By Marilyn Lester*** Not since Fred Astaire and Judy Garland thoroughly championed being pals with Irving Berlin’s “A Couple of Swells” (Easter Parade), has friendship been depicted with such good cheer, wonderful chemistry and just plain fun. Magically brought together by mutual music director, John Cook, Josephine Sanges of NYC and Cindy Firing of Chicago, hit it off so well that they’ve been performing in both cities, carr
y on luggage at the ready. Their pun-ful show, Carry On has been a hit in the Big Apple and the Windy City–and for good reason.
The intimate space of Don’t Tell Mama served the pair well. The mood was congenial—not to say exceedingly cheery. It would be easy to imagine you were at a swell party in one of their homes and their performance was part of the festivities. Taking the stage from the back, carry on suitcases in tow, the bond between the two was immediately apparent. A well-conceived, playful opening medley “The Glamorous Life/Travel/New York City Blues” duet was as symbolic as it was a showcase of their performance skills: the harmonies executed by these two talented voices was simply thrilling. Other duets—”It Goes Like It Goes” (David Shire, Norman Gimbel), “Two Lost Souls” (Richard Adler, Jerry Ross) and
the encore “On a Clear Day” (Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner), further cemented how these two mellifluous voices are able to combine into a single, superb amalgamate.
And if its comedy you want, Sanges and Firing supply that with gusto. “You’re So”—a parody written for Carol Burnett and Julie Andrews by Peter Matz—was tailored for the duo by each of them and music director John Cook, and it delivered a considerable payoff in the humor department. And those carry on bags the two were wheeling with them to the stage? Well, from them props were 
produced and applied liberally in a madcap, 19-song extravaganza of Broadway tunes, entitled “Broadway Medley.” Feather boas, a stuffed dog, a babushka—spiced up a routine that moved like a speeding freight train through a musical tour of The Great White Way.
Of course, Sanges and Firing are each seasoned talents capable of a range of styles, moods and emotions. On the serious side, each offered solo pieces such as “A Child Is Born” (Dave Grusin, Marilyn and Alan Bergman) and “Patterns” (David Shire, Richard Maltby, Jr.) for Sanges; and “I Miss the Mountains” (Tom Kitt, Brian Yorkey) and “Times Like This” (Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens) for Firing. These pieces not only put a spotlight on the individual talents of each of them, but also represented the wisdom of their program 
choices over all. The sum total of Carry On was a delightful, joyous affirmation of constructing an entertainment full of variety, fun narrative and sheer musical talent.
The catalyst for the Sanges-Firing Partnership, music director and pianist, John Cook, deserves double kudos for realizing what a great team these two talents would make, and for the creative arrangements he devised and played for them. Especially impressive was the pianistic workout he executed for the “Broadway Medley”—fingers flying and energy high to whiz through those 19 tunes with apparent ease and flair.
Performance photos by David Sabella
