By Bart Greenberg***The fine and subtle singer, Phillip Officer, made one of his rare New York City appearances recently in You Fascinate Me So, in a tribute to the empress of super club nightlife, Miss Mabel Mercer. The evening, at Birdland Theater, was indeed a fascinating celebration of some of the finest of mid-29th century songs. Each was delivered with an emphasis on the lyrics, 
capturing the style of the great lady without any attempt at imitation.Merer was a master of parlando—sing-speak, and much admired by many for her interpretive prowess.
Officer acknowledged that he was breaking two of Mercer’s rules: he didn’t remain seated throughout the show and he spoke, which she never did. His biographical sketch did go on a bit long, but his delivery of the material easily made up for that.
The songs were wisely grouped into two acts, each with its own dramatic arc, which added emotional depth to each selection. The blending of “I’ve Got Your Number” and “You Fascinate Me So” was perfect, because both shared authorship of Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, and because both possessed a hypnotic seductiveness that certainly brought the audience under Officer’s power. Later, the medley of “End of a Love Affair” (Edward Redding) and “Down in the Depths of the 90th Floor” (Cole Porter) cast a melancholy spell, even while embracing the slightly over-the-top ennui of the latter. But the singer was never afraid of a certain tongue-in-cheek approach as when he used “Look at ‘im” (Bob Merrill) to outrageously flirt with his very tall, very handsome bass player, Jonathan Michel.
In addition to the excellent Michel, Officer surrounded himself with a fine group of musicians, both some he’s worked with for many years, such as guitarist Kevin Kohn and some quite new to his shows, such as violinist Molly Rose. Rose added a lovely and melancholy opening with a solo rendition of “Sail Away” (Noel Coward). Overseeing all was music director abd pianist Mark Hartman, who provided fluid and imaginative support for the tenor. Officer made sure each of the players had moments to highlight their top-drawer musical skills before reclaiming center stage. With his excellent enunciation and relaxed delivery, he displayed the perfect style to illuminate Mercer, never pushing beyond the emotions naturally imbued within the songs.
Other highlights of the evening included a beautiful and gentle arrangement for voice and guitar of “Why Did I Choose You?” (Herbert Martin, Michael Leonard) and an emphatic and funny “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore” (Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe). Also noteworthy was a joyous delivery of “How Little We Know” ((Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer) and a meditative blending of “Once in a Blue Moon” (Jerome Kern, Anne Caldwell) –Officer possesses the perfect sensibilities for Kern—and “Both Sides Now” (Joni Mitchell). Ending the evening with a medley that charted emotions from regret to celebration yielded a perfect dramatic arc, “Some Other Time” (Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Leonard Bernstein), “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” (Cole Porter) and “My Shining Hour” (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer), left the audience with a bit of regret that Officer doesn’t sing in the City more often.
Photos by Maryann Lopinto
