Maureen McGovern

Maureen McGovern's WITH A SONG IN MY HEART at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room was an appealing and multi-faceted presentation of the music of Richard Rodgers. The topic was romance and McGovern clearly was in familiar territory. With "love" in the title of no less than seven songs in her program, she capitalized nicely on the subject via the lyrics of Rodgers' two major collaborators, Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein ll.

So much of the Rodgers songbook is familiar that much of the success of this show must go to McGovern's fresh interpretations and musical director Jeff Harris's supportive arrangements. Following a bouncy SURREY WITH THE FRINGE ON TOP, the amber haired vocalist with the sweet as honey voice turned to YOU'RE NEARER, from the 1940 film TOO MANY GIRLS and created an ambiance both haunting and hypnotic. It would surface again during the evening, especially during the slower numbers of her song list, WHERE OR WHEN, FALLING IN LOVE WITH LOVE, and a medley of MY ROMANCE and ISN'T IT ROMANTIC.

There were moments of humor -- the lady can be funny--- and an animated recreation of Jeanette McDonald's tussle with her horse as she sang LOVER in a 1932 film. Throughout the show, McGovern maintained her hold on the audience even as she shifted unexpectedly to a more sober note with YOU'VE GOT TO BE CAREFULLY TAUGHT, Hammerstein's bitter commentary on prejudice from the musical SOUTH PACIFIC.

At the half century mark (she admitted it), Maureen McGovern handles her material and her listeners, with a assured touch.

___ Peter Leavy