THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Harold Arlen's 'Let's Fall in Love,' the title opener of this show, is in many ways quintessentially Ann Hampton Callaway – wry, tender, big hearted. In most arrangements it has room for a swingin' solo which Ann, being a consummate jazz pianist too, fills to perfection.
Her annual London visits are not to be missed and for this show she took an easy theme, love songs from the era of the Great American Songbook. So it's familiar ground, but what makes Ann special is that her singing of these standards is never understated or merely 'nice'. Instead, she gives us bold, emphatic, full bodied performances, topped off with a 'big finish', that work for an intimate space like The Pheasantry or Pizza Express Jazz Club, but then she can, as effortlessly as a Rolls Royce changing gears, bring it all down in painfully intimate love ballads while holding the room rapt. Ralph Richardson famously said that acting was the art of stopping people coughing and it follows that for cabaret singing it's the art of making people put down their pizza.
Her energy ensures the songs never sound antique even when we're talking about 80 year old classics. She blended Ned Washington's exquisite 'My Foolish Heart' with Rodgers and Hart's 'My Romance' and commented "What greater tribute could a loved one receive from another than those perfect words". They embodied an era of lyric writing when sensuality was an art form. She also reminded us how Irving Berlin's 'How Deep Is the Ocean?' is just questions. Again, less being more.
Upping the tempo there followed some great scat singing in a jaunty 'Love Me or Leave Me' and a short tribute to Her late Majesty with some of the Queen's favorites, including 'People Will Say We're in Love' and a tender 'Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square' which, for once, lifted it above the saccharine.
Changing gear again she got the wine-fueled room to partake in a singalong, Irish pub style, which illustrated just what an inveterate and experienced entertainer she is.
The second half moved to the '60s and '70s with a gloriously fiery rendition of Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good" (Ann's got a new show on Ronstadt!) and then a full throttled soul rendition of Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend'. There followed the highlight of evening: King's 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,' which was poignant and plaintive and had the room in tears.
She ended with the contrasting shades of 'People' and 'Being Alive', but not before giving us two of her own artfully tender compositions 'Where Does Love Go' and 'Finding Beauty' then launching into her trademark, where she improvises, composing a new song on the spot based on random phrases shouted out by the audience. Each time it is astonishing and a tribute to what a total all round musician she is.
