Sarah DeLeo: A Heartfelt Tribute to Judy Garland

Photo by Jim Nichols

By Marilyn Lester****To mark the 50th Anniversary of the passing of Judy Garland, the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, and the 80th Anniversary of the release of The Wizard of Oz, singer Sarah DeLeo was determined to make The Duplex, in the heart of Greenwich Village, the place for her celebration of Judy Garland (who happens to be, among other things, a major gay icon). DeLeo is herself a dyed-in-the-wool Garland fan from girlhood. She described how when her playmates were off doing the things kids do, she was spinning Garland vinyl in her room. Hence, Look for the Silver Lining: The Judy Garland Fan was born—a heartfelt tribute to the legend that DeLeo says gave her “solace and inspiration.”

DeLeo has a fine, smooth and clear honeyed tone. She also has a sense of period—perhaps as a result on her Garland-centric experience. After all, the object of her affection was at her prime in the 1940s and into the 1950s (she died in 1969, before DeLeo was even born). Close your eyes and you can imagine DeLeo on the radio of that era. This vocal ability is her strong suit, especially in her clarity and lovely phrasing. With so much repertoire to select from, the numbers that DeLeo sings represent very personal choices, reflected in splendid vocal dynamics and the emotion she mines from the lyric.

There were the well-known works in Look for the Silver Lining: The Judy Garland Fan, such as “Zing Went the Strings of My Heart,” “The Man That Got Away” and “You Made Me Love You,” but it was also terrific to hear some lesser-known tunes, principally “Maybe I’ll Come Back” and “You’re Nearer.” The weak link musically, though, was the lack of variation in tempo. DeLeo calls herself a balladeer, but even so, she would benefit from reaching beyond her comfort zone. There was welcome variation in a slightly uptempo “Get Happy” and a bright “I Don’t Care.” Adding swing, zip and complexity to her arrangements would have aided DeLeo immeasurably, especially since she’s also a self-described jazz singer. What was lacking was the passion she obviously feels for her idol. Ben Stivers at the piano was basically supportive. Stivers is a versatile musician with an international reputation. Unfortunately, he seemed to be acting more as a dispassionate accompanist without adding needed pizzazz to the show. 

DeLeo has been on the scene for a while now, but outside the recording studio, where she has produced two CDs, and on a stage (and an intimate one at that), she doesn’t seem comfortable in her skin. The nonmusical elements of the show seemed too studied, forced. Borrowing a line from The Music Man, “but you gotta know the territory,” DeLeo would have benefitted greatly from a director. That leadership might have helped her feel at ease, and more to the point, construct a substantive narrative that offered a through-line and an arc (this would have given far more impact to songs such as the iconic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the titular “Look for the Silver Lining”). The existing text seemed haphazard. Although DeLeo has a considerable sincere—-albeit naive—charm, passion and authenticity took a back seat in the presentation. The lack of surety and an overabundance of mellowness undercut the fine singing that DeLeo is capable of.  

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