L-R Tedd Firth & Melissa Errico – Photo Tom Alvarez.
Make no mistake —singer-actor-recording artist and writer Melissa Errico is every inch a classic chanteuse. Appearing as if she was born to perform in cabaret, she turned in a compelling performance Friday at the posh Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel.
Melissa Errico – Photo by Tom Alvarez.
Playing to a receptive, ingratiated audience she was accompanied by noted music director-pianist-arranger Tedd Firth who is in demand among some of the cabaret world’s biggest names. Joining them on bass was Jeremy Allen, a faculty member at the prestigious IU Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington.
Projecting a glamour and sophistication reminiscent of film stars of the 20s and 30s, vivacious Errico performed one of the most well-constructed cabaret show set lists I have seen over my many years of reviewing. A friend of Michel Legrand and Stephen Sondheim, both of whom she worked with on Broadway, she included several of their songs along with others from hit musicals. Adding to the entertainment value of her show was low key. clever banter and bon mots directed to a charmed audience with whom she shared stories about her show business life. Relating that her Italian immigrant grandmother was a lyric opera singer and a great aunt was a Ziegfeld Follies girl. Errico also read emails from her idol Sondheim, which signified their close friendship and his influence on her.
Errico, who recently starred in “Dear Liar,” a play detailing the correspondence in love letters between Mrs. Campbell and Georg Bernard Shaw, showed formidable acting chops and that she is an effective storyteller during highlights of the show that were many. They included her opening number “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “The Man I Love,” Legrand’s “The Windmills of Your Mind,” and Sondheim’s “Loving You,” (my favorite and one in which Firth shined) “Take Me to Your World” and in his “Broadway Baby,” during which she showed comedic flair.
L-R Tedd Firth & Melissa Errico – Photo by Tom Alvarez.
As far as her vocals — I found Errico’s soprano voice appealing and her tone distinctive. Telling audience that one of her daughters said she would never be popular unless she sang Taylor Swift songs, Errico pulled a young girl from the audience on to the stage to sing pop idol Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down.” It was an endearing moment and one the unidentified teen will not soon forget. As far as Errico’s overall performance —I was struck by her level of energy. passion and showmanship.
Never one for keeping professional distance from those I cover; I had the pleasure of meeting Errico following her performance. It was refreshing to find that her sincerity and authenticity matched her on stage persona, reinforcing that with some performers. but not all — “what you see is what you get.”
“The Life and Loves of a Broadway Baby,” starring Melissa Errico repeats tonight at 7:30 p.m. Do not miss out. To purchase tickets, visit feinsteinshc.com
