Beth Falcone and Ritt Henn
Beth and Ritt’s Holiday Survival Kit
Urban Stages, NYC, December 8, 2024
Review and Photos by Alix Cohen
An ersatz Star Wars video opened this evening’s drolleries. Beth Falcone and Ritt Henn solemnly wished us a Merry Zagmuk (Sumerian for “beginning of the year”). “We need a little Zagmuk/Right this very minute” she sang deadpan to Jerry Herman’s “We Need a Little Christmas.”
Survival Rule #1: Use an all-purpose holiday greeting: “Happy DiwannukKwanzmas!” (Diwali, Hannukah, Kwanza, Christmas). Survival Rule #2: Soak your toast in booze and give yourself a toast to good health! Survival Tool #3: Gifting sweets goes back to Mesopotamia. Exchange and eat lots of cookies to ward off evil spirits. Survival Tool #4: Do cardio to make up for the cookies by skating. Pianist Falcone played Vince Guaraldi’s tune “Skating,” which evoked A Charlie Brown Christmas.
This was a high-spirited afternoon focused on Christmas around the world. Falcone sang a reverential “Bhamma Bhamma” (a traditional Indian song) in—wait for it—Marathi and Sanskrit! Its rhythm was meant to simulate Supreme God Ganesh’s dancing as he removes all obstacles. Her subsequent “Ocho Kandelikas” (Flory Jacoda) was sung in Ladino, the 16th-century Judeo-Spanish once spoken by Sephardic Jews living in Spain. Falcone is a fine pianist and a proven musical director; she can sing well and in multiple languages.
A medieval sounding “Pat-a-Pan” (Bernard de la Monnoye) was offered in crystalline French by guest singer Christine de Frece. “Pat-a-pan,” we were told, likely inspired the “pa rum pum pum pum” of “The Little Drummer Boy” (Katherine Kennicott Davis), which hauntingly followed by way of Ritt Henn and his cottony bass. “Silent Night”/”Stille Nacht” (Franz Gruber/Joseph Mohr) was performed in German by another guest, Roosevelt André Credit, with full company back up in beautifully arranged counterpoint.
Survival Tool #5: Feel free to misspell the word presents (presence). Survival Tool #6: A good book will open your mind and inspire curiosity. De Frece’s jiggy, bright “Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake” (C. Frank Horn), replete with Irish accent, enveloped the room with cheer. One wanted to raise a glass. “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” (Albert Hague/Theodore Geisel) was rendered in pristine basso by the delightfully growling (think Louis Armstrong) Credit. De Frece and Credit were both new to me, and all I can think is “where have I been?” Both of them contributed superb, expressive vocals and an enthusiastic presence.
“One of the things that comes through all these celebrations is light.” Kwanza, honoring African heritage, unity, and culture, is based on seven principles represented by candles. Survival Tool #7: Whether it be Kinara, Hanukkah, an Advent wreath, or Diya, share your light! “This Little Light of Mine” (traditional) was zealously performed by Credit who could occupy any pulpit with authority and grace. From James Lord Pierpont’s Oy to the World!: A Klezmer Christmas, we heard “Jingle Bells” as if it were a Russian drinking song. Survival Tool #8: You can put any Christmas carol into a minor key and turn it into a Hanukkah song.
The show boasted several originals by each of its originators. My favorites were Falcone’s “The Best of Christmas,” which by rights should be beaming out of radios everywhere, and Henn’s wry “Spirit of Giving,” which epitomized his cool and his heart: “In the spirit of giving, I give up… is a red herring… I give up the hate, I give up the fear.”
Pervasive warmth and talent made up for any silliness that didn’t rise to the occasion. Despite its breadth, the show felt cozy. This collaborating couple—Beth and Ritt—were a pleasure to watch as they interacted. The show was directed by Sue Matsuki. “Happy DiwannukKwanzmas!”
