Stephanie Byer
Ruth Etting Reflects
Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC, April 7, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Ruth Etting was a major musical star of the 1920s and ‘30s on Broadway, in cabarets and clubs, and to a lesser extent in films. Eventually, she walked away from her first nightmarish marriage and her career to happily disappear into anonymity until Love Me or Leave Me, her highly laundered film bio starring Doris Day, came out in 1955. Stephanie Byer has chosen to explore the original story using extensive quotes from Etting and a generous sampling of her songs. Under the excellent but lightest-of-touches direction by Eric Michael Gillett and with major support from music director/pianist Michael Lavine, Byer created and presented a charming show.
The songs she chose were an excellent mix of the expected, “Love Me or Leave Me” (Walter Donaldson/Gus Kahn) and “Ten Cents a Dance” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart, and the less expected “There’ll Be Some Changes Made” (Benton Overstreet/Billy Higgins), “You’d Be Surprised” (Irving Berlin), the very-much-forgotten “Dew-Dew-Dewey Day” (Al Sherman/Howard Johnson & Charles Tobias), and “Funny Dear What Love Can Do” (written by Etting). Each number added to the story being told and covered both the personal and the professional arc of the first part of Etting’s life. This was smart and effective cabaret.
Byer has a charming and quirky personality. Early in the evening, she seemed to be suffering from an attack of nerves; she was greatly assisted by Lavine, who gently guided her with great care. As the show progressed, she clearly gained confidence, and she relaxed into her material. This was especially apparent when she settled onto a stool to offer three songs that charted Etting’s disastrous marriage to a sadistic gangster: “After You’ve Gone” (Turner Layton/Henry Creamer), “If I Could Be with You (One Hour Tonight)” (James P. Johnson/Creamer), and “Mean to Me” (Fred E. Ahlert/Roy Turk).
The biggest problem with this show was the singer’s uncertain voice, especially during the first part. It was never unpleasant to hear, and Byer was always secure in her lyrics, but it might have been better if she had shared the vocal duties with a singer who had a stronger voice. There was a great deal to enjoy in this show, but strengthening the vocal element would have raised it to a new level.
