“Reeve Carney Sings the Divas”
Since we live in a time of multiverses and mirror dimensions, bear with me for a moment and imagine a world in which Jimi Hendrix joins forces with Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin to create a tribute to Stephen Sondheim. This might begin to describe the experience of Reeve Carney Sings the Divas at The Green Room 42. Carney, who is currently on view in Hadestown, after previously starring in the title role in Spiderman on Broadway, has developed a following in the cabaret world for a series of acclaimed shows centered on his spectacular voice and wizardry on musical instruments, at times becoming his own rock band in front of a disbelieving audience’s eyes and ears.
He has often centered his cabaret repertoire on songs of his own devising; he is quite an accomplished songwriter on top of everything else. For this new show, however, he chose to celebrate the iconic songs of some of the divas of Broadway and popular music. In a way, the show magnified his obvious vocal and instrumental prowess in familiar material done in electrifying ways. His readily apparent love of the material and the singers was a nice companion to his self-effacing, charming, “aw shucks” style in between songs. The fireworks, which burst everywhere in this show, were tempered by his actorly commitment to telling the stories of the great songs he has chosen. His look (with a jacket and cap that would be at home in a ’60s sitcom) added a counterpoint of innocence and wonder to the explosive energy of the singing.
Diving in at the deep end, he opened with Stephen Sondheim’s “The Ladies Who Lunch” in tribute to its original performance by Elaine Stritch. It began in serious and somber mode but soon transformed with his electric guitar and “foot tambourine” upping the ante. The growing savagery of his delivery made for an even more intense dissection of the ladies than even Stritch achieved. Moving on to a song from the first show he ever heard, The Sound of Music, he offered a frantic and furious “My Favorite Things” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) far removed from the lilting original but most effective, nonetheless. His innate eclecticism came to the fore with a surprising “Beauty School Dropout” (Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey) that was so much fun that I realized halfway through that the only time I ever want to hear songs from Grease again is in a Reeve Carney show.
The singer betrayed his youth by referring to “Losing My Mind” (Stephen Sondheim, from Follies) as a “Bernadette Peters song.” His accompaniment soared to the symphonic in scope and power that at the same time conjured Broadway by way of B.B. King’s Lucille. In tribute to Patti Lupone (with whom he co-starred on the series Penny Dreadful, as a sexually omnivorous Dorian Gray), he invested Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” with unexpected muscle and let loose with some incendiary rock/blues scat. Bristling with invention, his take on “I Got Rhythm” (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) showed off another color of his guitar mastery. He claimed the warhorse as his own, even as he paid homage to Ethel Merman. His extraordinary take on Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger” (John Barry, Leslie Bricusse) had the audience on its feet cheering. From Damn Yankees came “Whatever Lola Wants” (Jerry Ross, Richard Adler) honoring Sarah Vaughan. Its extended instrumental detour was as riveting as the vocal as he mined the true beauty of excess.
When he at last got to Judy Garland and the inevitable, yet triumphant, “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg), it was as if every other diva tribute ever sung was in one language and Carney was doing his in a language all his own, unlike any other. Revealing that in his youth he had been taken to blues clubs to study, to learn, and to play, he turned to Lena Horne and the Gershwin’s “Summertime” as if he were morphing into Stevie Ray Vaughn, his high voltage guitar surging through the room with so much energy it probably burned out half the cell phones in the place. Foregoing the guitar, he moved to the piano and dazzled with an original piece “in the manner of” Broadway, and followed it with an inspired “Natural Woman” (Carole King) which qualified as a showtune thanks to the hit show, Beautiful.
By this time in the show, it was just one showstopping moment after another, and the final songs were among the “showstoppingest.” A barn-burning, passionate, sensational “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (Jule Styne, Sondheim, from Gypsy) inspired by Angela Lansbury’s brilliant incarnation of the role, warranted the instant ovation it received. The evening closed with a haunting arrangement of “Somewhere” (Leonard Bernstein, Sondheim) in tribute to the least known diva of the evening, Broadway and West End star Marisha Wallace, whose version of the song Carney loves.
One voice, one musician, one guitar, one piano, some electronic effects embodied in one remarkable artist who is at the height of his artistic powers. The inspired lighting and sound by Sheridan Glover heightened the experience at every turn. This show was a revelation and Reeve Carney is a star on a level with any and all of the women he celebrated. It was an altogether unforgettable evening.
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Presented at the Green Room 42, 570 Tenth Ave., NYC, on March 13.
About the Author
Gerry Geddes has conceived and directed a number of musical revues—including the Bistro- and MAC Award-winning "Monday in the Dark with George" and "Put On Your Saturday Suit-Words & Music by Jimmy Webb"—and directed many cabaret artists, including André De Shields, Helen Baldassare, Darius de Haas, and drag artist Julia Van Cartier. He directs "The David Drumgold Variety Show," currently in residence at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, and has produced a number of recordings, including two Bistro-winning CDs. He’s taught vocal performance at The New School, NYU, and London’s Goldsmith’s College and continues to conduct private workshops and master classes. As a writer and critic, he has covered New York’s performing arts scene for over 40 years in both local and national publications; his lyrics have been sung by several cabaret and recording artists. Gerry is an artist in residence at Pangea, and a regular contributor to the podcast “Troubadours & Raconteurs.” He just completed a memoir of his life in NYC called “Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?”