Stephanie Blythe, a mezzo-soprano, followed a different road to stardom than Kate Smith, making her debut at the Metropolitan Opera during the 1994-95 season in Wagner’s Parsifal.  Blythe is certainly not the first opera star to address the American Songbook. Although their paths never crossed (Blythe was a high school junior in 1986, the year Kate Smith died), she’s always been aware of her, appreciating both Smith’s persona and her singing.

Having performed the lead roles in many of the most beloved operas at the greatest opera houses in the world, Blythe approached the songs associated with Kate Smith as she would any other engagement.  She brought all her skills, honed by years in the world of opera, to the parallel world of popular music.

Blythe opened the concert with “When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain,” which had been Kate Smith’s theme song, based on a poem she herself had written. Blythe captured the pervasive sadness of the lyrics, perhaps providing the audience with a brief glimpse into Smith’s feelings.  Much of the program consisted of well-known songs, such as “The White Cliffs of Dover,” “The Last Time I Saw Paris” and “We’ll Meet Again,” songs that “galvanized the nation” in WWII, according to Blythe.

The encore, consisting of “Without Love” and “Red Hot Chicago,” came from Flying High, a musical written by Ray Henderson, Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown.  Although the show was a hit, Smith didn’t like it and never recorded the songs.  The show proved to be a charm for the songwriters, however, who moved on to Hollywood, and for Ted Collins, who discovered Smith in that show, and became her loyal friend and business partner for the rest of her long career.

While Stephanie Blythe is primarily an opera singer, her phenomenal voice is well suited to Smith’s repertoire.  Blythe has great charisma and charm and the means to not only belt out a song when necessary, but to scale down and provide the appropriate tenderness when it’s called for.  This was especially evident on “Memories of You” and “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

It was clear the theater was packed with Blythe’s fans; the audience was extremely enthusiastic from beginning to end.  Blythe has a strong presence, a delightful sense of humor, and a directness that communicated every nuance and feeling for each song. The connection to her pianist Craig Terry was equally impressive.  An exceptional accompanist, his resumé is deep and eclectic. He was a perfect complement.

Blythe ended the show with “God Bless America,” the anthem most associated with Kate Smith, and obviously what the audience wanted to hear. If our government should ever decide to finance the cost of our role as protector of the world by selling bonds again, they could not do better than to recruit Stephanie Blythe. She has what it takes and the campaign might not take very long.  Using Blythe’s own words to describe what music has done for her, it would be a good way to “pay it back.”

Jerry Osterberg
Cabaret Scenes
February 16, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org