By ROB LESTER****There’s going to be a Snowfall on Thursday — at least metaphorically. Tony Award-winning actress/singer Christine Ebersole joins Grammy Award-winning songwriter/pianist/singer/musical director Billy Stritch for the return of their collaborative celebratory joy of song and the season at 6:00 PM on December 28.
These are not snowbirds, but rather songbirds chirping together in a one-night-only return of a past success, reprised by Broadway at Birdland, at the same-named aviary-esque venue on West 44th Street where the popular performers have oft popped up, separately and together. There will be seasonal material from the duo’s past shows, plus new-for-their-repertoire items like “Tennessee Christmas” and “(Everybody’s Waitin’ for) The Man With The Bag.” The interplay promises “signature tight harmonies, luxurious vocals and snappy conversation.” While this week’s hopeful renditions of Irving Berlin’s classic “White Christmas” sung in every corner of the world cannot 100% the fluffy stuff, Broadway, Birdland, Billy and blissful Christine will work their own magic for a musical Snowfall to fall into place at the place known as the “Jazz Corner of the World.”
Christine Ebersole most recently starred on Broadway this year in War Paint, for which she was nominated (again) for a Tony, the prize she won twice before, for her roles in Grey Gardens and the revival of 42nd Street, which also had Mr. Stritch in the “small but pivotal role” (smile) of the “rehearsal pianist.” Non-Christmas Christine work includes her spirited starring work recently in Blithe Spirit, nightclub and recording work (some of it Stritch-connected) and film roles in Tootsie and Amadeus, her television career that includes tube trips on “Royal Pains,” “Saturday Night Live” and “One Life to Live.”
Billy Stritch has arranged for, produced and performed onstage with Liza Minnelli, Tony Bennett, Marilyn Maye and Charles Aznavour, and was guest conductor for “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.” As composer, Stritch co-penned the 1994 Grammy Award-winning country song, “Does He Love You?,” recorded by Reba McIntire and Linda Davis, which has sold over four million copies nationwide. The song was named one of the Top Ten Country Songs of 1994. Stritch has headlined in every famed nightspot in Manhattan, including Rainbow and Stars, The Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room, The Russian Tea Room, The Blue Note and Birdland and his was the grand opening engagement at the Metropolitan Room. In Los Angeles, he’s played The Cinegrill, The Gardenia and Jazz Bakery; in London, The Ritz Hotel and Pizza On The Park. He is the winner of the Nashville Music City News Award, a BMI Song of the Year Award and four awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).
Birdland is at 315 West 44 Street in Manhattan. Information and tickets at
www.BirdlandJazz.com
Tickets: $50 Side Seating, $65 Center Seating, $10 food/drink minimum per person
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