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By the time Pittsburgh-based singer Joyce Breach began making her initial impact on audiences three decades ago, it was pointedly clear that cabaret and jazz had a new kid on the block with which to reckon. But this is never proven more so, as when she made the choice to work with the legendary composer Sir Richard Rodney Bennett (perhaps best known to modern-day audiences for composing the score to the film Enchanted April). It is, therefore, an extremely fortunate audience who gathers to see them at Metropolitan Room in their latest self-titled show, for they are as exquisite as ever. They will appear again on October 26th at 7pm and October 29th at 9:30pm. Additionally, anyone attending should, by all means, purchase copies of their CDs, whether they recorded together or separately.
"They Say It's Spring," by Haymes and Clarke, brilliantly sets the tone for the evening, and by the time Breach settles into a brilliant balladic rendering of "Love Is A Simple Thing" by June Carroll and Arthur Siegel, she's home before she begins. She equally wins on a very Dorothy Loudon-esque delivery on "Life Can Be Beautiful" by Adamson and McHugh, and the entire room is set to swooning with "Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me," which set New York on its ear when she performed it at the Cabaret Convention in 1992, and is still equally vibrant.
She equally attempts to tickle the funny bone with "Sweet Georgie Fame," by Blossom Dearie and Sandra Harris, and a commanding performance of "Be Warmer this Winter" by Frank Underwood (who was in merciful attendance on the evening in question) and Stan Freeman, as well as "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and "Lovers After All," by Bennett with Johnny Mandel. And by the time she winds up the evening with "I'll Always Leave the Door a Little Open," she's got us all in the palm of her lovely hand.
If there is a caveat to be had here, it's that the show and her past efforts have always been extremely lacking in uptempo. This, and her past shows, are by no means pointedly feel-good; this is absolutely slash-your-wrists entertainment. One wonders what might be if Breach (with or without Bennett) were to just cut loose for an evening and tear the house down with a few Ella Fitzgerald-styled songs along the lines of "Making a Wreck of Mack the Knife." However, one certainly can't begrudge her choices, and she emerges an absolute master of the art form. To say that Joyce Breach and Richard Rodney Bennett are worth catching, would be an understatement.
Joyce Breach at 2008 Monroeville Jazz Festival:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AWh_b9mwtA
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Pick of the week
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This week, our Cabaret Pick is Elizabeth Sullivan on Sunday. She’s a lady who celebrates her birthday during this week, too (May 22). She’s a graceful, dignified, full-of-heart performer and a thoughtful, artful songwriter who does not shy away from real feelings. Whenever I see her perform, it’s a tenderly tendered mix of smile-inducers and tear duct activation.
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