The lights went down, and from the shadows at the back of Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, Anna Bergman entered, radiant and singing. As she moved onto the stage, her clear operatic soprano and sunny style were already wrapping themselves around a Richard Rodgers song—the first of some twenty numbers underscoring “the wit and wisdom and romance that these songs celebrate.” Rodgers worked with a number of lyricists – most notably, early in his career, Lorenz Hart; later, near the end of it, Oscar Hammerstein II; and also with Stephen Sondheim and Martin Charnin. Anna, with simplicity and warm-hearted feeling, brought these songs alive, letting each speak for itself in its own style. Included were such numbers as “If I Loved You,” “Do I Hear a Waltz” (lyrics by Stephen Sondheim), “Ten Minutes Ago” (from the television production, Cinderella) and “A Wonderful Guy” (South Pacific). Musical director Paul Greenwood joined her charmingly on “My Romance,” while special guest Brent Barrett brought his own virile quality to “No Other Love,” which Rodgers had adapted from his own score to the documentary, Victory At Sea. My Heart Stood Still, presented for three nights, is a program that Feinstein’s would do well to bring back for a longer engagement.
Peter Haas
Cabaret Scenes
September 14, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org
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