Be not deluded by fact of a title to Marilyn Maye’s suddenly-scheduled holiday event. ‘Twas no show.  ‘Twas a holiday festivity hosted by Marilyn and Billy Stritch for a jam-packed room of celebs, fans and aficionados who couldn’t get enough of them.  The normal hour-long show time stretched to almost two as Maye declared “this is the second show,”  [it was the final show of the night at the venue], “we can go on ’til Thursday.”  And there were few in the room who seemed not ready to go with that fantasy.

Maye had performed her Own Kind of Broadway show several times the week prior, but this was different — a joyful, largely ad lib happenstance set but four nights earlier when she learned that Billy Stritch would be back in New York and that the Metropolitan Room had an open spot the night Billy touched down.

In the mood of a holiday get-together, her opening medley said it all –  Sondheim’s “Old Friends,” coupled with the Peggy Lee/Dave Cavanaugh standard, “I Love Being Here With You” – was as much a personal welcome to each one in the room as the beginning of a night of song. Although the spirit was Christmas, with “Winter Wonderland, “The Christmas Song” and an unusual arrangement of “Do You Hear What I Hear,” a song Maye had sung with the Air Force band, given their due, Maye included serious numbers as well, among them John Latouche and Jerome Moross’s “Lazy Afternoon” and Murray Grands and Elisse Boyd’s  climactic “Guess Who I Saw Today?”

Maye certainly enjoyed a successful career prior to her octogenarian emergence as one of cabaret’s premier performers, but it’s five to two she never had a more spirited welcome than when she came on stage to the enthusiastic howls of her audience, which re-erupted each time she paused between songs.  No wonder Maye’s adrenalin went into overdrive for the next two hours.

In all, the evening’s festive ad lib quality seemed right on target with Stritch at the piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and drummer Ray Marchica, who all periodically turned a number into a jazz jam session, with Maye showing off her jazz chops and an ability to scat with the best of them.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
December 13, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org