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Marjorie Hayes
August 1, 2010
“Taking Chances”
The Duplex – July 18, 20
In her recent engagement at The Duplex, actress/singer Marjorie Hayes proved herself to be an artist of considerable depth and subtlety, with a voice capable of giving color to a wide range of life’s experiences. Co-created by Michele Brourman, who also supplied the musical direction, directed by Erv Raible, and with piano accompaniment by the estimable Paul Trueblood, the show presented an uncommonly eclectic program of songs to tell of Hayes’s journey back to music.
Hayes’s theatrical acumen was evident throughout the evening. (She has an impressive body of international theatre accomplishments to her credit.) Her connection with her material was organic, and her presentation was assured, confident, and never dramatically or emotionally overstated. Her artistry had a cumulative impact, so perhaps only at the end of the evening was one fully aware of the richness of her artistic palette and the control with which she employed it.
She threw herself with glee into “Was I?” (Chick Endor, Charlie Farrell), a delightful novelty song from the ’30s that tells—with a lot of charm and not a whit of remorse—of the singer’s rather shameless behavior the night before. Then she brought a romantic, dreamlike quality to Brourman’s lovely, stylized ballad “Aurora”; the fairy tale chivalry of this song stood in nice contrast to the previous song’s earthier view of male-female relationships.
She delivered a distinctive and distinguished rendition of “Bill” (Jerome Kern, P.G. Wodehouse, Oscar Hammerstein II): in a sense it was straightforward, but running through it was a stream of heartfelt sentiment that gave the piece a warm glow. It was an object lesson in how a singer can put his stamp on a song without resorting to gimmicks or eccentric arrangements. This was only the second rendition of “Bill” that I can recall that achieved what I refer to as the “aaah! quality”.
She did superb work with two songs by Leonard Cohen. “Blue Alert” is an extraordinary piece that uses military combat as a metaphor for the effect a woman can have on a man. I’d say that her performance was understated, but, it would be more accurate to say that it was beautifully stated. Her rendition of “Hallelujah” was quite possibly the best I’ve ever heard; it was certainly the most emotionally textured and one of the very few in which I thought the singer had a clue what the song is about.
Her take on Wayne Carson Thompson’s big hit “The Letter” (talk about eclectic programming!) was striking, dramatic, and impassioned. Here we go with another object lesson, this one covering how to mine hidden depths in familiar material. And she was equally effective with songs as diverse as James Taylor’s “Millwork” (from Working) and Elton John and Lee Hall’s “Grandma’s Song” (from Billy Elliot).
Only a couple of tweaks are in order. She approached “You Belong to Me” (Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart) with an appropriate 1940s love song feeling. (The piece may date from 1952, but musical styles tend not to observe the niceties of the calendar.) However, her rendition then turned big and rhythmic; the shift was a bit jolting. The number would have been more effective had the arrangement stayed in its initial, unabashedly romantic mood.
With “Vodka” (George Gershwin, Herbert Stothart, Otto Harbach, Oscar Hammerstein II), she made an ill-conceived choice when setting up the song: at the end of the lead-in anecdote, she positioned the song as something said to her by a lady at a soiree she attended in Poland. The problem with this approach is not only that it is hokey, but also that it brings into question the veracity of the rest of that anecdote. This latter issue is especially significant because Hayes’s work in Poland is an important aspect of her life and of her professional background; while it can legitimately be treated with humor, it should not be used as a gag. Perhaps she chose that device to justify singing the song with a Polish accent, but that could have been accomplished more honestly. That said, her handling of this comic classic was very good, and the accent worked quite well.
Marjorie Hayes is based in Dallas, so we don’t get to see her around these parts very often. Pity. I hope she returns to New York soon.
Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for over thirty years. He’s written cabaret and theatre reviews, features, and commentary for seven print publications, most notably Back Stage, and for CitySearch on the Internet. He covered cabaret monthly on “New York Theatre Review” on PBS TV, and cabaret and theatre weekly on WLIM-FM radio. He was twice a guest instructor at the London School of Musical Theatre. A critic for BistroAwards.com, he is also the site’s Reviews Editor; in addition, he is Chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC.
