Adrienne Haan
White Christmas at the Triad
A Celebration of the Life and Music of Irving Berlin
Triad Theater, NYC, December 7, 2022
By Candace Leeds
The Triad Theater’s artist-in-residence, Adrienne Haan presented an exuberant and extensive White Christmas at the Triad: A Celebration of the Life and Music of Irving Berlin to mark the 80th anniversary of the song “White Christmas.” Her energy, spirited interpretations, and powerful soprano made the evening a winner. Throughout the program, she chronicled Berlin’s life, from his being a young boy in Russia to his brilliant songwriting career. She was excited to detail Berlin’s many connections to her own hometown in “a little area of Luxembourg.” In fact, Berlin’s home of 43 years at 17 Beekman Place is now owned by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Another connection: Haan’s creative director, Laurence Pierron, who enjoyed a front seat at the concert, works for the Consulate General of Luxembourg. Pierron wrote and selected the repertoire for Haan’s first solo version of this concert at the Triad in 2018, followed by a second version in 2019. Another rendition is planned for 2023.
Striding onstage wearing a fluffy white furry jacket and a black fringe skirt, she launched into a rousing version of “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” channeling the great Ethel Merman who made it her signature song. Her next song, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” was performed as a duet with her music director Richard Danley, who provided excellent vocals and harmony throughout the concert. She went on to present songs to commemorate the Berlin’s family’s escape from Russia and eventual arrival in America, when young “Izzy” was five. The songs in this section were “Moscow Nights” (Vasily Salovyov-Sedoi/Mikhail Matusovsky), and the Yiddish song “Ofyn Pripetchik” (Mark Warshawky), a heartfelt version of “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor” (Berlin/Emma Lazarus) from the musical Miss Liberty, and Berlin’s first published song, “Marie from Sunny Italy.”
Haan made a fast change into a WAC uniform to salute Berlin’s military service with six songs, including “Oh How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning,” and two songs from the 1943 show This is the Army—“How About a Cheer for the Navy” and “This is the Army Mr. Jones.” She reappeared in a slinky red dress and danced around the stage as she presented a sample of Berlin’s material from Hollywood and Broadway musicals: “Blue Skies,” “Cheek to Cheek,” and “The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing,” as well as a saucy version of “I Love a Piano.”
The program went on to celebrate Berlin’s love songs, including “Falling Out of Love Can Be Fun,” during which Haan bounded off the stage to tease some men in the audience as she sang. Her encore, “God Bless America,” which she said was “the song America really, really needs right now,” touched the audience, which gave her a standing ovation.
