How perfect that Andrea Marcovicci's 65th birthday celebrates the sophistication of those years when grownups dressed up and went out on the town, dining and dancing in romantic nightclubs. What show fits her better? Marcovicci may be a millennium gal, but her heart beats to the captivating rhythms and sentiments of the '30's, '40's, and '50's music.
Because this is her party, and there is no hostess like Andrea Marcovicci, the two shows on November 18th offered more than nostalgia. Setting up a dreamy ambiance in Joe's Pub, Marcovicci, clad in black satin, mixes "a couple of jiggers of moonlight" from Glenn Miller's hit tune, "Moonlight Cocktail." She shares her songs with personal tales of couples like her parents puttin' on the ritz to visit nightclubs like The Stork Club and Cafe Society in New York, Mr. Kelly's in Chicago, or the San Francisco Palmer House. Marcovicci's voice is best in the lower register, yet for almost 30 years, she has continued to draw audiences into the charisma of a time long gone. How does she do this? Her method is theatricality and brainy charm. Marcovicci is an actress and a singer, but her signature is story-telling. Moonlight Cocktail is a toast to the ladies of those classy evenings who dressed in lush evening gowns (as does Marcovicci herself), sipped champagne (she emerges champagne glass in hand), and shpritzed with "Sortilege," the scent of the day. Of course, Marcovicci wears the same perfume for the show and changes from one sparkling jacket to another. It's all in the details. She studies her material, absorbs her songs and presents them as heartfelt gifts to her audience. Much of her person-to-person deliveries are influenced by Mabel Mercer who chose tasteful, relevant songs like "Goodbye, John." There is an arc to songs like pairing "End of a Love Affair" and "It's the Talk of the Town," evoking a woman in despair and confusion after a last-minute breakup. (The heartbreak and chagrin is evident in lines like, "How can you face them? What can you say?" – Marcovicci's face drawn in sorrow.) "I Don't Smoke" is a heartbreaker that singer/songwriter Portia Nelson gave to Marcovicci and, "You Go To My Head," a salute to Billie Holiday, is replete with emotion that’s more Marcovicci drama than the jazz feel of Holiday. But all is not wrist-slashing. She relishes the upbeat joy of songs reflected in "Oh, Look At Me Now," performed with "attitude" in clubs by Lee Wiley. Marcovicci's concentration and enjoyment is obvious in the comic nonsense of Kaye Ballard's specialty song, "Teeny Tiny," with Jered Egan's imaginative bass comments. Cole Porter's "I'm In Love Again" was a Bobby Short favorite at the Cafe Carlyle. Draping a boa in homage to Julie Wilson, with sly Julie playfulness, Marcovicci warns, "Don't Look at Me That Way" and a long-stemmed rose is de rigueur for "The Incomparable Hildegarde's" signature song, "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup." Marcovicci strolls around the stage, reaching into the audience, shaking hands, tousling the hair of a willing gent and sharing humorous asides. She waves to fans and friends around the room and makes pithy remarks about her songs and her life. At the piano is music director and pianist Shelly Markham, and Jered Egan is on bass. Markham joins her in raising a glass to catching up again at "Some Other Time" after which everyone chimes in for the traditional dance-band finale, "Goodnight Sweetheart."
