By Marilyn Lester***Broadway triple-threat, T. Oliver Reid can always be depended on to deliver plenty of polish and great satisfaction in his cabaret shows. A Sunday Kind of Love on Valentine’s Eve at Birdland Theater was no exception. On this occasion, the audience was packed with friends, fans and admirers who clearly would rather hear Reid sing and do his thing than be watching The Super Bowl. Reid did not disappoint, leaning into the show with an intimacy tailored to the crowd.
It’s a truism that romantic love especially is as much about heartbreak as about the joy and jubilation celebrated every February 14. So, no hearts and flowers for his opener, the wistfully aching “In the Wee Small Hours” (David Mann, Bob Hilliard), sung slow and low. With a jump toward pos
itivity, Reid followed with “Hello Young Lovers” (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II), kicking it up to a dramatic finish. Always a consummate performer, these two tunes alone told of another jump in Reid’s mastery of expressive nuanced performance.
Kudos to Reid too for including the verses of many of the numbers he sang. Many performers find it easy to cut them, but the writers put them there for a reason that supersedes mere style. They’re part of the story and Reid honors that. It was a joy to hear the verses of “The Nearness of You” (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington) and “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” (Tommy Wolf, Fran Landesman). As for Reid’s range, he’s a clear tenor with flexibility and also the remarkable ability to enter countertenor territory, which he did on an eye-popping “Summertime” (George and Ira Gershwin).
In a varied and generous set, a few songs hearkened back to the late Bobby Short, whose style and vocal tone pops out of Reid from time to time—a very good thing, indeed! “Let’s Fall in Love” ( Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) and especially Short’s perky uptempo arrangement of Cole Porter’s “Do I Love You” brought back great memories of the old days in the Cafe Carlyle. And the riches go on, including two art songs learned in college days, a tribute to the late Marilyn and Alan Bergman, and much more.
What contributed to the success of A Sunday Kind of Love was the intelligence infused in it and his commitment to it, as well as its personal edge (Reid dedicated it to his long-time partner, Jeremiah). With humor and ease, Reid held the stage to a rapt, invested audience. It was sheer pleasure to experience a superb level of storytelling and lyric interpretation along with great songs.
Accompanying Reid was music director-pianist Larry Yurman, whose lush and lyrical playing perfectly matched Reid’s style and soulful presentation.
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