By Bart Greenberg***Twenty five years ago, Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch met when both were appearing in the Broadway revival of 42nd Street, immediately bonding. And so they came to 54 Below to celebrate this musical partnership. There were also references in the show to Halloween and stories of Ebersole’s various residences and her long-term marriage, both very funny and very moving. And the fact
that they smoothly glided into musical selections just demonstrated the intelligence behind the entire evening.
Early in the program, the diva announced that her Halloween costume was that of a “an aspiring cabaret singer.” There was nothing aspiring about her performance; she is a consummate professional. The evening featured a wide range of music and arrangements from a low-down hot jazz version of “42nd St.” (Harry Warren, Al Dubin) to a sweet and sincere “Somewhere That’s Green” (Alan Menkin, Howard Ashman). Ebersole was immaculate in every style without any evidence of shifting gears. She was best at material that called on her impressive acting abilities as well as her vocal talent, such as “Bill” (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, PG Wodehouse) in tribute to her own husband of many years, Bill Moloney. Recreating her role as 
Edie Beale, with a suite of two songs from Grey Gardens, “Another Winter in a Summer Town” and “Drift Away” (both Scott Frankel, Michael Korris), she was nothing short of devastating.
Stritch was front-and-center throughout, sometimes with backup vocals, sometimes with duets—and always with conducting the terrific trio of musicians: Aaron Helick (reeds), Michael O’Brien (bass) and Warren Odze (drums), plus his delicious arrangements. After a delightful medley of songs from 42nd Street by Warren, Dubin and Johnny Mercer, traded back and forth over the piano with Ebersole, Stritch eased into a charming solo of “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (Warren, Mercer). This feature led to two paired songs for Ebersole: “Lush Life” (Billy Strayhorn) and “It Never Was You” (Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson), the latter delivered with such heartbreaking simplicity that one could hear the audience release held breaths at the end of it.
It’s this kind of cabaret show, that’s polished to a glistening surface, but with so much emotion under it, that takes the audience on a very satisfying ride. Ebersole and Stritch make an invaluable team and hopefully they’ll return for an anniversary celebration each year.
