By Marilyn Lester***Of the many reliable aspects of any Scott Siegel show, is that the impresario delivers extremely tasty bits of information and backstories about the material being presented. At the second Broadway by the Season at Merkin Concert 
Hall, the context framing 1940-41 and 1951-52 went from an America at war to the country in a postwar boom, moving from big picture analysis to details about each number presented.
The 1940-41 season was notable for two progressive musicals of the time, Cabin in the Sky and Lady in the Dark. The former featured an all-Black cast headed by Ethel Waters, who sang the most memorable song of the production, “Taking a Chance on Love” (Vernon Duke, John Latouche), delivered by Julia Murney, with dance by tapper Kendrick Jones. The show, billed as a “parable of Southern Negro Life,” revealed itself to be quite a fantasy, which was a main component of Lady in the Dark, music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Ira Gershwin, a musical about psychoanalysis. It concludes with the beautiful ballad, “My Ship,” presented in an evocative unplugged version by operatic soprano, 
Ali Ewoldt. Lady in the Dark also contained an offbeat specialty number, “Tschaikowsky (and Other Russians).” Much like a Gilbert and Sullivan patter song (think Patience and dragoons), the singer, in this case the multi-talented Jason Graae, had to speed through the many names of tongue-twisting composers. Being a pro and being very funny, he made up for a deficit in memory by the appearance of an oboe, which he played(!) and the flinging of index/cue cards.
Later, the same cuing device was comically employed by Murney in the fast-paced “If You Hadn’t, But You Did” (Jule Styne, Comden and Green) from 1951’s Two for the Aisle. As a finale, Graae appeared with a push-broom to sweep up her tossed index cards. Murney also handled a scandalous tune for the time, “Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)” (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) from 1940’s Pal Joey. With its extended verse and many choruses, the lyric, about the turbulence and passion of new love, caused a sensation with its depiction of the steamy physicality of a relationship.
Dance is also a happy, integral part of Siegel’s shows and in addition to the greatly talented and fluid Jones, Tony Danza also showed off his tapping chops. He began his 
segment of the evening with an intense ballad, “It Never Entered My Mind” (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) from the 1940 musical Higher and Higher and then moved into a swinging “I Could Write a Book” from Pal Joey, giving the tap boards a workout. Danny Gardner, who could well be the love-child of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, and the official choreographer of Broadway by the Season, led the Broadway by the Season Dance Troupe (Ashley Bice, Emily Applebaum, Kelty Ober, Kelly Sheehan, Danny McHugh, Bryan Hunt, Darrell Joe, Chris McNiff) on the opener “There’s a Great Day Coming, Mañana” (Burton Lane, Yip Harburg) from the 1940 musical Hold on To Your Hats and the closer, “I’m on My Way” (Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner) from 1951‘s Paint Your Wagon.
Paint Your Wagon was also covered by Douglas Ladnier, who offered a resonant “They Call the Wind Maria,” the lyric of which tells of loneliness. He also performed an Irving Berlin number, “It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow,” written in 1938, then used in 1940’s Louisiana Purchase, becoming a favorite of homesick solders fighting the war in Europe. A song of pointed, dramatic power was sung by Christiane Noll; “Guess Who I Saw Today” (Murray Grand, Elisse Boyd), written for New Fac
es of 1952, is a heart-breaker and it was delivered with punch by Noll. She also handled a few numbers,from the ill-fated, whimsical Flahooley (Sammy Fain, Yip Harburg), the 1951 effort about a toy company and its doll, including “Here’s to Your Illusions.” The sweet-voiced Bill Daugherty nailed a swingy “How High the Moon” (Morgan Lewis, Nancy Hamilton) from the 1940 musical Two for the Show, and from New Faces of 1952, the delightful “Love Is a Simple Thing” (Arthur Siegel, June Carroll).
Providing music for Broadway by the Season was Siegel’s long-time musical director and pianist Ross Patterson and his Little Big Band of bassist Tom Hubbard and drummer Eric Halvorson. All seasoned and A-list pros, Patterson is in himself a one-person orchestra. His arrangements unfailingly convey a trove of creative ideas that add lushness from ballads to swing numbers.
Photos by Maryann Lopinto
