By Marilyn Lester***In 2016, a cabaret newbie stepped onto the Brick Room stage at Don’t Tell Mama and conquered it. The rest, as they say, is history. Revisiting that room with Love for Sale: Celebrating 10 Years in Cabaret, Ann Kittredge solidified her stature as a cabaret goddess: move over Barbara Cook, Margaret Whiting, 
Mabel Mercer, Julie Wilson, Marilyn Maye—Ann Kittredge, another legend, with multiple awards to prove it, has joined the pantheon.
Of course there’s a back story: what was Kittredge doing all those years before her birth into the cabaret art form? Answer: making a splash in musical theater, but to learn about that and how she got to Don’t Tell Mama, read the origin story on NLE here. In the first of two Love for Sale shows at the venue, Kittredge put a button on her abilities in the genre, revealing the fascinating through line of growth over the decade—but the bar was already high to begin with. As Sidney Myer has noted, when he interviewed and booked her, Kittredge was, from the start, exactly what cabaret is about: personal, connected and moving.
These capabilities were front and center right at the show’s opener, as she sang from that 2016 debut, a medley of “This Is One of Those Moments/Something Tells Me” (Michel Legrand, Marilyn and 
Alan Bergman/Hugh Martin, Timothy Gray). Directed by longtime collaborator, Barry Kleinbort, she owned the stage, sharing it with music director-pianist, Christopher Denny. In the intimacy of the Brick Room their creative pairing was perfectly on display, and to add more musicians would have been a dissevice: not only does Kittredge have the presence, but in this kind of memory show, additional players would have diluted the impact. As in Cole Porter’s title song, “Mr. Tambourine Man” (Bob Dylan) and “Accentuate the Positive” (Harold Arlen, Johnny Merce) not only were the arrangements superbly fresh and new, but demonstrated clearly the amazing synergy between pianist and singer.
In narrative and lyric interpretation, Kittredge is a superb storyteller. In the former regard she’s upbeat, humorous, witty, energetic and enthusiastic—and interesting! She draws you in; hers is a story you want to hear about. “You Make Me Laugh,”
music by Shelly Markham and lyrics by Kittredge’s good, good friend, Tom Toce, captures her spirit. In sum, Love for Sale offered 14 well-chosen and varied songs of many styles and moods—and many that wouldn’t necessarily find their way to a cabaret stage. Each was insightfully sung with a deep dive into their core meanings and intent.
And then there was the encore—theatrically presented (guitarist Sean Harkness making a “surprise” entrance), stunning and acknowledging the arrangement of Alex Rybeck, Kittredge’s music director until 2020. Sans piano, to Harkness’ understated yet powerful guitar, Kittredge sang Victor Herbert’s “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life” with poetic depth, handing over the key to happiness to a rapt audience. Love for Sale: Celebrating 10 Years in Cabaret reflected a decade-long journey that’s not over yet. The Brick Room and 20 years in cabaret awaits…
Photos by Conor Weiss
