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Gretchen Reinhagen
December 9, 2009
“Special Kaye: A Tribute to the Incomparable Kaye Ballard”
Metropolitan Room – December 3, 6, 10, 19, January 17, 24, February 4
Some ideas seem so obvious and so right, that one is astonished to discover that no one had previously thought of them. A cabaret homage to Kaye Ballard is a perfect example. Considering how illustrious Ballard’s career has been and how distinctive her style and remarkable her talent, it is difficult to believe that Gretchen Reinhagen is the first singer to assay it (at least to the best of my knowledge). Perhaps it’s fortunate that we’ve had to wait for Reinhagen, for she is a natural to undertake the assignment. For one thing, she bears a facial resemblance to Ballard. More significantly, she projects a generosity of spirit and sense of life similar to Ballard’s, and she shares Ballard’s complete commitment to everything she does. Most significantly, she’s got the brains and talent to do Ballard justice.
Reinhagen’s “Special Kaye: A Tribute to the Incomparable Kaye Ballard”—clearly the result of a lot of research and fruitful consultation with her director, Barry Kleinbort, who’s directed many of Ballard’s theatre and cabaret offerings—has everything one could wish for. The songs have all been sung or recorded by Ballard or taken from shows that Ballard was in, and what a marvelous body of work they comprise. (Reinhagen tells us there’s actually one exception; however, if you hung me by the thumbs, I couldn’t tell you which it is—though by process of elimination I might hazard a guess.)
Reinhagen opens with “I’m Here,” a specially good piece of special material Kleinbort wrote for Ballard, and right off the bat we know we’re in good hands. Most people associate Ballard with comedy, and humor is very well represented here. Among the laugh-out-loud selections are Kleinbort’s so-true “When,” Dale Gonyea’s now near-classic “Name Dropping” (you know, the one with lines like “Is Helen Reddy now?”), and Kander & Ebb’s “Sara Lee.” One factor that makes this last number work so well is Reinhagen’s delivery. As I’ve often said, “It’s not sufficient to do a funny song; you have to be funny.” Reinhagen is funny.
Not all of the humor is hilarious. For example, “Teeny Tiny” (Marshall Barer, Kaye Ballard) is adorable, Johnny Mercer’s “I Fought Every Step of the Way” is appealing and grin-worthy, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Stepsisters’ Lament,” sung winningly with musical director David Gaines, is very merry. And not all of the hilarity is musical: Gaines and Reinhagen’s spoken recreation of a Peanuts cartoon is at once very funny and very charming.
It may surprise some people to see how much “serious” material Ballard has been associated with. Reinhagen’s rendition of “Lazy Afternoon” (John Latouche, Jerome Moross) is languorous and inviting, “Be With Me” (Marc Blitzstein) is very pretty, and “Fly Me to the Moon” (Bart Howard) is beautiful, and with “Maybe This Time,” Reinhagen shows that she sure can sell a power ballad. Whether delicately accompanying a tender song or providing more hearty support for an up-number, Gaines on piano, Louis Tucci on bass, and Donna Kelly on drums couldn’t possibly be better.
The patter is unfailingly engaging and informative. I’ve been careful not to divulge any of the interesting facts Reinhagen discloses lest I spoil for you the pleasure of discovery. But I will say that all of the dialogue is engrossing and smartly integrated into the show. Even the way the acknowledgments are woven into the final number is clever and delightful.
In its current form, “Special Kaye” is about 70 minutes long. I, for one, would be happy if it ran 90 or 100 minutes. I’ve no doubt the combination of Reinhagen’s consistently on-the-money performance and the strength and variety of the material could sustain a longer version.
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.
