matching red and black outfits, which gave them a chance to chide their adept music director Phil Reno for not following suit (pun intended) and gave Reams an opportunity to announce that he was not Penny Fuller in drag (a reference to Gillette’s regular cabaret co-star). Surprisingly, the two stars had never shared a stage before, though they’ve been friends for years (neither is quite sure when they first met). In fact, they had to wonder “Where or When” in a touching duet. They also teamed up for a raucous rendition of “You’re Just in Love” to an equally raucous response from the audience. Of course, they also worked separately during the show to constant positive effect.
Gillette celebrated a lot of firsts in her life. Among them was her first date with her first husband over an autopsy table (“Teach Me Tonight”), and who could not have been beguiled by her. Then there was her first Equity role in a production of Pal Joey, unfortunately as the dull Linda and not in the role she lusted for, the remarkably named Gladys Bumps. She demonstrated how great she would have been in that role with a low-down and dirty rendition of “That Terrific Rainbow.” She followed that with an even more fabulously raunchy “He May Be Your Man, but He Comes to See Me Too.” Of course, there were memories of her dear friendship with Irving Berlin, and heartfelt renditions of such songs as his “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)” and “Remember.”
Meantime, Reams used his stage time to offer an extensive medley of songs from Mack and Mabel; (lyrics and music by Jerry Herman); in fact, he sampled pretty much the entire score to excellent effect, shifting moods and styles to reflect each character in this varied work. This was indeed a carefully structured piece that reflected the singer’s creativity and theatrical know how. When he reunited with his co-star, their delightful program ended with two more Berlin classics: “It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow” and “God Bless America.” It was a lovely day that night, too.
