Tichina Arnold & Beth Behrs
FAME-ish
54 Below, NYC, July 13, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Tichina Arnold and Beth Behrs
During the course of their show at the fabled 54 Below, Beth Behrs compared herself and co-star Tichina Arnold to Enya and Aretha Franklin. While the comment seemed, as much of the show patter was, somewhat tongue in cheek, it was in fact quite appropriate. The very blond Behrs possesses a sweet soprano, and the electrifying Arnold has a growl and an R&B belt that would seem to make them an odd couple indeed. However, they are linked by their roles on the television series The Neighbors and by their friendship and deep respect for each other’s talent. If they didn’t quite blend as performers, they definitely joined together as compatriots to present a clever show.
Behrs is the sweet blonde well known from appearing in Two Broke Girls. Her lovely soprano was perfect for such standards as “Moon River” and her favorite song to sing to her one-year-old, “New Words.” Surprisingly for someone with an eager sense of humor the only comedy number she tackled was “Taylor the Latte Boy,” which started with a spoken introduction that might have better suited “The Boy from …” Arnold projected herself as the older, wiser, street-smart woman. She really rocked out with a very well-arranged R&B medley that was a smart mix of standards and lesser-known numbers. But the highlight of her work and of the entire evening was a fire-hot “God Bless the Child” that threatened to set the stage aflame; it was a of moment the audience could take home.
The special guest for the evening was Arnold’s daughter, Alijah Kai, who offered her own composition, “Ultimatums,” in a strong and powerful voice when she took charge of the stage. Chances are she will be seen again in New York City venues. The entire evening was effectively directed by Mia Walker and was co-written by the two stars along with Wayne Conley. The fluid and fine musical team led by Will Van Dyke as music director/pianist, included Nate Brown (guitar), Yuka Tadano (bass), and Dena Tauriello (drums). Background vocals were provided by Rosalind Brown and Victor Cook.
Arnold and Behrs had great fun in duets that highlighted their different family backgrounds, including a mash up of “Over the Rainbow” (The Wizard of Oz) and “Home” (The Wiz) (the arrangement echoed a certain duet that involved Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand), There was a lovely duet in contrasting styles of “Where is Love?” (Oliver!), which also gave Brown a wonderful guitar solo. Both of these numbers emphasized the central theme of the evening: how two performers with very opposite life experiences can blend together to provide an entertaining evening.
