by Priti Saldanha

With the golden Brooklyn skyline as backdrop, the “Wavertree,” retired from her “vagrant gypsy life,” hosted an event that recreated the magic of the sea of old and the seafaring life.  

Like Sirius, the lone star visible in the sky that night, the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra pierced through the ambient sounds of helicopters and even at one point, the horn of a ship blowing, in perfect complement to Charles Ives Symphony No. 3. 

“Sails, Stars and the Sweet Sounds of Classical Music” featured the orchestra with Gary S. Fagin, the music director and conductor at it’s helm. The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra created musical maritime poetry aboard her deck, as it does other themes, at other interesting and unique, lower Manhattan venues.

Boarding the deck of the Iron hulled “Wavertree”  docked at Pier 16, a tour by an enthusiastic volunteer led us from mast to mast, through the eyes of it’s crew, leading us to discover the world of the old sea dinghy, when she was seaworthy. The vessel is in the process of being restored to some of it’s former glory. 

Settling down to a full boat of classical music lovers of all ages, a glass of wine, chips and cookies, a red canopy shields the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra from the elements. 

The orchestra consisting of two violins, one viola, a violoncello, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trombone and bass, begin to etch into the estuary air, the ostinato’s of Stravinsky’s ” Concerto in Eb ( Dumbarton Oaks) in three movements (Tempo giusto- Allegretto- Con moto). Stravinsky wrote it during his darkest time; he found solace in listening to Bach’s “Brandenburg Concertos” as he watched his daughter waste away to terminal tuberculosis. He drew heavily from it. He called it “little concerto in the style of the Brandenburgs.” 

The Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra (KCO), the program reads, “brings outstanding orchestral and Chamber music performances and educational programs to the Lower Manhattan community, incorporating the area’s rich history into innovative presentations through collaboration with acclaimed soloists, choral, dance, literary and historical organizations.”

Tenor Glenn Seven Allen who has performed on Broadway, off-Broadway, and at major regional theaters, concert venues, and opera houses throughout the United States, accompanied by the orchestra, passionately belted out director Gary S. Fagin’s lyrical arrangement and composition which set to music, John Masefield’s poem “Sea-Fever.” The music was profoundly moving capturing the angst and fervor of the poem completely. The yearning of the call to sea. This stood out in stark contrast to the instrumental sets and in some way because of it’s positioning between the other pieces and the fact that it was on a ship and Glenn Allen’s operatic voice did it such justice, made it a piece de resistance of sorts. 

The orchestra then played “Eventide.” As it’s last few notes died away…Mr. Fagin quipped that brief as it was, Ralph Vaughn Williams’ beautiful, brief, “Eventide” (Abide with Me) from Two Hymn-Tune Prelude, it’s brevity didn’t in any way take away from it’s beauty. It didn’t! He added that purportedly, it was the last song played by the sinking “Titantic” Charles Ives “Symphony No. 3, The Camp Meeting” Pulitzer winning score, closed the evening on the East River on the majestic sailing boat with it’s lit up masts rising up in the darkening sky. 

For this symphony, Charles Ives drew upon material from earlier liturgical organ works. Ives liked leaving choices of possible solutions up to the performer. The version we heard was based upon the published score of 1964 edited by Henry Cowell, but also took into some account a new edition, by Kenneth Singleton, which had significant differences with Cowell’s edition. Subtitled “The Camp Meeting” it had a hymn like quality and even draws from various hymns, “Silent Night” included. 

“Stars, Sails and the Sweet Sounds of Classical Music” was a brief, enchanting foray into a long gone maritime past through orchestral music, thanks to the innovative programming of the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra.

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Somehow I expected Humphrey Bogart to magically appear. But Charles Richard Hernandez Hardeman, known to jazz fans around the globe at Rick Bogart, didn’t disappoint. Looking uncannily like Bogart in Rick’s Cafe in “Casablanca,” the jazz great commands the New York Yankee Steakhouse the way Derek Jeter did the baseball diamond at New York Yankee Stadium. He’s cool, confident and his music, to purposely use an apt cliche, is to die for – and well as live for!

 The youngest union musician to lead a band at the celebrated Famous Door in New Orleans, a popular jazz club on Bourbon Street, the Rick Bogart Trio now plays regularly at New York Yankee Steakhouse  and Broadway Thai Restaurant.

You may have also seen him play at The Plaza Hotel, Waldorf-Astoria or at Jazz at Lincoln Center or the United Nations. Having also performed in 65 countries and in many movies and for countless charity events, the late Danny Stiles of WNYC Radio called Bogart, “One of the great clarinetists of our era.”

“My mother was a fine pianist and singer who knew music theory,” Bogart says. “At 5 years old I was playing the piano…My father was a practicing attorney who spoke English and Spanish and helped put me through  music school.”

HBO featured Bogart in its documentary called “When the Clarinet Swings.”

Like the real life Humphrey Bogart, whose first real acting role was in a movie my late father, Ward Morehouse, wrote called “Big City Blues, Rick Bogart doesn’t toot his own horn so to speak.

“I check my ego at the door. I’m just happy to still be playing at two wonderful places in New York City on a regular basis.”

 Play it again Rick!

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When the shutters opened in the Darling London house I half-expected Mary Martin to come sailing through singing “I’ve Got to Crow,” one of the hit songs from the1954 Broadway musical Peter Pan starring the late Miss Martin. But as tuneful and joyful as the songs were in this musical they pale to “When Your Feet Don’t Touch The Ground,” “Neverland” and “We’re All Made of Stars,” with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and Elliot Kennedy.

Finding Neverland just may be the best musical I’ve seen in years: best acted, best sung and best danced. Little wonder that Barlow has 15 number 1 UK singles to his credit and Kennedy has has written hits for Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion and the Spice Girls. Finding Neverland is also directed to perfection by Diane Paulus, Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University.

Matthew Morrison is brilliant as playwright J. M. Barrie whose character is cross between shy and self-effacing poet and daring man-of-letters. Kelsey Grammer, in the duel role of Captain Hook and producer Charles Frohman strikes just the right balance between the kind of comic genius we’ve seen in Cheers and straight-laced, budget-minded producer Frohman. In 1906, Frohman risked money and reputation to bring Peter Pan to Broadway. Laura Michelle Kelly, as Barrie’s muse Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, and Carolee Carmello as Mrs. Du Maurier are both highly-effective and sincerely heartfelt. Teal Wicks, as Mary Barrie, dreamer J.M. Barrie’s unsympathetic wife, brilliantly succeeds in being appealing despite her carping. And she has a knockout singing voice. And everyone of the children in Neverland bring incredible zest and talent to their roles. Melanie Moore as the character Peter Pan is both fun and knows how to fly quite well indeed! The cast also features Alex Dreier, Aidan Gemme, Jackson DeMott Hill, Noah Hinsdale, Sawyer Nunes, Chris Richards, Hayden Signoretti with Courtney Balan, Dana Costello, Colin Cunliffe, Rory Donovan, Chris Dwan, Kevin Kern, Josh Lamon, Mary Page Nance, Fred Odgaard, Emma Pfaeffle, Jonathan Ritter, Tyley Ross, Julius Anthony Rubio, Paul Slade Smith, Ron Todorowski, Jaime Verazin and Jessica Vosk.

It was 110 years ago that Charles Frohman produced of Peter of the tree tops and Never-Never Land at Broadway’s old Empire Theater starring the great Maude Adams. And playgoers from 6 to 60 “came swarming into the theater,” my late father, Ward Morehouse, writes in his book Matinee Tomorrow a one-volume history of the American theater. Adams herself was a large part of the play’s allure. She “had something of a spiritual quality that made her appeal universal,” my father continued in the book. “The rippling laugh, the lilting voice, the odd toss of her head – these were attributes that endeared her to playgoers.” It was also her generosity that endeared her, especially to children. When a little girl who had saved her pennies for what she thought was the 50 cent ticket price found out it was $1 Miss Adams not only paid the difference for her but ordered that all tickets for that performance be sold for 50 cents.

As a very young boy, I saw Mary Martin playing Peter in the 1954 Jule Stein-Betty Comden-Adolph Green musical adaptation of the play and my father and I visited Miss Martin in her dressing room after the show. She gave me some “fairy dust,” and for many minutes I tried using it to fly off my family’s living room couch. It failed to do the trick.

Based on the Academy Award-winning Miramax motion picture by David Magee, and the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee, Finding Neverland follows the relationship between playwright J. M. Barrie and the family that inspired Peter Pan. Directed by Tony®-winner Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair)with book by Olivier Award®-nominee James Graham, music and lyrics by Gary Barlow (Take That) and Grammy Award®-winner Eliot Kennedy, choreography by Emmy Award®-winner Mia Michaels (“So You Think You Can Dance,” Cirque du Soleil’s Delirium). Scenic design is by Tony Award®-winner Scott Pask (Pippin, Book of Mormon), lighting design by Tony Award®-winner Kenneth Posner (The Coast of Utopia, Pippin), costume design by Suttirat Larlarb (Of Mice and Men), and sound design by Tony Award®-nominee Jonathan Deans (Pippin, La Cage aux Folles).

Finding Neverland is produced by Harvey Weinstein and Weinstein Live Entertainment, The Madison Square Garden Company, Len Blavatnik, Ron Burkle, Radenko Milakovic and Bryan Cranston in association with Jason Blum, Broadway Across America, Stephen Bronfman, Rodgin Cohen, Michael Cohl, Jean Doumanian, Chad Dubea, Rick Gerson, Jeremiah J. Harris, Sh. Mohammed Y. El Khereiji, Terry Allen Kramer, Howard Milstein, Dalip Pathak, Steve Rattner, Jimmy Sommers, Peter Stavola, Marvin Peart, and The American Repertory Theater. The production is Executive Produced by Alecia Parker, Barry Weissler and Victoria Parker.

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I saw two adventurous and entertaining shows recently and while their styles couldn’t be farther apart, they both were startlingly insightful as well as a lot of fun.

Singer Jackie Draper returned to the Laurie Beechman Theatre with a one-woman show called Designing Woman. Accompanied by her longtime music director Gregory Toroian on piano, Ritt Henn on bass and Robbyn Tongue on woodwinds, Ms. Draper illuminates each song from “Something In Your Smile” (Leslie Bricusse) to “Make Some Magic” (Blossom Dearie, Johnny Mercer/Duncan Lamont) with unique clarity and unadorned appreciation. Each song tugs at both mind and heart with a unique personal meaning for her and audience members.

Money Lab, conceived and directed by Edward Einhorn, head of Untitled Theatre Company No. 61, is a brilliant potpourri of cabaret and Brechtian vaudeville. Often performers directly address the audience interrupting the narrative in fresh and humorous ways as well inviting people to be part of the show. Money Lab is at HERE, 145 Sixth Avenue through April 11.

Yet not all is strictly fun and economic games. One question Money Lab addresses, Mr. Einhorn writes in the program is “how much do we really value art … (and) is it important to us.”

Actor Mick O’Brien, who plays the MC, keeps the evening rolling right along by asking the audience to bid on items with plastic chips they have purchased. The competition is fun as well as instructive. But, surprisingly, several people pooled their chips altruistically to help another make a purchase — something that seems out of kilter with strictly competitive business practice.

The climax of Money Lab was a segment called “Love and Greed,” sung by Jenny Lee Mitchell. The glamorous Ms. Mitchell, who studied classical voice in Vienna and Munich, transports us to Germany in the 1930s. Yet the piece speaks to our own unstable economic times where cut-throat greed, the love of money, overshadows the love of humanity. The “Dead Cat Bounce” segment was entertainingly and satirically instructive, pointing to market highs and lows which are not as final as they do appear.

Ms. Draper’s rendition of songs in Designing Woman also often go beyond joie de vivre. She nimbly treats us to soulful elements not primarily associated with pieces. I found this was especially true with “Let Me Be Your Mirror.” With two of her songs, “It’s My Party” (Herb Wiener, Wally Gold, John Gluck, Jr.) and “The Ballad Of Pearly Sue” (Gerry Mulligan) I noticed some audience members so enthusiastically engaged I thought they were almost tempted to join Ms. Draper on stage.

Oscar Wilde is said to have once quipped that some people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. But you can’t put a price on the artistry of Money Lab and Designing Woman. They take you on a refreshing musical journey of self-discovery as well as joy.

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Review by: Beatrice Williams-Rude

In keeping with the current trend of Broadway-Metropolitan Opera crossovers, it seemed a good time to revisit Bartlett Sher’s production of “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” (“The Tales of Hoffmann”), which was broadcast live from the Met on Saturday. Sher, a Tony-award winning theater director, also did Met productions of “The Barber of Seville” and “Le Comte Ory,” both of which were charming.

The opera is a recounting of the bizarre loves of the poet Hoffmann, a perennial adolescent whose addiction to alcohol exceeds all other feelings even when he lands in the gutter. This is the story of a man, not unlike Poe’s “William Wilson,” who is his own worst enemy. Hoffman hangs out in Luther’s Tavern, a students’ venue. His companion, Nicklausse, is actually his Muse disguised as a student, as she tries to save him from himself.

Hoffmann is killing time as he waits for his current love, the diva Stella, who is performing in an Mozart opera. The students press him to tell them about his romantic life.

The first is Olympia, a beautiful mechanical doll, delightfully performed by Erin Morley, who brought the house down. The production, however, was a problem. Everything in the text points to Olympia’s being unique, the invention of Spalanzani and Coppelius. However, the stage is littered with Olympia look-alikes which violates the story line and serves to confuse the audience. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the principal Olympia.

The Munich and Venice acts present a choice. Sometimes one is the second act sometimes the other. There is justification for both. Musically the Venice scene is much more grandiose, culminating in the magnificent septet, which would make it a logical third act. Dramatically it shows Hoffmann’s descent: he kills a man. However, the argument for the Munich scene providing the climax is that Antonia is real — an actual love. Giulietta, in the Venice scene, is a courtesan, whose love is for diamonds.

The production presents problems in both acts. The Munich scene is supposed to be intimate — Crespel and his daughter Antonio are hiding. It’s ridiculous when Crespel tells his servant to keep the door locked. What door? The setting is huge and barren without any of the properties of a home. Antonia was beautifully sung by Hibla Gerzmava, who also played Stella, a nice touch given both characters are singers.

Critical to the plot is Antonia’s dead mother whose portrait sings, urging Antonia to sing, which for health reasons she shouldn’t. There was no portrait. The mother, appealingly sung by Olesya Petrova but at too rapid a pace, was performing mostly hidden in the dark, then emerging into the light at the end.
The man sitting in front of me was so appalled he didn’t return for the third act. Two others in the same row were denouncing this production and comparing it to the abhorrent new Willy Decker production of “ La Traviata,” which replaced a beautiful and much loved Zeffirelli production, even as this “Hoffmann” replaced a nigh on perfect Otto Schenk production. The new “Traviata” managed to be as ugly as it was stupid, re-set in the 20th century.

As stark as the Hoffmann Munich scene was, the Venice scene matched it at the other extreme: it was so cluttered one couldn’t follow the principals. Traditionally the act opens with Nicklausse and Giulietta in a distant gondola singing “Belle Nuit” with increasing volume as gondola gets nearer. Not in this production. No gondola — not a hint of water –and the stage so crowded they had to step forward to be seen.

Vittorio Grigolo was an excellent Hoffmann, singing beautifully except on what should have been the boffo bring-the-house-down high notes on which his voice lost focus and became breathy. Breathiness was also an occasional problem of an otherwise lovely Nicklausse performed by Kate Lindsey.

Thomas Hampson was excellent as all four villains, Lindorf, Coppelius, Dr. Miracle and Dapertutto. Tony Stevenson was a standout in multiple roles: Frantz, Pitichinaccio, Andres and Cochenille. David Pittsinger was fine as Luther and Crespel. The conductor, Yves Abel, was mostly on target, although his tempi could be challenged. There was one devastating moment, during the septet, when there was a disconnect between the army of singers and the orchestra.

Applause was mostly tepid. “The Tales of Hoffman,” Jacques Offenbach’s masterpiece, is one of those glorious operas that stays with people. The music keeps replaying in one’s head long after one has left the opera house.

Thomas Hampson as Dapertutto and Christine Rice as Giuletta in Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” Photo credit: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

Vittorio Grigolo in the title role of Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann.” Photo credit: Marty Sohl/Metropolitan Opera

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Review by: Nitya Thomas

New Encompass Theatre’s production of ‘A Wake or a Wedding” is charming, entertaining and funny. What starts off a bit slowly turns steadily into an amusing comedy with several completely unexpected and mad plot turns – true to the style of comic opera. Under Nancy Rhodes direction, the cast had the audience well entertained throughout with splendid acting and strong singing despite a relatively dead space that did not do much for voices. The singers were accompanied by a chamber orchestra conducted by Mara Waldman, which unfortunately sometimes outplayed the voices in the small space.

New Encompass Theatre, founded by Nancy Rhodes in 1975, is dedicated to fostering American and international modernist opera. Their latest production by Richard Pearson Thomas (both composer and librettist) is a story set in Montana, of the family and household of a copper king who has just passed on, on the eve of his daughter’s wedding. This leaves his family and household in a state of turmoil and chaos, which only deepens with the arrival of an opera diva and her cohort, who have been hired to sing at the wedding. Despite being “modern” music, Pearson’ score is relatively accessible and lyrical. Most importantly for an English opera, the score allowed the singers to effectively communicate the story. To their credit, the singers did a fine job with the diction and communication through acting.

Joy Hermalyn was a treat to watch – her strong comedic acting as the aging and loud opera diva, took the performance to a whole new level. Alison Davy did a beautiful job playing the wistful wife Deirdre. The three young sopranos Lindsay Rider, Marie Anello and Caroline Miller all gave solid performances – Lindsay Rider as Miss O’Dell was particularly exciting to watch with strong acting and a beautifully warm and even tone through the different registers. Of the male voices, Jack Highstraw was particularly memorable.

All in all, an enjoyable experience and wonderful effort by a talented group of performers. Hats off to Nancy Rhodes for preserving and keeping the space of Chamber Opera alive in today’s world.

Nitya Thomas, an accomplished professional singer herself, is an occasional guest reviewer for Broadwayafterdark.org. She can be contacted at nitz00@gmail.com

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I recently had the pleasure of attending a Saturday matinee of “The Fantasticks” at the intimate ‘Off Broadway’ location of the Snapple Theater Center. The production was charming, witty, well done and did not disappoint.

The story is a whimsical twist on girl meets boy and fathers plotting them all into funny situations that never seem to turn out as planned. Throw in a charming ‘have to love him’ hired villain and a pair of humorous side kicks who literally pop in and out of scenes with slapstick fun and fumbling and the story proceeds through twists and turns into a happy ending.

The cast was well chosen for this fun filled musical. Samantha Bruce, as ‘The Girl’ gave a wonderful performance with fantastic vocal range and credible acting skills. Her ‘fainting falls’ were so realistic that the audience stretched out of their seats gasping with concern every time she did one. ‘The Narrator/Hired Villain’ was played by Dave Schoonover whose voice singing the old hit song ‘Try To Remember’ had several people in the audience discreetly wiping tears from their eyes. Pierce Cravens as ‘The Boy’ gave a performance that had you rooting for him throughout the whole show and ‘The Fathers’ played by Ray DeMattis and Kevin R. Free, evidently were exceptionally pro actors that were the glue for the whole performance. Providing comic relief throughout, another pair of obviously talented actors were MacIntyre Dixon playing ‘The Old Actor’ and Michael Nostrand playing ‘Mortimer- The Man Who Dies.’ They got the laughs exactly when they were supposed to. Last, but not least, Rita Markova as ‘The Mute’ a.k.a. ‘The Wall’ leant a fun and yet functional element needed for the success of the whole performance.

I must say you never missed a full orchestra because of the excellent musical skills of Robert Felstein at the piano, who was also the Musical Director, and Maria Banks at the Harp.

In conclusion, the ‘below the line’ costume design by Ed Wittstein, Lighting Design by Mary Jo Dondlinger, Sound Design by Domonic Sack and Musical Staging by Janet Wilson all worked well to add to a seamless performance. I must say, for a visitor from California, it was quite a lovely way for me to spend a Saturday afternoon experiencing ‘The Fantasticks.’ Thank you all for a great performance.

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Review by: Nitya Thomas.

As New Yorkers, we are fortunate to witness the entire world’s art and culture literally at our doorstep. This past Monday I was reminded of this privilege, after hearing the Astana Opera Company from Kazakhstan at Carnegie Hall’s Stein Auditorium. This recently formed opera company (founded in 2013) made its Carnegie Hall debut as part of its first world tour, which will also include Opéra Bastille and De Doelen.

The program consisted of a nice mix of popular pieces from Western and Russian operas, as well as some traditional and contemporary Kazakh music. The Astana Opera Symphony Orchestra, consisting mostly of young people between the age of 25 and 30, set a high standard right from the beginning with a piece for orchestra by Kazakh composer Rakhmadiev – in my opinion, easily matching the standard of any world class orchestra. Young, virtuoso violinist Erzhan Kulibaev was superb in Tchaikosky’s violin concerto (D major, Op. 35), making the violin sound like it was literally crying in the very high registers. Of the singers, tenor Medet Chotabayev and Baritone Sundet Baygozhin stood out; Baygozhin’s rendering of the famous Largo al factotum aria from Rossini’s Barber of Seville was meticulously articulated and charmingly enacted with great personality and got a fantastic reception from the audience. The Kazakh folk medley performed acapella by the chorus was breath-taking, with a beautifully sweet tone which is a rare sound for choir of operatic singers, particularly from the women. An orchestral piece featuring two traditional Kazakh instruments (the dombyra – a sort of lute, and the kobyz – a soulful sounding violin) brought out more of a traditional East Asian sound and made me long to hear more of this beautiful, traditional music of the country.

The program ended on a high with the enchanting melodies of the popular Polovtsian dances from Borodin’s opera Price Igor – reminding us once again of the high standard of this newly formed opera company. For those of us who weren’t so aware of this before, it is clear that Kazakhstan has a solid infrastructure for nurturing young talent, given most of these young performers have trained in their home country, with some furthering their training at a higher level in Italy and eventually performing in Europe as well. Certainly an effort to be highly commended and respected. All in all another great and very “New York” evening, with the perfect blend of east and west.

Nitya Thomas, an accomplished professional singer herself, is an occasional guest reviewer for Broadwayafterdark.org. She can be contacted at nitz00@gmail.com

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Other songs on this debut CD are “My Grateful Spirit Sings” with music and lyrics by Sally DeFord and an incredible new musical version of the 23rd Psalm with music composed by Nitya Thomas herself.

All three songs are produced and orchestrated by Peter Link, a Broadway composer and owner of New York’s Link studio.

“I am discovering that a large purpose in our journey in this lifetime seems to be awakening to the truth of who we really are as opposed to what the world would tell us what we are,” Miss Thomas writes in the album’s liner notes.

Fortunately, Miss Thomas, who was a successful financial analyst with Goldman Sachs in London, awakened to the glorious truth of her gifts as a singer/composer. Originally from Bangalore, India, Miss Thomas decided to “explore her artistic self,” as Peter Link put it, and study voice. “Gratefully, Miss Thomas comes with a real ‘instrument,’ ” Mr. Link added. “As a producer, my favorite thing about Miss Thomas is to take the information that I give her, ingest it, and quickly turn it around in a strong process.”

But Miss Thomas is much more than a singer with a technically gifted voice.  Because if she were any better, music fans would be dissatisfied with most of the Broadway, cabaret and even opera performers in America today.  For Miss Thomas, like the greatest concert pianists or Broadway or opera divas, for that matter, exudes an indescribable warmth and joy no amount of technical proficiency can even approach. In her unique rendition of the 23rd Psalm Miss Thomas’ irresistible warmth is as evident as her vocal range. There are very few, if any, singers who have equal portions of both.

On the inspiration for writing the music for her version of the 23rd Psalm, Miss Thomas explains, “A dear friend and I were both going through a tough time and searching for inspiration together one evening.  And we ended up discussing and reading it back to each other many times – and finding comfort in its beautiful and reassuring message. That evening I returned home and went straight to the piano, and from that place of comfort came this piece.”

Earlier this year, Miss Thomas won the prestigious job of soloist of First Church of Christ, Scientist, New York City, on Central Park West and 68th Street, and one of the most historically beautiful and unique churches on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

So here is a performer with unerring precision and engaging warmth.  And this critic’s grateful spirit sings, to quote a repeated line among Sally DeFord lyrics for “My Grateful Spirit Sings.”

First published in the BlackTie Magazine: – See more at: http://blacktiemagazine.com/arts_theater/Nitya_Thomas.htm#sthash.js5SdriT.dpuf

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But to call Clark Warren a throwback to the heydays of Sinatra, Mel Torme and Fred Astaire is an understatement. Warren is in a class by himself, a singer and entertainer who will leave you wishing you never have to leave the Metropolitan Room. You’ll want to hear and see him again and again! His other songs include the Gershwins’ “Summertime” (from the George and Ira Gershwin musical “Porgy and Bess,”) and “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.”

His upbeat and flavorful rendition “On the Sunny Side of the Street” was especially fun for me to hear since I used to know the late, great Dorothy Fields, who wrote the lyrics. Miss Fields and I used to visit hospitalized war veterans and loved her sunny and
loving disposition.

First published in BlackTie Magazine.

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