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| Author | Topic: Raleigh concert |
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 leebee
Registered User
Registered:
1/19/2004
Fav. BP Song: Being Alive
Fav. BP Show: Sunday In The Park With George
| posted: 5/13/2007 at 10:27:43 AM ET
We were hit with one of those great Southern thunder storms last night, and the drive to Raleigh was practically under water. Lots of motorists with the blinkers on, driving 30MPH below the speed limit. Still, we made it in time to have a 5$ cabernet served in a plastic cup before the show. Fantastic seats on the aisle very close to the stage.
The concert was your typical pops concert format; the orchestra played a short program of light classics, an intermission, and then a slightly abbreviated version of a Bernadette concert. The first act was actually pretty interesting; a very nicely done medley from Gypsy, a kind of dull textbookish Irving Berlin medley, and a wacky arrangement of Sondheim's "Comedy Tonight" (with goofy pennywhistles, cartoonish percussion effects and gastric accident-like tuba accents) that the audience really liked. The orchestra was all decked out in white tuxedos, which I had never seen them do before.
The audience was made up of plenty of ancient symphony patrons who seemed to have only the vaguest idea of who Bernadette is, but there was a sizeable contingent of younger people who were obviously BP/Broadway fans, very happy to be there. After Marvin zipped through the overture, Bernadette bounced on, stage left, and nailed the best "Let Me Entertain You" I've heard her do yet. There have been times when it felt like she and the orchestra took a verse or so to settle into synch, or the whole thing felt rushed, but this time it was right on the beat and she belted it out. Quite a start. The next number was completely different. Barely a verse into No One Is Alone, she became tearful and wiped her face a few times, and sang with a clipped reservation that was kind of startling to me. This version featured a nice cello part along with Marvin's piano, really beautiful. Sensing that the mood was getting a bit heavy, she turned up the funny for Nothing Like a Dame, and it was amazing to see how a real performer can totally turn an audience around. She got big laughs at individual lines and little facial expressions, and amped up the coquette factor in her dancing to great affect. Then she even told a joke that she said Eli Wallach had told her (it's an old joke - the punch line is "so the old guy thinks for a minute and says, "I'll take the soup"). The fun spirit continued through Fever, the Romeo and Juliet bit getting a big laugh, a huge crowd pleaser. The audience loved all of her remarks about the weather and her hair, "this is my back", etc.
She zipped through Gentleman Is a Dope so frantically that she actually lost her place for a moment, repeated herself and very cleverly saved it without even looking at Marvin's baton - I could easily imagine a lesser performer would have completely lost it.
Some Enchanted Evening was just jaw droppingly beautiful.
Shenandoah was done with a sort of minimalist piano part that seemed different to me, and the heavy mood returned again. "With So Little To Be Sure Of" was done with a full orchestra arrangement that completely filled the room, and I was reminded again why this is probably one of my favorite songs ever written. She was very visibly tearful again in Not a Day Goes By, and at the end of the song she stood very still for a rather long time, starring straight up, closed her eyes slowly and turned around to the piano without saying a word. After some big gulps of water, she talked about Sondhiem for a bit and changed gears for a superb, hilarious Drive a Person Crazy and a storming "Being Alive" that got a genuinely spontaneous standing ovation.
She should have been exhausted, but Rose's Turn tapped some reserve of energy that made it as forceful as ever. It was like the Tonys performance all over again, maybe better. She stood right in front of us, whipped around and did that bit where she smooths her hands over her backside and looks at you over her shoulder. "I'll bet you liked that!" my spouse said. (I did). Count Your Blessings sent us home on a sweet note.
At least three times on the way out I heard the comment "well the program says she made her Broadway debut in 1967, so she must be....50ish?"
For much of the show, Bernadette seemed to intentionally sing slightly behind the beat, almost like a jazz singer, with a bit more swing. There were some small imperfections, I wondered a few times if she might have a cold or if the emotional moments were taxing her voice, and she worked a little harder to control the flow. But it is things like this that make a performance really unique and truly remarkable. I give it an A+++.
Took two and a half rolls of pics. Maybe I can get some of them up later today.
| Karen
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2002 | posted: 5/13/2007 at 10:44:18 AM ET
Thanks, leebee. Beautiful review.
| leebee
Registered User
Registered:
1/19/2004
Fav. BP Song: Being Alive
Fav. BP Show: Sunday In The Park With George
| posted: 5/13/2007 at 11:15:47 PM ET
Sent a few pics to the photo album tonight, should be up soon.
I didn't mention it in my long winded review, but of course she sang Unexpected Song and Children Will Listen, both letter perfect. I think that covers all the song titles!
| Karen
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2002 | posted: 5/13/2007 at 11:23:06 PM ET
We like long-winded here--the longer-winded the better!
|  Colleen
Registered User
Registered:
9/20/2006
From:
Michigan | posted: 5/14/2007 at 12:59:24 AM ET
Wonderful review leebee...I'm so excited for Thursday! I can't believe it's almost here!!
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