TE FEATURE: Oscar Musical Tribute: a grand night for singing at Metropolitan Room in NYC
Oscar E Moore from the rear mezzanine for Talk Entertainment.com
Sunday night, February 24th will be the 80th presentation of the Oscars in Hollywood. Last night at the Metropolitan Room in New York City Jamie deRoy and a group of her very best and talented friends celebrated the music of the Oscars – in a casual, funny, oft times touching tribute to the composers and lyricists who have taken Oscar home with them through the years. It’s a great cabaret space, The Metropolitan Room, and I’m looking forward to Jamie’s Tony Tribute June 11th. Make your reservations early.
Jamie deRoy got the evening off to a rousing start with a “musical acceptance speech” that thanked everyone including “the guy that mops the floor”. It was hysterical and set just the right tone for the entire evening. Of course, the most important person thanked in the song is its very honest and funny punch line. It’s sure to be included when telecast on Jamie’s cable show.
Bits of Oscar trivia and stories about who won, how many times Sammy Cahn was nominated and who lost and/or never nominated and how Oscar Hammerstein happened to write The Last Time I Saw Paris and why Stephen Schwartz – a three times nominee this year for ENCHANTED – a Disney film wasn’t able to attend - filled in between the great presentations of the wonderful songs being paid tribute by no less than Academy Award winner Celeste Holm, the King of Cabaret Steve Ross, Steven Brinberg (sans Streisand drag), Scott Coulter, Joan Kwuon , Loni Ackerman, Academy Award composer and songwriter David Shire, Frank Basile and the a cappella group The Accidentals.
Highlights included two film clips of the 1953/57 Oscar telecast with Celeste Holm and then her singing Lullaby of Broadway live in white organdy ruffles surrounding her ever youthful face. A fantastic solo violin rendition of Gigi by Joan Kwuon. As Jamie deRoy stated “even without the words you hear them.” A testament to the craft of Lerner and Lowe. And of course Steven Brinberg as Barbra Streisand without the nails and makeup and hair. Voice and gestures intact he enthralled with The Way We Were and Evergreen. The ever debonair Steve Ross, lifted our spirits with The Continental and Thanks for the Memory. What a way with a lyric he has, that fellow. Frank Basile sang You’ll Never Know from Hello Frisco Hello. I just happened to write the biography of Earl Luick who was costume designer on that film. A young lady, Emily Bindiger, of The Accidentals recognized me as we both live in the same apartment building. We talk theatre in the elevator but I had never seen her perform. I was not disappointed and her a cappella group did a wondrous version of Moon River.
About twenty minutes into the evening I began to think that this would make a great Off-Broadway show. Not this show exactly but a show based on the songs of the Oscars presented by five stellar performers. I hope this comes to fruition. There is so much incredible material and so many wonderful stories. It would be greatly entertaining.
One of my main reasons for wanting to see this show was the scheduled appearance of Loni Ackerman. I hadn’t seen Loni since 1969 (we were very young then) when we were Ruby and Dick in a production of Dames At Sea in Washington D.C. She hasn’t changed a lot and is still a great performer. Along with David Shire their duet Baby It’s Cold Outside was a show stopper. I wore the scarf she knitted for me way back when just in case she didn’t recognize me. At least, she’d recognize her handiwork. We had a delightful reunion after the show and will soon catch up with each other. In any event it was truly a grand night for singing and remembering.
02-21-08
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