Libby Holman: Did She Do It? Lee Horwin May or May Not Know

By Marilyn Lester**** Lee Horwin has been fascinated by actress, singer and philanthropist, Libby Holman, for decades. So has actor/director/writer Walter Willison. The two have combined their shared passion for this lady of mystery and misfortune in an original one-woman musical biography, Blues, Ballads and Sin Songs, The Legend of LIbby Holman, starring Horwin and written (and directed) by Willison. The result is a boffo production, played at the Triad Theater on April 30 and, as of this writing, scheduled to play one more time on May 7. The script is tight and in its chronology of Holman’s life from her beginnings in show business to her advanced years (when her life took another direction), delivers the goods. Horwin’s singing of the tunes (especially those attributed to Holman) was stunning. Her voice is rich, low and naturally earthy. It makes an impact. Horwin seemed less confident with her narrative, yet delivered it with commitment, aided by Willison’s directorial input.

Blues, Ballads and Sin Songs begs the question, what is cabaret? In this particular instance, although presented in a venue that’s considered a cabaret room. Willison, from the outset, approached the piece as a full-out production. The conceit is a dress rehearsal of sorts for her friends in the salon of Treetops, the Holman mansion in Connecticut. Her dear friend, Martin Luther King, Jr. has just been assassinated and she’s to give a concert before assembled dignitaries at the United Nations. On the piano, at this salon, is long-time Holman accompanist, Gerald Cook, played by Joel A. Martin, an accomplished musician who helped anchor the action from the keys.

And so the reminiscence begins, and back to the beginning we go with tidbits of Holman’s entry into musical theater (she was once the highest paid woman on Broadway). From the outset she exuded sex. An early hit number in her repertoire was “Moanin Low” (Howard Dietz/Ralph Rainger). She was also tapped for the Duke Ellington Broadway musical, Beggar’s Holiday, with music by Ellington and lyrics by John LaTouche. Holman dropped out of the show on the road, but “The Blues,” which Ellington reworked and expanded for her, remained. It’s an intense song with a complex pyramidal structure, which Horwin mastered with appropriate phrasing, earthiness and drama.

Was Holman a bad girl? She was bisexual, lived fast and high and married into the Reynolds tobacco fortune. “Body and Soul” (Edward Heyman/Robert Sour and Frank Eyton/Johnny Green) and “Smokin’ Reefers” (Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz) might yield clues. But then came the event that tagged Homan for the rest of life. In 1932, at a party at their home in North Carolina, Holman’s husband, Zachery Smith Reynolds died of a gunshot wound to the head. The cast of characters surrounding the death were many and the facts obscured. The death was initially ruled a suicide, but then Holman was indicted for murder. She was never tried; the powerful Reynolds family had the charges dropped. Holman went free as one of the richest women in the world. “Somewhere Around Dusk” and “The Front Page,” two original songs by Willison, with music by Jeffrey Silverman, neatly move the narrative along. As to what really happened that fateful night, Horwin/Holman says she’s told the whole truth—maybe.

Holman continued her career, but the scandal followed wherever she went, abetted by the fact that she was not only Jewish, but dark-skinned; many people assumed she was Black and “passing.” Libby Holman, when all is said and done, knew about the underdog (and as her life spun out would also know tragedy all too well). She became an active philanthropist and champion of civil rights, as effectively illustrated by “No More” (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse) and Horwin’s evocative, gut-wrenching delivery of “Suppertime” (Irving Berlin). Coming full circle, Horwin sang “Something to Remember You By” (Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz), closing out a mini-musical of maxi proportion.

Cabaret? Back to the question of what is cabaret? In actuality there are many styles and approaches to what is now presented in cabaret rooms. One of those styles is the mini-musical. Why? The answer is complex, but part of it has to do with the economics of producing for the traditional stage and the paucity of venues. Blues, Ballads and Sin Songs was conceived for the stage, with hopes to move it forward on a larger scale. Yet, because it’s a well-constructed piece, it works large or small. The possibilities are already built in.

For example, besides Horwin as Libby Holman, actors in the audience made cameo appearances during the narrative: Joanna Rush as Holman’s friend, Louisa DuPont Carpenter; Sheila Wormer as Holman’s secretary, Rose Miranda; Mitchell Bloom as Tennesse Williams; and Matthew and John Drinkwater respectively as Holman’s adopted sons, Tommy and Timmy. Music direction and arrangements by Ron Abel provided a rich musical platform for Martin’s playing and Horwin’s vocals. Assisting Willison was associate director, Murphy Cross. Sound and lighting design by Shannon Mathew Epstein was befitting a fully staged presentation, while stage management by Mark Lord kept all in order.

The verdict: this level of professionalism and the execution of Blues, Ballads and Sin Songs as a class A production can only do cabaret good. Cabaret needs variety to grow and prosper in this day and age. This dynamic seems to be shaking out with rooms that are moving beyond a narrower definition of cabaret—the single singer and the Great American Songbook. So, applause and kudos to Willison, Horwin, Martin, Abel et. al. for a smashing production in which all the moving parts came together quite splendidly. The sum total added up to a show that needs to move on to further glory. It’s worthy of a bigger stage and larger production.