Marya Zimmet: And the Livin’s Too Easy

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Marya Zimmet

And the Livin’s Too Easy

Pangea, NYC, January 29, 2025

Reviewed by Alix Cohen

Marya Zimmet

Having retired from a full-time job, Mayra Zimmet found that her couch was much less appealing than she presumed. She resolved to embrace new experiences, take risks, and set goals. She sang “If I Only Had a Brain” (Yip Harburg/Harold Arlen) wistfully; it was understated and ballad-like. Even the lyric “I’d unravel every riddle/For any individdle” sounded like everyday speech.

Zimmet journaled, “delved,” went on a vision quest, and asked ChatGPT for help; its sage advice was to find something she loved to do, and it took her back to singing. She prefaced “I Love to Sing-a” (Harburg/Arlen with alternate lyrics by Barry Kleinbort) by singing scales; she charmingly bounced: I love to sing-a/About the moon-a and the June-a and the spring.” She also recorded her first CD. Annie Lennox’s “Little Bird” stood out among a group of otherwise happy songs. This little bird’s fallen out of that nest now/I’ve got a feeling that it might have been blessed so/I’ve just got to put these wings to test.” The vocal slipped and slid, her eyes scrunched, her arms rose only when emphasis compelled her to do so. At the piano, hard on the keys, music director Tedd Firth boogied; Zimmet was in the groove.

She told us “I even joined a dating site called Last Resort.” Men often posted photos with dogs to show their softer side, she noted, and discovered it was the dogs she wanted to meet. Her patter was a smooth lead-in to a bass-centric arrangement (featuring bassist Tom Hubbard) of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” (Cole Porter). Drummer Warren Odze’s brushes swished and tapped while the piano swung and dipped. Zimmet’s fine-grained treatment ended with refined scat.

A terrific arrangement of “Close Your Eyes” (Bernice Petkere) gave Hubbard a chance to play sultry while Zimmet was being seductive. She sang without exaggeration and her phrasing extended. “Travel is another great way to get out of your comfort zone,” she observed about a solitary walking tour (we didn’t need the story of cows), and “A Foggy Day in London Town” (Ira and George Gershwin) followed. The bass and drums conversed and the piano commented; Fred Astaire would’ve loved this approach.

Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” with shush, shush percussion and soulful piano, and Cat Stevens’s reflective “Into White” followed. This one was folksy, and Zimmet played guitar. Neither song really fit the show’s theme, but Stevens has said that “Into White” is about naivety and the search for freedom and purity, a plausible reason for it to be included. Both songs were tender and appealing.

“No More Blues” was infectiously happy (in Portuguese “Chega de Saudade,” English lyrics by Jon Hendricks andJesse Cavanaugh; original Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes, music by Antonio Carlos Jobim). The percussion invoked Carnivàle as Zimmet bobbed, her shoulders shifted, and her hips complied; Firth’s piano was fleet-fingered. The encore medley of “The Way You Look Tonight” (Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern) and “Some Other Time” (Betty Comden & Adolph Green/Leonard Bernstein) seemed to address the audience directly. The first was buoyant and bright, and the second was a whispered sway.

Marya Zimmet was warm, personable, and authentic. There’s a patina to her vocals, and one feels “with” her. Caveats: As an example of getting out of her comfort zone with a something she wouldn’t ordinarily include, Zimmet sang “If I Were a Rich Man” (Sheldon Harnick/Jerry Bock). The performance was sympathetic and replete with proper inflection, but it didn’t fit the show’s theme. Some other selections would have landed had then been better bridged to theme. Also, immersed in each choice, she tended to close her eyes a bit too much, which shut us out, but that’s an easy fix.

Barry Kleinbort’s direction was subtle and cozy, and the jazz never obscured the melody. Zimmet seemeds invested in her song choices—without stress and very much herself. (You can read my review of her CD On the Road to Love at https://cabaretscenes.org/2021/06/21/marya-zimmet-on-the-road-to-love)

Alix Cohen

Alix Cohen’s writing began with poetry, segued into lyrics then took a commercial detour. She now authors pieces about culture/the arts, including reviews and features. A diehard proponent of cabaret, she’s also a theater aficionado, a voting member of Drama Desk, The Drama League and of The NY Press Club in addition to MAC. Currently, Alix writes for Cabaret Scenes, Theater Pizzazz and Woman Around Town. Additional pieces have been published by The New York Post, The National Observer’s Playground Magazine, Pasadena Magazine and Times Square Chronicles. Alix is the recipient of 10 New York Press Club Awards.

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