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“One Hit Wonder Woman!”
Don’t Tell Mama – October 18, 23, 25, 30
It’s hard not to share in Kim Grogg’s delight when she puts together a smorgasbord of big-hit anomalies from the pop charts of the ’50s through the ’90s. One anticipates hearing those seldom-heard oddities that had a season in the sun on radio during one’s childhood. On that score, the show does not disappoint, although the majority of Grogg’s songs come from the time of her childhood, the ’70s (the youthful and effervescent singer admits to having graduated in 1976—a fitting year for such a tribute to America’s pop past).
Grogg has employed a crackerjack trio (Dan Fabricatore on bass and Tim Likens on drums, led by Steven Ray Watkins on piano), backup singers Wendy Russell and Rain Collazo, and even a guest spot for the always welcome Sidney Myer. Grogg has a robust theatre voice that can reach from Anne Murray-like altos (a singer from the ’70s to whom she bears a passing resemblance, by the way) to upper-mezzo tones. In fact, Grogg’s investment in these songs is, frankly, more than most of them deserve. The talent, energy and humor on stage save the show from drowning in dreck. Director Lennie Watts keeps things moving at a kinetic pace.
When all of these gold singles are placed back to back, one quickly realizes that it’s a pot of fool’s gold. As Grogg, herself, observes in explaining the phenomenon of the one-hit wonders: “It was the perfect pairing of a singer, a song, and a time.” She also graciously acknowledges how difficult it is to make it in the music business and, for that, the artists who sang them had a huge accomplishment coming up with one big hit. Perhaps so, but being subjected to them all at once is a bit like OD-ing on Twizzlers.
Grogg is marvelous near the beginning of the show when she nails the novelty hit “Life is a Rock, But the Radio Rolled Me” (Norman Dolph, Paul DiFranco), a hit for Reunion in 1974. The song contains a machine-gun-volley of a rap, listing dozens of artists of the rock era up to that point. It must have taken a thousand takes in the studio, but live, Grogg manages it in one. Soon after, she slows down “Brandy” (Elliot Lurie) and rediscovers the story-song that it was, a popular genre in the ’70s.
Although delivered in a country swing style, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, there is no saving Bill Danoff’s “Afternoon Delight,” a #1 song by the Starland Vocal Band that reached its heights based on a clean, breezy musical production. The lyrics are execrable: “Rubbin’ sticks and stones together make the sparks ignite/ And the thought of rubbin’ you is gettin’ so exciting….” Ugh.
More songs follow and are given the Broadway treatment, but they aren’t built to last like Broadway standards. One exception is the gem “Get Here” (Brenda Russell), which became a hit for gospel singer Oleta Adams in 1991. Here, it’s paired with Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane’s “Come Back to Me” (obviously not a one-hit wonder, which is duly noted by Grogg) and it works very well, lending some satisfying emotional heft to the evening’s proceedings.
Veteran champion of cabaret (and the club’s booking manager) Sidney Myer comes to the stage to sing “Volare” (Domenico Modugno, Franco Migliacci), the show’s only foray into the ’50s. He sticks around to trade songs with Grogg on a medley mostly from the ’80s and ’90s. To hear this master, with great sophistication, intone the line “I like big butts and I cannot lie” (from Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” 1992) is worth the entire cover charge.
Grogg continues with “Smoke from a Distant Fire” (Ed Sanford, Johnny Townsend)—a song forgotten even by one-hit wonder standards—and a too-long treatment of two movie songs paired together, “Maniac” (Michael Sembello, Dennis Matkosky) and “Far From Over” (Frank Stallone, Vince DiCola), and then another fun medley followed by “You Gotta Be” (Des’ree, Ashley Ingram). Her closer is Mike Post and Stephen Geyer’s upbeat and cloying “Believe it or Not.”
Throughout, Grogg drops fascinating tidbits about the Starland Vocal Band, Debby Boone, and Oleta Adams, but this reviewer longed for more. Whatever became of these people who made a quick buck and then dropped back into obscurity? That could have made for a fascinating throughline and broken up some of the barrage of mostly-bad songs.
All in all, “One Hit Wonder Woman!” is a clever idea brought to fruition with a lot of talent. Unfortunately, the concept is weighed down by the material the show seeks to honor. The talent manages to keep the material afloat—but most of these songs will never soar again.
On a corrective note, it’s worth pointing out that 1974’s “Midnight at the Oasis” (David Nichtern) was not a one-hit wonder for Maria Muldaur; she scored another top-twenty hit with “I’m a Woman” a year later, and continues to record today, which kind of takes her out of the same category as an artist like Joey Scarbury. And surely Grogg meant the one-hitting Blue Swede’s version of “Hooked on a Feeling” from 1974, not the 1969 version from hitmaker B.J. Thomas. Finally, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (I’m assuming Grogg is referring to the top-ten hit in 1972 sung by Robert John, not the pre-rock era minor hit by the Weavers) was also not a one-hit wonder for that singer; he scored big-time with a #1 hit in 1979—remember “Sad Eyes”?
Kevin Scott Hall performed in cabaret clubs for many years and recorded three CDs, including “New Light Dawning” in 1998, which received national airplay. He also worked at the legendary piano bar, Rose’s Turn, and has taught cabaret workshops and directed shows since 1995. Kevin earned his MFA in Creative Writing at City College of New York. He is an adjunct professor in the Theatre and English departments at City College and Borough of Manhattan Community College. His novel, “Off the Charts!” was published in 2010, and his memoir, “A Quarter Inch from My Heart” (Wisdom Moon), in 2014. Kevin writes a monthly column and entertainment features for Edge Media Network, writes reviews for BistroAwards.com, and freelances for other publications.
