One of the most appealing things about "3 Decades in the Dark—Raissa and Kenneth Go to the Movies" (at the Laurie Beechman Theatre) is the easy camaraderie that performers Raissa Katona Bennett and Kenneth Gartman have with each other. The longtime friends explain at one point that they'd wanted for years to work together on a cabaret project. Yes, the friendly, kidding banter in the show they have at last created has obviously been meticulously scripted, but the performers' affection for each other seems to be the real thing. I imagine the duo had more than a few hoots while planning and rehearsing the event.
The evening is a salute to (and sometimes a burlesque of) music from popular films of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. A playful "overture" opens with the familiar strains of the 20th Century Fox studio's fanfare music, which Gartman and Bennett perform on tiny toy trumpet kazoos. Before long, Gartman moves to his station at the piano, while Bennett transitions to the flute (which she plays at points throughout the evening) During the overture (which includes musical snippets of themes from such films as Chariots of Fire and Star Wars), the two clown enthusiastically. The comic novelty mode continues with their first selection proper: a rendition of "Moving Right Along" (Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher) from 1979's The Muppet Movie, with special additional lyrics by Lennie Watts, the show's director.
Though all of of this is good fun, it is also a bit frantic and strained at points. By the end of the Muppet ditty, the time seems ripe indeed for moving right along to something more substantial. Providing just the right change of pace is a tender and rueful solo from Bennett: "The Girl Who Used to Be Me" (Marvin Hamlisch, Marilyn & Alan Bergman) from 1989's Shirley Valentine. Bennett's finely tuned acting skills are on display here, as she progresses through the emotional stages of the song. And she has found—perhaps with Watts's help—exactly the right dramatic point in the number to suddenly move from her perch on a stool to a standing position. Gartman then supplies an excellent follow-up number with "Out There" (Allen Menken, Stephen Schwartz) from Disney's 1996 animated version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Hamlisch, Menken, and Schwartz (and, to a lesser degree, the Bergmans) are all known not just as movie songwriters but as musical-theatre pros with a facility for telling story through song. Both of these numbers were fashioned for specific characters yearning for a better life and mustering determination to create one. They make for a good pairing.
The rest of the program alternates between serious singing and lighter—sometimes outright goofy—sequences (including a disaster-movie sendup in which Bennett gamely impersonates Shelley Winters swimming her way through 1972's The Poseidon Adventure). Bennett's musical highlights include a joyful, warm, and romantic "Can You Read My Mind?" (John Williams, Leslie Bricusse) from Superman (1978) and a sassy take on "Queen Bee" (Rupert Holmes) from the Barbra Streisand version of A Star Is Born (1976). Bennett's remarks to the audience about repeatedly listening to the Star Is Born soundtrack album back in the day echo uncannily those made by Marin Mazzie at her 54 Below show earlier this month. Just as Mazzie replicated every phrasing of the film's ballad "Evergreen" in her show, so Bennett here reconstructs Streisand's performance of "Queen Bee" almost note for note (with Gartman standing in for the original rendition's backup singers, Clydie King and Venetta Fields). Streisand's heyday as a performer in small Manhattan clubs may have ended in the early 1960s, but she certainly still casts a long shadow in New York cabaret. (Later in this show, Bennett also sings a selection from the star's 1983 vehicle, Yentl).
The clarity, command, and versatility of Gartman's voice are impressive throughout this set. He easily slips into Latin Lover mode for "Beautiful Maria of My Soul" (Robert Kraft, Arnie Glimcher) from The Mambo Kings (1992), a number that benefits significantly from the talents of bassist Matt Scharfglass and drummer Matt Vander Ende, who are welcome presences throughout the evening. Later Gartman romps and rocks enjoyably on Back to the Future's funky, driving "The Power of Love (written by John Colla, Chris Hayes, and Huey Lewis—and sung by Lewis in the 1986 film).
Bennett and Gartman tell us early on that they've chosen to select songs they knew and loved from the years when they were kids and young adults going to the movies. But I wonder why they felt the need to hew so strictly to three particular decades (and to call attention to these decades in the title). If the aim was to harken back to a particular era, perhaps the show would have been more focused had it concentrated on one specific decade. Otherwise, why not open things up to include the singers' favorite movie music from all eras, including from the 2000s and later?
"3 Decades in the Dark—Raissa and Kenneth Go to the Movies"
Laurie Beechman Theatre – February 10, 12, 17, 19, 21
