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| Marilyn Maye, singer |
With song and banter Marilyn Maye energizes Chelsea’s Metropolitan Room
October 21, 2010
By Peter Haas, ComedyBeat
NEW YORK – The Metropolitan Room, in Chelsea, was surging with energy the other evening. It started, pre-show, from the air of expectancy as members of the audience, squeezed together at their tables and in the booths that ringed the room, scrunched together to make room for their friends. It built as the band entered and took their places on stage. And it peaked as the house lights went down, the entrance curtain parted, and Marilyn Maye made her way to the stage, to cheers. That was just the start of 100 minutes of joy,
For readers unfamiliar with Marilyn Maye, she‘s now in her 80s and has been singing since she was a teenager—on radio, records and television, in clubs and musical theater, and cabaret. Says critic Rex Reed: “She can belt; she can sing ballads with the kind of warmth that makes your heart smile; she has jazz-spiced chops and a theatrical flair that captivates and enthralls. She’s the real deal.”
At the Metropolitan Room, she proved it, starting with lively swinging, high-voltage medleys from My Fair Lady, Hello, Dolly, and Guys and Dolls When she sang “If I Were a Bell“ in her husky voice, you could hear the bells ring; with “Luck Be Lady Tonight,” you knew Fortune would have to bend to her vocal power; with the venerable “Sunny Side of the Street,” you could feel that if you crossed over, she’d be there waiting for you with open arms. Yet with ballads, such as “Ribbons Down My Back”; the 1930s Gus Kahn song, “I’m Through With Love“; and Sondheim‘s “Losing My Mind,” Maye’s sweetness and tenderness, her husky, broken-in voice, and her ability to bring out a song’s emotional content all cast their spell.
Among her gifts is a close connection with the audience, bantering with patrons, recollecting her show-biz experiences, poking fun at herself. She’s no waif; she comes across as a solid, self-possessed grown- up, engendering affection as well as respect for her sincerity and talents. When she sang such anthems as Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here” or Jerry Herman’s “The Best of Times (Is Now)”, the audience cheered in celebration of Maye’s continuing strength and talents.
Cabaret is, of course, a collaboration. Backing Maye expertly were Tom Hubbard on bass, Jim Eklof on drums, and Tedd Firth, arranger and pianist. Lighting and sound were handled with subtlety and sensitivity by the Metropolitan Room‘s resident wizard, Jean-Pierre Perreaux.
METROPOLITAN ROOM
34 West 22nd Street, New York
212-206-0440
http://www.metropolitanroom.com