By Marilyn Lester***It’s a case of everything old is new again—or more accurately, in the instance of vocalist Jane Scheckter‘s Before They Were Virgins, timeless. Originally performed in 2000 at the late and legendary Firebird, this iteration of the show at Pangea was just as delightful now as it was a quarter century ago—and perhaps even more relevant.
In a breezy, informative and fun narrative, Scheckter explained the origin of the title. In the late 1940s and in the 50s, pre-women’s lib, a number of blonde entertainers were marketed as America’s sweetheart types: the innocent, perky, virginal girl next door. This trope prompted notable pianist-actor-entertainer and sardonic wit, Oscar Levant to comment, “I knew Doris Day before she was a virgin.” With down-to earth-wit in her own right, Scheckter opened the show of songs sung by those blonde icons by reading a list of their real names. She then began with a balladic swing version of “Close Your Eyes,” (Bernice Petkere) sung by Day in 1957.
Before They Were Virgins was packed with great standards, with another clever bit called “awful girl songs”—un-PC works of the day that wouldn’t fly as hits today, introduced with “Buttons and Bows” (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) and the comment, “I can’t believe Peggy Lee recorded this!” Therein followed by 
“I Enjoy Being a Girl” (Rodgers & Hammerstein), “It’s So Nice to Have a Man Around the House” (Harold Spina, Jack Elliott)—sung by both Lee and Dinah Shore—and “Don’t Blame Me” (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields), a hit for Patti Page.
A seasoned pro in string mellow voice (her career as a pop-jazz singer began decades ago, although she’s been singing since age five), Scheckter knows her way around a tune. A standard sung by Rosemary Clooney, “But Beautiful” (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) was sung effectively as a slow story-song. Also evocative was “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” written by the under-appreciated Fran Landesman (with Tommy Wolfe) and sung by the equally under-appreciated June Christy. On the other end of the tempi scale, Scheckter added plenty of swing to “Somebody Loves Me” (George Gershwin, Buddy DeSylva), noting how relevant a song a century+ years old still remains, and a swinging “Lover” (Rodgers & Hart). A master of interpretation, among many other tunes, she offered good advice in “Hey There (You With the Stars in Your Eyes)” (Richard Adler, Jerry Ross).
Scheckter was backed by her long-time trio of Tedd Firth, Jay Leonhart and Peter Grant, all virtuosos 
of their respective instruments. Drummer Grant applied brushes for most of the songs in Scheckter’s repertoire—a superb choice given the material and Scheckter’s interpretive style: enhancing and never over-powering. Bassist Leonhart, a vocalist himself, not only brings that sensitivity to his work with singers, but has always elevated the task of time-keeping with creative ideas on the upright. The beauty of pianist-arranger Tedd Firth’s accompaniment on this particular show is that he played the original 2000 debut, his first job fresh from earning his graduate degree in music. The arrangements for the show were mostly his and 100 percent thrilling.
The sum total of Before They Were Virgins was more than a delightful trip down memory lane; it was its own master class in performance, also demonstrating the value and ongoing relevancy of songs from the astounding American songbook.
