Special Kaye and Special G

February 6, 2010 · Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Buzz, People, Q on Stage

Gretchen Reinhagen & Kaye Ballard, courtesy of GretchenReinhagen.com

February 4 marked the final performance in the Metropolitan Room run of Gretchen Reinhagen’s “Special Kaye-A Tribute to the Incomparable Kaye Ballard.” For now. This tour de force is an amazing collection of music and stories that celebrate one of the giants of comedy, now in her seventh decade of performance, and Kaye is celebrated by someone who is becoming a giant in her genre as well.

Nightlife 2010 Award winning Gretchen Reinhagen has long been a fan of Ballard. Growing up, Reinhagen’s first performance was covering The Carpenters “Sing” for her father’s band at The Farm, a Cape Cod nightclub. From then on she was hooked!

Reinhagen has had several career incarnations already-she has been a music teacher, growing programs in music-starved areas in California where no programs existed. An actress as well, her roots were pulled up from sunny California when she decided to move east and make art happen in New York City. Since 2004, then, cabaret has been her game.

Musical director David Gaines and Ms. Reinhagen have the chemistry so necessary for music to touch the heart. The show, directed by Barry Kleinbort, who was also in the audience, was further supported by Louis Tucci on upright bass and Donna Kelly on drums. The program was synchronous, well orchestrated and well performed-they played us like violins. Tucci, occasionally bowing, was feeling and watchful and Kelly’s percussive backgrounds and augmentations were grace notes in themselves. The Metropolitan Room’s intimate space is a treat for singers and musicians who come to watch and learn from others-every aspect of technique is visible and the balance is superb.

The program kicked off with a specially written song, “I’m Here,” by Kleinbort. This was a musical history that really set the stage for these songs that were written for, introduced by or inspired by Ms. Ballard. Next we had a touching rendition of “Young At Heart,” followed by the extremely unsentimental “What’s a Nice Girl Like Me Doing Working in a Joint Like This,” and we were off in a slingshot. The comedy continued with “I’ve Still Got My Health,” a catalog of all the things that could go wrong, but let’s stick to the bright side, and then “Teeny Tiny,” an alle-Gorey of a dark tale of how small people can be. I remember hearing this song as a child when Kaye was guest-hosting the Mike Douglas show in the 1970s and hearing it again with Reinhagen’s dramatic delivery was pure delight.

When Dale Gonyea’s “Name Dropping” came up, I considered how you had to have a certain level of experience to appreciate the puns. Not everyone knows who the people are that are being sent up-but then too few people know cabaret. The Broadway Tryouts medley included (of course) “Broadway Baby,” sung with tender toughness, Marc Blitzstein’s “Be With Me,” the introspective and sexy “Take Off The Coat,” and the sassy rapid-fire “If (you hadn’t but you did),” which highlighted Reinhagen’s crystal clear delivery and speed.

Next, we had a taste of New York with Johnny Mercer’s “I Fought Every Step of the Way,” and I marveled at how there was such distinction in the selection of each song to make it stand out from the program itself. A light and gentle treatment of “Love Makes the World Go Round,” followed by the more visceral and sexy “Lazy Afternoon,” spurred Valentine’s thoughts of my own true love. The seduction in contemplation, evoking summer afternoons and daylight thoughts of love transported us all from winter in New York.

Cleansing the palate with a bit of comedy was an adorable duet with Gaines taking the Alice Ghostley part and dueting with Reinhagen in the “Stepsister’s Lament” from the all-star “Cinderella,” written by Rodgers and Hammerstein especially for television. This was followed by a Kander and Ebb mini-set of songs written for Kaye-though someone else may have ended up making them more public-including the incomparable “Sara Lee,” performed with relish and angst, and “My Coloring Book” and “Maybe This Time,” both of which were done with such deft emotion they linger in the memory.

There was a brief Charlie Brown and Lucy van Pelt interchange between Gaines and Reinhagen, which set a sparkling mood for their duet, “I Wanna Be Yours.” Followed by “When,” a brief reprise of “Young at Heart,” which heralded the cadence of the show to the heartfelt “Go in the Best of Health” we had a well-rounded all too brief history of Ms. Ballard’s career and Ms. Reinhagen’s magic.

The thunderous applause brought Reinhagen back to the stage for a brief encore of Bart Howard’s “In Other Words,” written especially for Kaye, though we know it better as “Fly Me to the Moon.” Mr. Gaines included a tintinnabulous music box quote of “Love Makes the World Go Round” that was delightful. Finally what survey of Ballard would be complete without a final kick in the pants out the door? Reinhagen’s final song of the evening was “I Told Ya I Love Ya (now get out),” so we did.

Check out Reinhagen’s work at GretchenReinhagen.com. She’s definitely one to watch. Her show was artfully programmed and performed, and whenever one starts with such amazing ingredients the end result is always greater than the sum of its parts.

Share: