A Night to Remember By Andrew Gans Maureen McGovern will at last have the elusive Broadway opening night she deserves with the upcoming new musical Little Women, which begins out-of-town tryouts mid-October ******************* Never mind "The Morning After", it's a Broadway opening that Maureen McGovern desires. Although the singing actress, who first shot to fame with "The Morning After," the Oscar-winning theme song from 1972's "The Poseidon Adventure", has appeared on Broadway in three musicals, she has yet to enjoy an official, pop-the-cork-on-the-champagne opening night. That should all change this season, when Little Women, the new musical based on the beloved Louisa May Alcott novel, begins previews in December at the Virginia Theatre with McGovern in the role of the family matriarch, Marmee. McGovern's Broadway career began in 1981 when she succeeded Linda Ronstadt and Karla DeVito as Major-General Stanley's daughter Mabel in the Public Theater's Tony-winning production of The Pirates of Penzance. Though she was already an admired concert artist, McGovern made her Broadway bow with next to no theatrical experience, save for one week of summer stock in The Sound of Music. About her first performance on The Great White Way, McGovern says, "It will always remain one of the most thrilling nights of my life. I didn't know enough to be as terrified as I should have been. I was terrified, absolutely, but I didn't know the enormity of it." The performer, blessed with a soaring, multi-octave voice, followed that Gilbert and Sullivan run replacing Karen Akers as put-upon wife Luisa Contini in the original, Tommy Tune-directed production of Nine. "I loved Tommy Tune's vision of that piece, the stark black and white," says McGovern, who belted out the show's "My Husband Makes Movies" and "Be On Your Own," two of composer Maury Yeston's great tunes. "It was so multi-layered. It was a show you could see a million times and still catch something new. It was an exquisite piece." After two replacement gigs, McGovern was given the opportunity to open a Broadway production, the much-in-the-news 1989 staging of Kurt Weill's 3 Penny Opera that starred pop star Sting as Macheath, the head of the gang of crooks. A score that forced her to belt high into her soprano range, however, caused McGovern to miss her opening night and, subsequently, most of the show's short run. "The only way the Weill estate would allow [the show] to be done," McGovern explains, "was if the score and the book and everything were done in the original order and the original keys . . . [and] they wanted the soprano roles belted. I could get it out and sing it, but I knew for vocal health it was wrong for eight shows a week. I kept saying, 'This is painful.' A week before we opened, I went to the theatre at six o'clock to do my warm-ups, and I got to the beginning of my belt, and nothing but air and squeaks came out. "I saw my whole life pass before me," McGovern says with a laugh. "I had ruptured a blood vessel on the right vocal chord. [The doctor said] if I kept silent for the next week, I'd be able to open, [but] the day before the opening, it wasn't any better, so I missed the opening, which was devastating. . . . I missed 22 shows, and when I came back, I think we had just a week-and-a-half and it closed. It was very frustrating." Now, 15 years later, after a decade or so of earning raves in regional productions of Dear World, The Lion in Winter and William Finn's Elegies, McGovern is more than ready for her opening in Little Women. And it seems fitting that Susan H. Schulman, the woman who directed her in her very first stage production, the aforementioned summer-stock Sound of Music, should be at the helm of Little Women, which plays an out-of-town tryout at Duke University's Reynolds Theatre this month. ... "It's a delicious story, and the score is glorious," McGovern adds. "Jason Howland and Mindi Dickstein have done a beautiful job, and Allan Knee's book is exquisite and very faithful to the story. I'm so excited. This has been a long process. I'm so thrilled it's finally going to happen." Read more here Playbill
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DIVA TALK: . . .McGovern Gets Jazzy. . .
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| Maureen McGovern Sings Cool, Romantic “Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer’s Night” By Lucy Komisar Cool, clear, elegant, with a hint of jazz, Maureen McGovern hits rich high notes in songs about love (and anti-love!) at the equally cool and elegant Le Jazz Au Bar. My favorites are those in a jazzy idiom, especially a tribute with skat to Ella Fitzgerald, who at 17 wrote “A Tisket, A Tasket,” a little yellow basket. Also nice and jazzy are Julie Styne and Sammy Cahn’s “Put ‘Em in a Box, Tie ‘Em with a ribbon,” throw ‘em in the deep blue sea, because love and I we don’t agree. And Harold Arlen’s “Blues in the Night,” (My momma done told me….) . . . . McGovern does not waste our time or assault our ears with silly patter. A rare spoken commentary, emphasizing her sophisticated cynicism about love, is this delicious quote from Dorothy Parker: "By the time you swear you're his, / Shivering and sighing, / And he vows his passion is / Infinite, undying - / Lady, make a note of this: / One of you is lying." Le Jazz Au Bar is the most attractive cabaret I’ve seen, with well-spaced red-covered tables (every sight-line is perfect) and a British country-house ambience enhanced by old paintings and a crystal chandelier. It’s a perfect place for McGovern’s polish. |
Maureen McGovern Le Jazz Au Bar With Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer's Night, Maureen McGovern stirs up some smooth and spicy flavors at the Le Jazz Au Bar. She opens with William Finn’s I’d Rather Be Sailing, a vision of cool relief confirming that McGovern can smoothly send her lustrous notes sailing in any direction she chooses. Clearly she is commanding in a rainbow of music genres, jazz, pop, theatre, her astounding voice effortlessly skimming over four octaves. Music director Jeff Harris created some intriguing arrangements, like Nice ‘n Easy (Bergmans and Spence) in a jazzy waltz time with McGovern sprinkling in a peppery scat to kick up the rhythm. It is in a trio of Ella Fitzgerald favorites, however, that her scatting chops get a charged workout – Oh, Ella Be Good (Gershwins), Eckstine and Gillespie’s bop tune Cool Breeze, and A Tisket, A Tasket (Fitzgerald and Webb). She barely breaks a sweat, and if she does, she can focus it into a trio of fervent love standards – More Than You Know, The Very Thought of You, My One and Only Love. Showing her comic side with the wry Humidity (Harris/Harris), she puts a deliciously nasty slant on Put ‘Em in a Box, Tie ‘Em With a Ribbon (Styne and Cahn), punctuated by Leonhart’s bass rhythm and Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise by William Bolcom is a bizarre-o touch of humor in high drama, Ohio matron style. Her actress side emerging stronger than ever, McGovern reaches for wit, heart, and the blues, deepening her vocal tone for The Meaning of the Blues and a no-nonsense Blues in the Night. She grasps the heart of A House Is Not a Home (Bachrach/David) and, with focused sensuality, delivers The Island by Lins and the Bergmans. Interesting is the feel of determined dignity reflected in a romantic narrative beginning with the Gershwins’ Love Walked In, heating up with Embraceable You, cooling down to the poignant Nobody’s Heart (Rodgers and Hart) and, finally reconciled, Just One of the Things by Cole Porter. Jeff Harris supports McGovern’s renditions with colorful embellishments in the interludes. Jay Leonhart brings in a punchy bass drama, highlighted in a scorchy Fever and My Heart Belongs to Daddy. There is not a false note in this show. Maureen McGovern is one of the music world’s Essentials. |
Reviews - Variety
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Aug 13, 2004
A Hot Summer Night's Dream
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August 12, 2004 A CurtainUp Cabaret Review Maureen McGovern: Sultry Songs on a Hot Summer Night By Brad Bradley Maureen McGovern, a versatile singer with a remarkable voice and an equally remarkable career that has spanned three decades, is currently appearing in a very enjoyable program at New York's newest elegant night spot, Le Jazz Au Bar. The venue is especially comfortable, although the sound system at Thursday's opening was experiencing a few kinks in balance. No kinks in Ms. McGovern's performance, though. Even when she realized that she was unconsciously rearranging lyrics on one especially difficult song, she made an enjoyable comic moment of it, and started anew with the flawless delivery that marks her set, and in fact her career. This program is a particularly low-key one, terrific for anyone needing a dose of calming comfort after a hard day. She opens with a glidingly smooth version of William Finn's hardly known lovely tune, "I'd Rather Be Sailing," and quickly slides into a slightly more up-tempo piece, "Nice and Easy", which gives her a chance to show off her signature scatting style. No surprise then, that later in the program she offers an evocative tribute to scat icon Ella Fitzgerald. Other highlights include a number of famous standards, including "Fever," "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," and, anticipating the Harold Arlen centennial next year, "Blues in the Night." The show songs remind us (she does not give herself a plug) that Ms. McG soon will be on Broadway in the coming musical production of Little Women. Another song that deserves mention even in an abbreviated review is "My One and Only Love," particularly because it reminds us how really gorgeous this singer's voice is. There is no hyperbole tolerance required to buy the promotion of this artist as "the Stradivarius Voice." |
JAZZ REVIEWA swinging tribute to Peggy LeeWith few off notes, a strong lineup of singers finds a common chord in performing the late artist's classics.By Don HeckmanSpecial to The Times Jul 16 2004 Peggy Lee was a Midwest girl, straight out of Fargo, N.D., her sunny, blond persona and cool musical manner in distinct contrast to the hard-swinging, urban jazz sounds of the Swing Era. Breaking through with the Benny Goodman band in the early '40s, she was one of the first of the band vocalists (along with Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore and numerous others) to move on, dramatically expanding her career into solo recordings, motion pictures and television. And into songwriting. "A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee" at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday overflowed with musical goodies not surprising, given the stellar lineup of singers. Additionally, there was the fascinating opportunity to hear more than a dozen songs with lyrics and (in some cases) music by Lee. Decades before the genre was created, she was a true singer-songwriter, her catalog including such evergreens as "It's a Good Day," "I Don't Know Enough About You," "I'm Gonna Go Fishin' " and much, much more. As richly diversified as her career became, however, it was always rooted in jazz. And the evening's most engaging performances were produced by singers who, like Lee, enriched the entertaining aspects of their offerings with brisk, effortless jazz swing: Nnenna Freelon singing "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'," Jane Monheit with "Lover," Freddy Cole with "I Don't Know Enough About You," Lorraine Feather with "It's a Good Day," Maureen McGovern with "Come Back to Me." Other performers from other genres, lacking Lee's subtle jazz articulation, sang instead with a sense of love and appreciation for her work: Rita Coolidge rendering two of the biggest hits, "Fever" and "Black Coffee," Petula Clark with the rarely heard "Circle in the Sky," Grady Tate and Jolie Jones pairing on the touching children's song "Angels on Your Pillow," Bea Arthur's dramatic reading of "The Shining Sea" and Nancy Sinatra's ebullient "Why Don't You Do Right" (written by Joe McCoy). Less appealingly, Jack Jones went too far over the top with "Well, Alright, Okay, You Win," somewhat redeeming himself with "There'll Be Another Spring." But Sheryl Lee Ralph, ever the diva, was the antithesis of Lee with in-your-face interpretations of "I'm a Woman" and "Hey, Big Spender." Ultimately, however, the program's most scintillating moments traced to Lee herself, via big-screen projections of filmed moments from her career. Ranging from images of a sweet-faced young band canary to confident duos with Sinatra, Judy Garland and others, including a few regal passages from her later years, they provided a mesmerizing view of one of the 20th century's most versatile musical artists. |
TRIBUTE TO PEGGY LEEPeggy Lee herself, via a television video. That record, and her composed presence on the big screens. Richard S. Ginell, STAFF Presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Assn. Reviewed July 14, 2004. Miss Peggy Lee -- that's how she wanted to be billed -- was a paradox, a study in cool and subtlety who could radiate sensual heat through a Scandinavian reserve. While she had a smash hit as late as 1969 -- the sublime "Is That All There Is," which oddly got lots of airplay on top 40 radio -- she always belonged to an earlier, now nearly extinct era of show business, which this tribute definitely reflected. The organizers reached deep into their Rolodexes for some sterling serial hitmakers who don't receive much exposure in the 21st century. Petula Clark was perfectly comfortable with Lee's Afro-Cuban-accented treatment of "Heart" (authentic right down to the chanted "corazons" from the band), as was Nancy Sinatra in the understated delivery of "He's a Tramp." Rita Coolidge had a minor hit with "Fever" early in her career, and she performed it with the sultry restraint with which Lee stamped the tune. For Jack Jones, the model for his "Well Alright, OK, You Win" remained Joe Williams. There was balance, too, in the singers' entries -- most got two numbers, often a ballad and an uptempo tune (Jane Monheit received three, including a vocal treatment of "Samba de Orpheus"). None provided more contrast than Maureen McGovern, the romantic balladeer in "The Folks Who Live on the Hill" giving way to the belter who delivered "Come Back to Me." The superb, swinging rhythm section was Peggy's own: John Pisano on guitar; pianist Mike Renzi; Jay Leonhart on bass; and drummer Grady Tate, who got to display his underrated pipes with Jolie Jones in "Angels on Your Pillow." In the end, though, "Is That All There Is" was entrusted to Miss Peggy Lee. |
