By Marilyn Lester***Close your eyes and maybe you’re in that fabulous Top Hat nightclub set with Fred and Ginger, or maybe in the club room on a classic ocean liner: the Ile de France, United States or Queen Elizabeth. But in fact you’re in the fabulous Green 
Room 42 and the double act you’re witnessing is the cabaret debut of the swelligant Court and Katie in Take Two! And they’re not only talented but dripping with charm and appeal. There’s no dance, per se, but there is movement to partner with their vocals and pace the patter as they open with and power through “It Takes Two,” “Bring It on Home To Me” and “A Million Dreams.” And doesn’t a double act also call for that OG standard, “Anything You Can Do?” Yes…delivered with requisite cuteness.
At this point, their chemistry demands the answer to: are they a couple—romantic partners? That answer is no, so romantics in the house might be 
disappointed to know that Court and Katie are “just” besties with a special bond. “Friendship” put a musical stamp on that fact. After sharing the stage in multiple theatrical productions, they tell us, they noticed that “electric stage chemistry”—and so Courtney Dease and Katie Moya decided to create an act to share their own unique style. The two are versatile. The act covers a range of music, including a Disney medley (“A Whole New World,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Love Is an Open Door,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”)—songbook standards of a certain generation, as meaningful as the oldies, such as “Night and Day” or “Satin Doll,” to the youngsters of the Swing Era. A hat tip to that roster of standards and a nod to the Golden Age of Broadway came in an evocatively romantic duet of the King and I’s “I Have Dreamed.”
“Islands in the Stream” was written by the Bee Gees and recorded in 1983 by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was a big hit for the pair and made a fitting tribute by Court and Katie to the recently deceased icon Parton, whose death was a major news story. The number also provided a smooth transition into Joni Mitchell/Judy Collins territory with that era’s “Both Sides Now,” a highlight of the set with its haunting dual arrangement. “I’ve Got the World on a String” moved into the Fred and Ginger realm in a swingy version with plenty of movement and a prop string. Could that famous duo of Sonny and Cher be left out? Of course not, so Take Two! ended with a robust “I Got You Babe,” proving this pair of besties are ready to roll. Talent, polish and a smartly-curated show begged for more. Those elegant supper clubs and chic cruise ship salons await.
Musically backing Court and Katie was a sharp band of Robert Frost (Leader/keys), Magda Kress (bass), Michiko Egger (guitar) and Ashley Baier (percussion).
Photos by Marilyn Lester
