By Marilyn Lester***Welcome to “the third installment of the Berkshire invasion,” so said the star of the second invasion, Ron Ramsay (A Life Rewritten: Miracles, Music & Me). The first one was the NYC cabaret debut of fellow vocalist and singing partner, Samantha Talora, all in recent history. 
And now, the two together, in Friends in Harmony: A Cabaret Celebration of Friendship put a stamp on the northern connection. The fact is though, that this duo show was 12 years in the making from an NYC point of view. Ramsay and Talora have been performing together all that time in the Bershires, now gifting us down south with the magic of their friendship and artistic chemistry.
Setting the tone, with an entrance from the back of the room, was a comic duet of the Irving Berlin gem “Sisters” (White Christmas), complete with delightful choreographic movement; it was part of a dearest friend medley, concluding with “Together Wherever We Go,” Jule
Styne and Stephen Sondheim’s declaration from Gypsy. Ramsay, also a pianist, played for many of the numbers; for the finale, Barbara Anselmi accompanied the pair for a rousing “Thank You for Being a Friend” (Andrew Gold), the iconic theme song of “The Golden Girls.”
A terrific platform to demonstrate Ramsay’s pianism and Talora’s vocal chops arrived with the haunting “Nature Boy” (eden ahbez). Ramsay’s ability as a storyteller came with his rendition of “Old Friend” (Nancy Ford, Gretchen Cryer). The duet of story song “Feels Like 
Home” (Randy Newman) rang with especial truth, and on the duet, “You and I” (Leslie Bricusse), indeed there was resonance in the lyric “will travel far together,” a solid prediction of many more artistic journeys to come.
Talora in particular has also had a long association with composer-songwriter David Friedman, who, in turn worked closely with the late cabaret star Nancy LaMott (who passed 30 years ago). Friedman wrote many of the singer’s signature tunes and taking the piano offered “We Can Be Kind” from the newly released album, Nancy LaMott Sings David Friedman.
Friends in Harmony aimed to celebrate the enduring power of friendship through music, and the truism that “friendship isn’t just comforting — it’s essential” was demonstrated in spades by this gifted pair. Friends in Harmony was a beautifully curated, sweet journey of joy and hope and the uplifting power of music.
