By Marilyn Lester***At last: some Bacharach love worthy of the composer’s legacy as a major contributor to the ever-growing American Songbook. This new show, Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater is a gem, and if you’ve never fallen in love with a Burt Bacharach tune, this bursting-with-talent revue of
his work is bound to make you think twice. It’s a show chock-full of fun facts and musical excellence, wrapped in a celebration of a certified legend’s life and artistry.
Bacharach, who passed away in February 2023 at age 94, composed about a thousand songs, recorded by as many artists, over a 70-year career. His output of some of the most popular songs ever written, encompassed Broadway, television, movies and stand-alone charting standards. Going Bacharach makes it easy to understand why Bacharach stands with classic Great American Songbook icons such as Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren and Duke Ellington, to name a few.
And this bounty of musical riches onstage is because a group of inspired men thought to create this show. Producer Jack Lewin conceived the production. The show was co-created by writer-critic Will Friedwald, musicians Adrian Galante and Tedd Firth, and Lewin. More than a “jukebox musical,” Going Bacharach is a winner of a focused revue, much in the spirit of Our Sinatra, Smokey Joe’s Café and Oh, Coward. It’s smart, well-crafted and a joyful ride through Bachrach’s exceptional catalog, its excellent choices guided by the brilliant music supervision of pianist-arranger Tedd Firth.
The strong suit of the production is music director Adrian Galante, leading a tight quintet, and three strong and talented singers: Hilary Kole, John Pagano and Ta-Tynisa Wilson. Galante’s n
ot only a killer at the keys, but is a virtuoso of the clarinet. His full-body workout at the piano, and out-front dialog with his vocal trio, adds high-flying sparks of pizzazz: Galante is a showman and entertainer par excellence. And, as if that were not enough, his arrangements and orchestrations are breathtaking. Galante is a jazzer and while working on the show he fully understood Bachrach’s own roots in jazz, a knowledge that enhances the composer’s work—songs that are essentially melodic, but also which incorporate elements of jazz, classical, traditional pop, Tin Pan Alley, rock ‘n’ roll, soul and funk. And, according to Gallante, “within every one of those styles he sounded like himself, which is something only a great master can do.”
Kicking off the show was a fast-paced, energizing overture, a medley of numbers encompassing about a dozen Bacharach hits. Act One’s riches saw the trio in various combinations of vocal arrangement, whether in duet, featured solos with backup vocals, or in trade-offs—and the hits 
kept coming, beginning with “Always Something There to Remind Me,” and powering through the likes of “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” “Close to You,” “What’s New, Pussycat?” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and many more.
The songs and the music rule; narrative is kept to an essential minimum, revealing pertinent facts and a sidebar of fun. Both Galante and Pagano had ties to Bachrach. Galante fell in love with the music seeing Bacharach live as a youngster in his native Perth, Australia, and Pagano toured with the composer for 25 years. Kole, who is also a composer, is a co-creator of Our Sinatra, a revue in which she performed for an extended time—and that experience was easily translated to this revue. The young Wilson freely admitted she had never heard of Bacharach, but grew to love the songs—all the more reason that these kinds of productions are essential to keep the music alive.
Act Two began with an Entracte of “Nikki”/”Knowing When to Leave,” followed by Pagano in the spotlight with “The Look of Love.” “Don’t Make Me Over” next fell to Wilson and “The April Fools” to Kole. And so the show progressed with more solos on 
tunes such as “One Less Bell to Answer,” “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” “Make It Easy on Yourself” and others. Each singer revealed strong vocal chops, mostly resisting the urge to belt for its own sake, although Wilson did become shrill from time to time. A marvelous moment came when Kole, a jazz singer, demonstrated Bacharach’s writing style, using as an example the tune that closed Act One: “Promises, Promises.” “Almost all of the songs Burt wrote,” she explained, “are in some kind of mixed meter… No other pop composer does anything like that.” In the first seven bars of “Promises, Promises,” for example, there are an astounding five time changes. Kole also presented a master class in lyric interpretation in “Alfie,” which Bacharach deemed one of the finest lyrics Hal David (a longtime writing partner) ever wrote. Wrapping up this exhilarating show, the principals offered a heartfelt “What the World Needs Now,” followed by the encore, “That’s What Friends Are For,” two songs with special meaning considering a chaotic world and the fraught US political climate we all now inhabit.
Going Bacharach: The Songs 
of an Icon is smartly directed by lyricist, composer, songwriter, director and producer, David Zippel, possessor of many awards, including a Tony, a Drama Desk Award, two ASCAP Film and Television Awards, and an Annie Award. The top-notch musicians are Patrick Firth (keyboard), Derek Duleba (guitar), Nate Francis (bass) and Jakubu Griffin (drums). Clever and cheerful scenic design by Christopher and Justin Swader emulates an abstract stained-glass bandshell. Costumes by Frank Cazares are more successful for the men… a bit too funky for Wilson and Kole. Producers are Amas Musical Theatre and Jack Lewin/Lewin Productions.
Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon runs through Sunday, February 15 at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater, 10 West 64th Street, New York, NY. Running time is 2 hours, including an intermission.
Tickets range from $59 to $119, with VIP Package Upgrades available for $149. Regular performance schedule is Mondays at 7:30 PM; Wednesdays at 2:30 PM; Thursdays at 7:30 PM; Fridays at 7:30 PM; Saturdays at 2:30 PM and 7:30 PM; and Sundays at 2:30 PM.
Photos by Russ Rowland
