Amy Beth Williams
In Reverse
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, December 18, 2024
Review and photos by Alix Cohen
“I’m not a fan of the month of January (and wonder why we have February at all), so I thought if I’m going to do a show of the months of the year, I’ll end in January,” Amy Beth Williams explained. This would be easy to assemble with familiar signifying chestnuts, but Williams is not about “easy.” Her song choices were an eclectic mix of genres, expressions, and vocal demands. Also, she was sincere, which a is brave way to be onstage.
Williams opened with “Memories,” a well-crafted Adam Levine/Maroon Five song that was direct and a bit musically edgy: “Here’s to the ones that we got/Cheers to the wish you were here, but you’re not/’Cause the drinks bring back all the memories.” “Once Upon a December” (Stephen Flaherty/Lynn Ahrens) followed radiantly. As Williams envisioned, she conjured.
“Winter” (Tori Amos) rode Dave Silliman’s high-spirited bongos: “I get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter/I put my hand in my father’s glove/I run off where the drifts get deeper.” It was a smiley cha-cha. Williams’ upper register was crystalline. The sentimental “See You in September” (Sid Wayne/Sherman Edwards) was like a teenage prom slow dance. The brushes were light and Ritt Henn’s bass strings caressed. Williams appeared to be remembering her own past.
“A fella with a concertina played-what was the song?/the vocalist winced/And I still try to find (her brow furrowed) the words I can barely remember” are lyrics from Jerry Herman’s “Song in the Sand”; it was palpably bittersweet. At the piano, Ian Herman swayed as he created an orchestral sound. “La, da da da, da da da/Da da da da da da/And I’m young and in love” Williams sang, shedding 20 years. She employed small “tells” to indicate subtle emotion. Herman’s “Ribbons Down My Back” (Hello, Dolly!) began a cappella as her vocal emerged silken without fraying. It was interesting to hear an older woman sing these lyrics. Memory and hope held hands, which made the dream more fragile and entirely believable. A pause before the last “so he might notice me” was poignant.
“Memphis in June” (Hoagy Carmichael/Paul Francis Webster) opened with the musical quote from “June is Bustin’ Out All Over.” Williams warmly sang TO us, dropping her g’s as if she was born to it. Mint Julep, anyone? Unexpected and new to me “(We’ll Meet) in Spring” (Peter Daniels) was a pithy tango. Williams raised her chin, her nostrils flared. Longlined lyrics rode above sharp-edged accompaniment. The song whipped.
“March Winds and April Showers” (Walter G. Samuels/Leonard Whitcup/Teddy Powell, 1935) made one imagine a line of tap-dancing chorines. A little shake of the shoulder, a little bounce, a pat on the thigh—Williams grinned and (otherwise still) moved with this one. The song was backed by a happy piano and a wonderful arrangement.
“Unfortunately, that brings us back…” to Lance Horne’s “January”; it was thorny and forceful, the music suggesteded Bertholdt Brecht and Kurt Weill, as lyrics told a contemporary story: “The two bars of soap make me hope/That it’s you on the stair…It’s January and you are away/A year and a day.” Williams was unconditional; I’d like to see her perform “Pirate Jenny.”
The story song “December Will Be Magic Again” (Kate Bush) was sung by an actor. Williams rose to its vocally gravity, defied its demands, and showcased her range and control. She sang as if she were trying to will wishes to come true. Her arms rose, her palms flattened, and her fingers splayed. “I Remember” (Molly Drake) drolly closed the show. The character depicted in the lyric recalled firelight; he remembered smoke. She recalled trees, he remembered gnats. Williams understood the difference between humor and wit.
Her gestures were never gratuitous. Still, I find the moving of the microphone in its stand from one side of the stage to the other to be unnecessary. Keep it centered, and take the mic out more. Tanya Moberly directed the show.
“No matter what your memories are, you need to keep making good ones.” This was a well-wrought show. Amy Beth Williams returns to Don’t Tell Mama with additional performances December 28 & 29.
