Photos from Germano’s

Thanks to Debbie Barber-Eaton for sending the photos taken during Ron’s show at Germano’s. 

I think the photo of me proves that I’ve inherited my father’s hairline (he’s the one sitting next to me).

Ron-ing Around: David McMullen in My New Year’s Resolutions

Friday night, I was privileged to see David McMullen at Maggie’s Cabaret, where he shared with us his latest show “My New Year’s Resolutions”. David turned the hall at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church into his living room, performing with a comfort and ease that made me feel like he was giving me one big hug. In fact, at one point mid-way in the show, I thought that he was singing the whole show to me, and started to feel sorry for the rest of the audience, only to step back and realize that with his tremendous talent, he really was sharing this experience with everyone, making each person feel that they were getting a personal performance.

David presented a range of material, mixing Great American Songbook standards with songs from contemporary Broadway musical theater and cabaret. (song list to follow). David is an upbeat sort of fellow, which undeniably showed throughout his show.

To say that David has a formidable performance toolbox at his disposal would be an understatement. His lyrical and emotional interpretation of the songs, with impeccable phrasing, and dynamic expression, varied from tender falsetto, to bold Broadway, to full classical resonance. This was most ably supported and enhanced by the accompaniment of his music director Mary Sugar. It would have appeared that David and Mary had been doing this show forever, as they musically seemed to breathe together. Looking at their bios, they both performed in “Beauty and the Beast”, and I would have to check with them to see if they actually had performed together earlier.

Even though the show had a light and airy feel to it, there were very poignant moments, but they were never heavy-handed. Actually, after the show, a DC chanteuse chatting about how warm the show and David were commented that there was no angst in it, almost as if that was a necessary part of a cabaret performance. Not this one. David ended the show, saying that he shared his New Year’s resolutions for a couple of reasons; to reinforce them to himself, and to have us remind him about them later. I am going to put “Check with David to see if he has gotten a pet yet” on my calendar in July.

My New Year’s Resolutions Set List

• Leaning on a Lamp Post – Noel Gay
• We Can Be Kind – David Friedman
• Bring Him Home – Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg, Herbert Kretzmer
• My Dogs – William Finn
• Tale of the Oyster – Cole Porter
• Temporary – John Bucchino
• Long Before I Knew You – Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green
• All the Wasted Time – Jason Robert Brown
• My Favourite Occupation – John Taylor
• I Won’t Mind – Jeff Blumenkrantz, Annie Kessler, Libby Saines
• Travel Hopefully – Andrew Llyod Webber, Alsn Ayckbourn
• Way Ahead of My Time – Peter Mills
• What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

Ron-ing Around: Grey Gardens

I seem to have caught something on the plane coming back from SF, so Ron saw Grey Gardens without me.  Here’s his write-up:

Well, I got a chance to see Studio’s production of Grey Gardens New Year’s Day.  It’s a quirky little musical, which is OK, because it’s about two quirky ladies, and their quirky relationship.  I really should call this an evening of two one-act plays. 

I have to be honest, I did listen to the Broadway cast album, just once, but that was quite a while ago, and I had hoped to see the show in NY, but it had closed before I could get my toosh in gear to get some tickets.  Listening to the album, and hearing some folks talk about the premise of the show, and reading the reviews gave me a little bit of insight into the plot.  

 

Barbara Walsh did a Herculean job playing both the role of the mother in the first act and the role of her daughter (albeit 30+ years later) in the second.  All of the characters in the first act (which is basically a flashback to the 1941), to me, were pretty much one (or at most two) dimensional, and pretty annoying, with the exception of the two young ladies playing Jackie (Kennedy-Onasis), and Lee (Bouvier).  this doesn’t seem to be the fault of either the actors, or the director, but just seemed to be the way that the characters were written. 

 

The second act, on the other hand, presents the disturbing relationship between the mother and daughter.  This is the quintessential telling of a tale of co-dependence which spirals down to great despair.  Oddly, after the annoyance that I felt by the characters of the first act, I felt sympathetic to the them in the second act. 

 

But, I do have one major quibble.  When viewing rehearsals, I have to believe that directors only sat in row 6, center audience.  I on the other hand was sitting in Row D, 4 rows from the stage on the left.  Although the theater is fairly intimate (small), due to the blocking and the fact that the actors were not mic’d, there were whole verses of songs where the lyrics were unintelligible.  

 

I never have a problem understanding lyrics at the multi-Helen-Hayes-award-winning Toby’s Dinner Theater, which is completely in the round.  They have a good sound system, and a director who knows how to block a show for that space so that everyone feels like they are getting an equal shot at enjoying all the show.  To be honest, I am a fussy audience member, since even when actors are mic’d, I dislike them acting upstage.  I understand the realism, but if someone is delivering lines upstage, or to the stage left audience, and I can’t see their facial expression, I might as well be listening to a recording of the scene. 

 

Having grumbled about all this, this still is a show that should be seen.  It depicts the unfortunate life of people who were American Aristocracy, and shows us that life is not necessarily better than any one else’s. 

Ron-ing Around — Posts to SongSpeak

Should I be concerned that my partner is seeing other blogs?

Ron Squeri is February’s guest blogger for SongSpeak: The Blog of the DC Cabaret Network. 

Here are links to posts he’s done so far:

• Ron’s Random Cabaret Thoughts…
• Don’t Miss “Cookin’ at the Cookery”
• Putting a Song on Its Feet

By the way, don’t forget that Ron’s CD Haunted Heart is now available through CD Baby

Haunted Heart Now Available

 Ron Squeri’s CD is now available through CD Baby.  I’m pleased to report that it’s a triumph.  (OK, he’s my partner so I’m biased.)  But I honestly think it’s terrific and Ron has recorded a line-up of songs, many of which are the kind that cause people to say “I love that song.”  And you’ll love the way he does them.  Samples of the track are available through the CD Baby site.

Here’s the line-up of songs:

1 Strange Sensation

2 I’ve Got You Under My Skin

3 Perhaps Love

4 Sway

5 Feed The Birds

6 Haunted Heart

7 Hold My Hand

8 What You’d Call A Dream

9 I Have But One Heart

10 Blackberry Winter/Autumn

11 One More Walk Around The Garden

12 Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat

Ron-ing Around*: Eric Comstock at the Metropolitan Room

The 7:30pm show at New York City’s Metropolitan Room started promptly on cabaret time at 7:40.  Eric sat at the piano, and was joined on stage by two other renowned musicians, Sean Smith, on bass, and Randy Napoleon, on guitar.

Eric’s breathy baritone reminded me of a cross between Sir Richard Rodney Bennett and Frank Sinatra.  He is a musical triple threat, shown by his mastery of melody, rhythm and lyric phrasing.  As a non-piano playing performer, I always think that it is has to be limiting to perform seated at the piano, but this was no obstacle for Mr. Comstock.  Although, in the latter part of the show, he stepped from behind the piano, which was greatly appreciated, and was deftly accompanied by bass and/or guitar for a few of the numbers.   He returned to the piano for the last songs in the show.  Mr. Comstock not only showed heart and soul with renditions of “This Moment” and “Tonight”, but also demonstrated his comic side with “Political Science” and updated lyrics “Let’s Fall In Love” .

Set List:  (As much of the titles I could make out) 

• This is the Life
• Everything You Want Is Here
• This Moment
• What Are You Afraid Of
• I Fall In Love Too Easily
• Tonight
• Best Man
• When You’re In It’s Hard To Get Back Out
• Autumn Breeze – Bass Accompaniment
• I’ll Be Dreaming On – Guitar
• The Saddest Word I Have Ever Heard  (good-bye is a lonely sound)
• Too Late Now
• Let’s Fall In Love
• Why Do You Pass Me By (c’est le vie?)
• Political Science (Let’s Drop the Big One)
• This is So Nice (it must be illegal)
• Pennies From Heaven

*This is the first (hopefully of many) reports from Ron Squeri