Litt & Alpher(s)
Relatively Singing!
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, September 13, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Jennie Litt and David Alpher have been collaborating for over 25 years, on stage and off, as performers, songwriters, and spouses. Their newest show Relatively Singing! was designed to spotlight their proudest creation: their 17-year-old daughter Mirabelle. She is a beautiful, surprisingly poised performer with a fine sense of humor and notable acting skills. Together and separately, mother and daughter offered an interesting set list of Broadway, pop, and original songs. Husband/daddy David manned the piano, threw in an occasional comment, and looked on with great pride.
One of the loveliest songs of the evening came early on when the two parents shared an original number that took them many years to write, “Hello in There,” about their thoughts as they were waiting for their daughter to be born. Mirabelle began performing at age nine, and one of her numbers performed early in the show was the charming “My Party Dress” (Bree Lowdermilk/Kait Kerrigan), which she delivered with true theatrical zeal. A duet of “Children Will Listen” (Stephen Sondheim) was especially moving. The material was carefully chosen throughout. An example was Mirabella’s such as the teen’s rendition of “How Lovely to Be a Woman” (Charles Strouse/Lee Adams); it was such a treat to hear an age-appropriate rendition.
Among the delights was a show-off for Jennie of a touching and beautifully blended medley of “Toyland” (Victor Herbert/Gleen MacDonough), “Try to Remember” (Harvey Schmidt/Tom Jones), and a rueful “Sunrise Sunset” (Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick). Joining forces with their daughter, mom and dad delivered a very sharp and very funny “The Apple Doesn’t Fall (Very Far from the Tree)” (John Kande/Fred Ebb) with lyrics revised to make it personal. Perhaps inevitably, they also shared “For Good” (Stephen Schwartz) and a sweet “Close to You” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David). Both songs had special meaning because of the singers’ family connection, and the evening was filled with loving familial feelings.
