American Songbook Association Gala
Celebrating Betty Buckley: New Ways to Dream
Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, NYC, October 2, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Betty Buckley
Photo: Conor Weiss
Betty Lynn Buckley stepped off the bus in New York City, having arrived from Texas, and by that afternoon she was cast in a major Broadway musical (1776). Over the following 50+ years, she built an astonishing career on Broadway (Cats, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Pippin, Sunset Boulevard), off-Broadway (The Old Friends, Elegies), in London (Promises, Promises; Dear World), regionally (The Threepenny Opera, Gypsy), on film (Tender Mercies, Carrie) and television (Eight Is Enough). And that only scratches the surface of her impressive career. It is hardly a surprise that the American Songbook Association chose to celebrate her with its Lifetime Achievement Award in a truly star-studded tribute that reflected all the aspects of her career. She evidently chose the performers and the songs they performed, which was great evidence of her good taste given the high level of their performances. It was a great testament to the excitement of the evening that the audience, who applauded everything (including the movement of a music stand,) remained until the end, given that the show ran just under three hours and unfortunately the air conditioning in the hall had failed.
The show opened with Seth Rudetsky who was everywhere He deconstructed Buckley’s singing style (especially her trademark high notes); accompanied a variety of vocalists on piano; shared rare video clips of the her film appearances (including some unbilled dubbing efforts); provided a good deal of the humor of the evening; and quite appropriately received his own award: The Bill Sensenbrenner Dream Maker Award for his many services to the community and the public. There was no doubt that this too was a very popular choice.
The program began with Sharon Catherine Brown who told a charming story about her uncle, the doorman at the Winter Garden Theatre, who would regularly sneak her backstage to second act Cats to thrill over Buckley’s Grizabella. Although she admitted to being nervous about performing in front of Buckley, who was unseen in the wings, and compared it to bungee jumping without the bungee cord, she proved she had no reason to fear as she offered a brilliant version of “As If We Never Said Goodbye.” For something rather different, Elizabeth Davis brought along her “fiddle” to play and sing, with Ian Herman at the piano, an affecting “Old Friends.” Then, the first of two actresses came on stage to pay tribute—Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn spoke of discovering Buckley in Sunset Boulevard and returning four times, impressed by how the singer seemed to love the lyrics as they came out of her mouth.
The wonderful Orfeh barrelled her way through the incredibly wordy “Knowing When to Leave” without showing any signs of effort. After producer/director Scott Schwartz spoke of his multiple collaborations with Buckley in various regional theaters, songwriter Stephen Schwartz (and last year’s ASA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient) spoke about her impact when she came into Pippin and made her scenes really work. Kurt Peterson and Veanne Cox offered a somewhat under-rehearsed but endearing “Love Song” from that score, before both shared happy memories of working with Buckley. ASA Executive Director Carolyn Montgomery gave a charmingly self-deprecating speech comparing herself to the accountants at the Oscars, though she is both much funnier and far more glamorous, and she gave credit to the many people who had contributed to the evening.
Bryan Batt shared a beautiful story about the day he went on as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard for the first time opposite Buckley’s Norma Desmond. The he recreated his Forbidden Broadway duet (he’s the only performer to have wound up spoofing himself in the long-running revue after having played the role on Broadway) with the remarkable Christine Pedi (as the emphatic Ethel Merman) with a riff on Irving Berlin’s “You’re Just in Love” in a diatribe against body mics. It was true musical comedy madness. Then Pedi presented Rudetsky with his award, running through a rapid-fire stream of celebrity voices as she did so, dazzling the audience.
The second actress of the evening took the stage. It was Oscar nominee Marsha Mason who regaled the audience with her experience directing Buckley in a play and their resulting friendship. That led to Buckley showing up at Mason’s birthday party with her back-up band to perform as her gift to Mason. Following that was a segment devoted to The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Its songwriter and librettist, Rupert Holmes, introduced Jennifer Simard and Howard McGillin who delivered “Two Kinsmen,” and Carolee Carmello and Jessie Mueller, who sang the lovely “Perfect Strangers” with excellent English accents. Katrina Rose presented one of the lesser-known songs of the evening, Joe Iconis’ “Old Flame,” a truly strange and dark number in which she acted powerfully.
Veteran actor Paul Hecht, the original John Dickinson in 1776, recalled his relationship with Buckley, the shy newbie in the cast, and shared a poem by A.A. Milne that he read to her—charming. Bonnie Milligan used her powerful, controlled voice to sing “Serenity” from Triumph of Love. After director Michael Wilson made a rather rambling acknowledgment of his and Buckley working together, the wonderful Sandra Berhard confessed to her crush on Buckley, and belted out “Before the Parade Passes By.” One of the big surprises of the evening followed when Mario Cantone claimed the stage to deliver “Rose’s Turn” with enormous sincerity and dramatic honesty and not a hint of camp. Entering the hot stage, Ken Page offered some tales of on-stage disasters during the run of Cats, before delivering a memorable medley of “The Way We Were” and “Memory.”
Finally, it was Buckley’s turn. After receiving her award from Stephen Schwartz, she proved what all the praise was about. First, she offered a beautiful “Chanson” from The Baker’s Wife, joyous in its expression of wonder. Then songwriter Jason Robert Brown joined her onstage for one of his compositions, “Hope”; this hymn-like number was a perfect ending to this often-shining evening.
