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The extent to which you’ll enjoy “Look Who’s in Love”—a musical celebration of romance from newlyweds Christine Reisner and Don Rebic (conceived by Reisner, directed by Michael Bush, and co-written by Reisner and Bush)—might best be gauged by how well you tolerate Valentine’s Day cards with frilly hearts and adorably mischievous Cupids. Having been married now for a year, Reisner and Rebic revel in their bliss. They talk about it, sing about it, and all but coo about it. Sentimental souls in the audience may sigh with a wistful “ooooh” while the more jaded suppress a sugar-intolerant “ewww.”
Reisner is a seasoned dancer and musical-theatre performer whose uncle, Albert Hague, composed the score for the musical comedies Plain and Fancy and Redhead, the latter of which starred Gwen Verdon. Reisner frequently calls to mind Verdon in this show, beginning with her gypsy-ish appearance in sparkly red-and-black dance togs. She does more dancing throughout this show than I believe I’ve seen on any cabaret stage. She executes impressive high kicks and pirouettes about, frequently leaving the microphone for a dance break, then zipping back over to it for the next vocal chorus.
Her singing voice calls to mind Verdon also—it’s unadorned and colloquial, without much in the way of full-on vibrato. You won’t mistake Reisner for Barbara Cook in her prime, but her vocal cords get the job done, and she exudes a sweet likability. She also plays the violin frequently during the show. It doesn’t seem to be her chief talent, but she meets the task with admirable spirit, especially on selections featuring a country-swing sound.
Rebic is a gifted musical director, composer and pianist who makes his debut as a singer in this show (though he’s contributed occasional backup vocals in the past). His voice is not especially booming or clear, but I found his jazz-inflected vocals to be pleasant, earnest, and warm.
When Reisner and Rebic duet, the results are uneven. Sometimes the blend is winning, but sometimes when he takes the lead vocal line and she harmonizes, her voice overpowers his and we lose the gist of the melody.
Perhaps recognizing their vocal strengths and weaknesses, the singers wisely avoid demanding ballads, instead including a string of medium-tempo charm songs, including “When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along” (Harry Woods) and “Imagination” (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke). Included in this genre are songs written by Reisner and Rebic themselves, notably “You’re Makin’ Me Nervous” and “Two Heads Are Better Than One.” These selections are pleasant enough, but collectively they give the set list a sort of sameness, especially in the show’s first half.
Reisner changes into a tux-and-bowler outfit late in the show to perform one of her Uncle Albert’s Redhead numbers, “Erbie Fitch’s Twitch” (lyric by Dorothy Fields). She sings with a comic Cockney accent and reproduces Bob Fosse’s original choreography (handed down to her by Redhead cast member Margery Beddow). It’s a cute spot, though a bit subdued. A better Reisner turn is the up-tempo “Let Yourself Go” (Irving Berlin), sung near the end of the evening. Apparently taking the song’s title to heart, she sounds here both more relaxed and more self-assured than elsewhere.
The most appealing moments from Rebic come with a jazz-piano performance of “Together Wherever We Go” (from Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim’s score for Gypsy) that proved to be a crowd-pleaser on opening night. As with many selections in “Look Who’s in Love,” however, the number is performed live against a prerecorded instrumental track assembled by Rebic. I found this practice distracting, imbuing much of the evening with the feeling of a karaoke show. The rhythmic rigidity imposed by the musical track straitjackets the performers, limiting drastically the opportunity for even the most minor bit of improvisation.
At the end of “Together,” Rebic challenged fellow musicians in the audience to, like himself, “try doing that with a track.” The line got a laugh, but I wanted to call out: “No, please. Don’t try it!” I would much rather have had an evening featuring Rebic and Reisner in which the instrumentation consisted of purely live music: namely, his solo piano and occasional violin interludes from her. How can you fully “let yourself go” when you’re reined in by a canned accompaniment that counts out each measure like a metronome?
The Laurie Beechman Theatre – February 9 and 19
Mark Dundas Wood is an arts/entertainment journalist and dramaturg. He began writing reviews for BistroAwards.com in 2011. More recently he has contributed "Cabaret Setlist" articles about cabaret repertoire. Other reviews and articles have appeared in theaterscene.net and clydefitchreport.com, as well as in American Theatre and Back Stage. As a dramaturg, he has worked with New Professional Theatre and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is currently literary manager for Broad Horizons Theatre Company.
The extent to which you’ll enjoy “Look Who’s in Love”—a musical celebration of romance from newlyweds Christine Reisner and Don Rebic (conceived by Reisner, directed by Michael Bush, and co-written by Reisner and Bush)—might best be gauged by how well you tolerate Valentine’s Day cards with frilly hearts and adorably mischievous Cupids. Having been married now for a year, Reisner and Rebic revel in their bliss. They talk about it, sing about it, and all but coo about it. Sentimental souls in the audience may sigh with a wistful “ooooh” while the more jaded suppress a sugar-intolerant “ewww.”