By Marilyn Lester***She’s vivacious, exuberant, upbeat and as bright as a penny; there’s no question that Marilu Henner loves to perform, and her audiences are all in favor of that proposition. The reciprocal vibe is joyous and wonderfully apparent. In the latest iteration of her show, Music & Memories! 
at the Green Room 42, the triple threat opened with the musical invitation of “Let’s Misbehave” (Cole Porter), setting a mood for fun and high spirits.
By all accounts, Music & Memories! is basically a solo theater piece with music, which Henner has been long-presenting, supported by music director Michael Orland at the piano. The show is changed up from time to time for freshness. Henner’s delivery is spontaneous, or so it seems; and no doubt some of the narrative is off the cuff, but this is a show that’s well-constructed and well-polished, delivered by a more than likeable storyteller. It’s easy to imagine having a one-on-one with Henner over coffee or a drink, two friends meeting for a catch-up, say.
And she’s fascinating; Music & Memories! is a cradle-to-present-moment show, with projected images, recounting her life, told earnestly, with abundant humor and without pretense. Up front she discloses a fact that she has Highly Superior 
Autobiographical Memory (HSAM), one of 100 diagnosed at present, which means she has almost total recall of every day of her life, able to tell the day and date. At several points in the show she calls out to the audience for a date, any date: September 22, 1976? Oh, yes, that was a Wednesday she quickly returns. To the melody of “I’m a Woman” she sings parody lyrics (written by brother Lorin), including “because I have H-SAM.”
A product of Chicago and show-biz-oriented parents, Henner’s career breakthrough cam in 1971 while a student at the University of Chicago. She became involved in the development of a vastly undercooked version of Grease, playing Marty Maraschino. She sang that character’s song, “Freddy My Love” (Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey), one of the few essentially unchanged tunes from the original production. And what a career it’s been: multitudinous! Film, television—”Taxi” especially, with great stories and clips from the show, and Broadway: Over Here, Chicago, Gettin’ the Band Back Together.
A clue to her energy is in her nearly lifelong commitment to health (dairy-free since the 1970s). To drive home the point she sings to the tune “Tradition,” a parody with lyric by Lorin Henner, “Nutrition.” Underscoring her fitness there’s an amazing fast-paced “body parts” medley from head to toe, including “Going Out of My Head,” Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” plus cute modifications of “You’re So Vein” and “Swanknee.” Marriage and motherhood were on the bill, as was a guest appearance by friend, Chelsea Field, who sang an impassioned “Anybody Have a Map?” (Benj Pasek, Justin Paul), closing a first-rate theatrical cabaret—one for the memory book.
