Bill Russell
Divas I Love Singing Lyrics I Wrote
Birdland, NYC, September 30, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Bill Russell, the lyricist and sometime book writer of a string of musicals seen on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in regional theaters (he confided he has never written a show that has not had a professional production—quite a record for this proliferate artist) hosted an evening at Birdland of some of his favorite songs by some of his favorite singers. He proved to be as witty and charming as is much of his work as he guided the audience through the evening. He showed great taste in singers with an impressive quartet of Christiane Noll (subbing for an ailing Lillias White), Alice Ripley, Erin Davie, and Charity Angél Dawson. Each one brought her own personality as well as a powerful voice to the stage. Russell hastened to add that he used the term “diva” in its original meaning of “goddess” as opposed to “temperamental woman.”
The varied song list included some of Russell’s best-known numbers along with obscure material, which added a sense of discovery to the evening. Ripley kicked off the evening with the title song from Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens (with music by Janet Hood) and brought a strong sense of authority, as well as her lovely voice, to the piece. Later, the company would return to this show for a moving delivery of one of the elegies by Russell, followed by probably its most performed number from the piece, “My Brother Lived in San Francisco,” which was emotionally interpreted by Davie.
Noll contributed only one song, but it was a tantalizing number from a project she had been a part of originally: Kept, a contemporary version of Camille. With music by Henry Krieger, “Let’s Stay Out and Play” was an introduction of the main character. Music director Mark Hartman delighted with a rendition of the charming “I’d Rather Be a Fairy,” written for Fortune (music by Ronald Melrose). The other skilled musicians on stage were Jeff Potter on drums and John Loehrke on bass.
Davie also delighted with the hysterical “Banking on Jesus” (music by Frank Kelly) from the outrageous drag show Pageant; she transformed it into a fully acted character study. Dawson electrified the room with a hopeful gospel-influenced number Russell wrote with Krieger for one of the early Easter Bonnet celebrations that assured the audience “you loved to make the magic.”
Of course, a great deal of the evening was devoted to Russell’s biggest success, Side Show. Davie offered a gorgeous song that didn’t make it into the final production, and Dawson brought gorgeous passion to another number. Ripley recreated her original role as one of the twins in a solo version of “Who Will Love Me as I Am” with powerful results, and the three divas brought the evening to a close with a trio arrangement of “I Will Never Leave You.” It was an enchanted evening.
