The cast of this new show at the Metropolitan room have posed the question themselves: Why Lee? And their answer is, because Lee Wiley was one of the preeminent "girl vocalists" of the 30's, 40's and 50's, whose popularity and influence with the public and other singers continued right through a retirement in the 60's into a final public appearance at a sold-out Carnegie Hall for the 1972 New York Jazz Festival.

The three players assume roles of key characters in Wiley's life. Songwriter Barry Kleinbort is both a narrator and stand-in for composer Victor Young, Wiley’s long-term love. Pianist Greenwood plays the noted Jess Stacy, Wiley's husband in a disastrous marriage. And Lois Walden becomes the songbird herself. They offer snippets of dialogues and a number of brief scenes, slipping in and out of being the characters, reporters, observers or historians. Along the way, they revisit and present many of the songs Lee Wiley made famous.

Why Lee?'s shape-shifting format is intriguing, and the players handle it with ease. Kleinbort weaves the tapestry, Greenwood sings as well as furnishes the accompaniment, and Lois Walden - whose voice is actually richer than Wiley's - has caught Wiley's singing style well. With its amiable cast and its theatrical structuring, Why Lee? makes for an entertaining night out.

Lois Walden, Barry Kleinbort, and Paul Greenwood bring Why Lee? back to the Metropolitan Room on Tuesday, February 13th.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
February 6, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org