Ann Kittredge
When in Love
Chelsea Table + Stage, NYC, October 28, 2025
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Photo by Gene Reed
The elegant Ann Kittredge graced the stage at Chelsea Table + Stage with a romantic and highly varied program focused on the many aspects of love. The variety created a beautiful mosaic of melody and showed off the wide range of the singer’s talents beyond her gilded soprano. With the contribution of music director/pianist Christopher Denny and the subtle and supportive direction of Barry Kleinbort, the trio set forth the best of the diva’s talents. Ranging over a century of popular music, the evening’s choices of songs, were not all that surprising and had no dull spots.
Starting with the musical pairings of question and answer “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (Cole Porter) and “It’s Got to Be Love” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart), the yin and yang of the evening was established. Kittredge’s acting skills were displayed with the contrasting of the virginal innocence of “It Might as Well Be Spring” (Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II) and the slinky seductiveness of “You Better Love Me” (Hugh Martin/Timothy Gray). One of the lesser-known selections of the evening, Shelly Markahm and Tom Toce’s “You Make Me Laugh,” was paired with the earliest composition of the night, “Melancholy Baby” (Ernie Burnett/George A. Norton).
Later highlights in the show that demonstrated the singer’s vocal versatility included a passionate “With Every Breath I Take” (Cy Coleman/David Zippel) and a really surprising “Mr. Tambourine Man” (Bob Dylan). “The Human Heart” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty) was a haunting finale to this exploration of—the human heart—and Kittredge was definitely an ideal guide for this journey.
