By Marilyn Lester***Who doesn’t like the movies? After all, cinema has, for almost a century, defined our lives in so many ways. And who could deny the mystique of the Golden Age of Hollywood—the days of glamour and sophistication, of Bette Davis, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Fred and Ginger, and so many more. For award-winning actress singer, Ann Kittredge, movies have always loomed large. Her Movie Nite at Birdand Theater captured that mystique and her love of film. Like Jeff Daniels in Woody Allen’s Purple Rose of Cairo, Kittredge took the stage as if she’d just stepped off the movie screen—herself exuding a large measure of glamour and sophistication… and oh, that dress: red-carpet worthy and ready for the cameras.
In a set that grandly swept through decades of movie music, from 1938 to 2016, Kittredge in top form, not only revealed her vocal range and flexibility, but with the emotive power drawn from her acting experience on the musical theater stage. 
Two thematic sections, one about war songs and the other devoted to that time-honored tradition of “wronged women,” the torch song, were especially powerful. One of the highlights of the torch segment was “Stormy Weather” (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler). The tune’s provenance is mighty. Although most associated with Lena Horne in the 1943 film of the same name, “Stormy Weather” was introduced at the Cotton Club in 1933 by Ethel Waters. Much covered since then by the greats, Kittredge can be proud to join their ranks with her fine rendition.
For a lighter touch, the many moods of the war song section ranged from the light and humorous “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old” (Frank Loesser, Arthur Schwartz), with its quirky rhyme scheme (1943) to 1997’s “At the Beginning” (Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty). This latter number was entirely in the Kittredge wheelhouse: a previous cabaret show (pre-pandemic) was devoted to the music of the pair, which has a special resonance for her. Another high point was Kittredge’s tribute to the ultra-sophisticated Fred Astaire (and his prime dancing partner Ginger Rogers) who introduced many Great American Songbook Standards via his movies. Many were written by Irving Berlin, and these Kittredge delivered in a delightful medley of “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (revised Berlin version), “Coupla Swells,” “Top Hat,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” “Heaven,” “It Only Happens When I Dance with You” and “Let’s Face the Music and Dance.”
Music director and pianist Alex Rybeck delivered his usual brilliance in accompanying and arranging with Kittredge. Plenty of fresh, creative ideas abounded, and along the way Rybeck’s insertion of musical riffs into his playing paid homage to many other tunes that we owe to the movies, not
the least of these being the melody for truly iconic “Hooray for Hollywood” (Richard Whiting). Rybeck also contributed a few vocals, making for delightful duets. Also adding superb musical backing to Movie Nite was guitar virtuoso Sean Harkness, whose highly attuned ear tracks mood and vocal delivery with amazing nuance. His guitar intro to the James Bond salute, “Nobody Does It Better” (Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager) was a witty treat.
The movies, like cabaret, give an audience the shared experience of sitting in the dark to be entertained. Cabaret, is, of course, immediate, direct and energetically interactive and it’s the job of the performer to captivate. This Kittredge did with charm, wit and contagious enthusiasm. The narrative was both informative and warmly personal. Kittredge also knows dramatic effect, and the highs and lows of emotional pacing were well thought out and executed. Her encore number was stunning, a showcase for her flexible operatic soprano and for all-round musical chops. Her wondrously rendered, beautifully phrased acapella of the iconic “When You Wish Upon a Star” (Leigh Harline, Ned Washington) was truly mesmerizing. In the final scene, Kittredge, sitting on a stool in a special light, popcorn box in hand and entranced by what was on the screen in front of her, faded to black. You could hear a pin drop before an explosion of well-deserved applause. Cut and print it. Finis.
Photos by Helane Blumfield
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