Review: The joy of stride with Judy Carmichael and Chris Flory

This review originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Judy Carmichael

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As Al Joslon once sang to Jimmy Durante, "It's a thrill when a real piano player sits down at the keys." Last Friday, November 11, at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, singer, songwriter, Sirius/SM radio host, and stride pianist extraordinaire Judy Carmichael showed that ol' Joley knew what he was talking about.

Because, make no mistake, Ms. Carmichael is a real piano player. She's got the powerful left hand you need for that strong octave/chord alternation that characterizes the bass line of the stride style along with a nimble right for all the flashy stuff. She dove into the long instrumental jams with her performing partner, guitarist Chris Flory, with a cheerful gusto that was positively infectious. Even her one blues number--"Boisdale Blues," a Carmichael original--was accurately billed as a "very happy blues" that takes its title from a London restaurant chain where Ms. Carmichael likes to play.

In fact, if this show was about anything it was about the joy of making music. You could see it in the little verbal asides between her and Mr. Flory and you could absolutely hear it in the endless invention and unflagging virtuosity of her keyboard style. Like so many of the great pianists, Ms. Carmichael treated those 88 keys as simple extensions of her fingers; a thought became music with the speed of neural transmission.

Ms. Carmichael is also a witty songwriter, as evidence by original numbers like the "Take Me Back to Machu Picchu" ("Where have you gone, my love hypnotic? / Remember when you weren't neurotic?") and "My Manhattan." She wrote the latter when she first moved from California to the Big Apple of which, as she reminded us, Ed Koch once said "if you're one in a million, there are ten of you in New York." Her lyrics and the music of her composing partner, Harry Allen, combine to create the kind of hip, "jazz patter" numbers I associate with Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross.

There were more quiet numbers in the show, of course, including a sensitive performance of the too rarely heard "The Lamp is Low," with Mitchell Parish's lyrics grafted on to Ravel's serene Pavane pour une infante défunte. But for the most part this was an evening that brought smiles of pleasure and frequent applause for the virtuosity on display.

The fall edition of The Presenters Dolan's Gaslight Cabaret Festival concluded last Saturday, but Jim Dolan continues to produce cabaret acts on an ongoing basis in The Emerald Room at The Monocle in the Grove. Ms. Carmichael, meanwhile, continues to tour.

St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of November 7, 2016

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First Run Theatre presents the 2016 Spectrum One-Act Play Festival Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, November 11 - 20. This year's plays are Placebo Effect and Reunion by David Hawley; The Technicians by Robert Stevenson; Most Real by Colin Percival McLaughlin; A Pride of Dummies and And They All Lived Happily Ever After Joe Wegescheide; Fartocalypse by Dan Viggers; and Fear of Mediocrity by Nathan R. Hinds. Performances take place in the Thomas Hunter Theatre at DeSmet Jesuit High School, 233 N New Ballas Road. For more information, call (314) 352-5114 or visit www.firstruntheatre.com.

The 2015 cast of All is Calm
Photo: John Lamb

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the a cappella musical All is Calm Thursdays through Sundays, November 11-December 11. “Join us in celebrating the power of peace in this acapella musical based on the true story of soldiers during World War I who for one night, put down their arms and played soccer instead of exchanging bullets.” Performances take place at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

The Hawthorne Players present the comedy Driving Miss Daisy through November 13. " Having recently demolished another car, Daisy Werthan, a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow of seventy-two, is informed by her son, Boolie, that henceforth she must rely on the services of a chauffeur. The person he hires for the job is a thoughtful, unemployed black man, Hoke, whom Miss Daisy immediately regards with disdain and who, in turn, is not impressed with his employer's patronizing tone and, he believes, her latent prejudice. The performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 921-5678 or visit hawthorneplayers.info.

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble presents Cuddles Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., November 9 - 12. " Eve is a young vampire. Tabby is her sister. Tabby makes the rules. Eve has never left her room. All she knows about the world comes from Tabby and from Eve's storybook characters. Eve does everything a good little vampire girl should do; including drinking Tabby's blood when she has to. But one day, Tabby tires of opening her veins, her heart, and in a breath, Eve's world changes. " Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

The Playhouse at Westport Plaza presents the satirical musical revue Forbidden Broadway running through November 13. "Look out Broadway, we're back! New Season - New Victims - New Laughs! Just when Broadway thought it was safe from the poison pen of funny-man Gerard Alessandrini, Forbidden Broadway returns, sharper and more hilarious than ever! This year's targets include Pippin, Kinky Boots, Les Miz, Matilda, joining favorites including Wicked and The Book of Mormon." The Playhouse at Westport Plaza is at 635 West Port Plaza. For more information: westportstl.com.

Rebel and Misfits Productions presents Hamlet: See What I See, the first project in a series called The Immersive Theatre Project, November 12 through 18. The show features an adapted script of William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Performances take place at the Barnett On Washington, Grand Center. The show begins with a cocktail hour at 7:00 PM and audiences can expect direct contact with characters from the show throughout the evening as part of the immersive theatre experience. For more information: www.theimmersivetheatreproject.com.

Judy Carmichael

The Presenters Dolan presents pianist Judy Carmichael on Friday, November 11, at 8 p.m. as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "Grammy-nominated Judy Carmichael, one of the world's leading interpreters of stride piano, is a flat-out wonderful entertainer - singing, playing or talking. Judy hosts her own weekly show "Judy Carmichael's Jazz Inspired" on SiriusXM, Public Radio and podcast. Count Basie nicknamed her "Stride," acknowledging the command with which she plays this technically and physically demanding jazz piano style. Judy has appeared frequently on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, and has been featured on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, Entertainment Tonight and CBS' Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt and now with Charles Osgood." The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The West End Players Guild opens their 106th season with the world premiere of Manifest / Destiny by Vladimir Zelevinsky Thursday through Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2 PM, November 10 - 13. "In a year when America's immigration history and policies have been front-and-center in political conversations, Zelevinsky's play is especially timely and insightful. An ensemble cast playing dozens of roles offers poignant vignettes of the love and suffering, bravery and betrayal endured by four centuries-worth of immigrants fleeing the Old World for a chance to reinvent themselves in the new one. " Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union at Enright in the Central West End. For more information, call 314-367-0025 or visit www.westendplayers.org.

Ken Haller

The Presenters Dolan presents Ken Haller in The Medicine Show on Saturday, November 12, at 8 p.m. as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. " Ken Haller's shows have been described as "touching," "hilarious," "intimate," and "tremendously entertaining." In The Medicine Show, where "miracle cures" are peddled, Ken weaves songs as diverse as "The Physician" (Cole Porter), "Someone to Fall Back on," (Jason Robert Brown), "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir" (Stephen Sondheim) and more, into a narrative of how becoming a doctor is only the first step toward becoming a healer." The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally through November 13. "Time stopped for Katharine the day her son died of AIDS. Twenty years later, she seeks out his former partner, Cal, only to discover that he has a husband and a six-year-old son. As she and Cal explore memories of someone they both loved, Katharine begins a rocky journey toward reconciliation with the side of her son that she never understood." Performances take place in the studio theater at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org.

Act Two Theatre presents Nuncrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical through November 13. "The Nunsense Christmas Musical, NUNCRACKERS, is presented as the first TV special taped in the Cable Access Studio built by Reverend Mother in the convent basement. It stars the nuns you love, plus Father Virgil, and four of Mount Saint Helen's most talented students. Featuring all new songs including Twelve Days Prior to Christmas, Santa Ain't Comin' to Our House, We Three Kings of Orient Are Us and It's Better to Give than to Receive, this show is filled with typical NUNSENSE humor, some of your favorite carols, and a “Secret Santa” audience participation. We're certain this NUNSENSE Christmas Show will make you laugh, and maybe tug at your heartstrings. It's the perfect way to ensure that your holiday season is merry and bright!" Performances take place in the St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre at 1 St Peters Centre Blvd, St. Peters, MO 63376. For more information: act2theater.com.

Kirkwood Theatre Guild presents comedy Steel Magnolias through November 13. "The celebrated Southern classic of family and friendship, this is the story of a group of strong and beautiful women who cluster around Truvy's Beauty Parlow in a small Louisiana parish. The story centers on Shelby, who moves fro wedding to childbirth to medical complications with a love of live and a willingness to face its possibilities bravely with support from steely southern sisterhood." Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre of the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road. For more information, call 314-821-9956 or visit ktg-onstage.org.

Mara Bollini

The Emerald Room at the Monocle and The Presenters Dolan present singer Mara Bollini in Taking Chances on Friday, November 11, at 7 p.m. "A native of St. Louis, Mara Bollini has had the privilege of singing and dancing her way across stages throughout the area for decades. “Taking Chances,” Bollini's new cabaret show, is an artistically crafted journey blending music from across the ages as well as musical genres. Carol Schmidt is pianist and music director for the show, which is directed by Tim Schall." The performance takes place in the Emerald Room at The Monocle, 4510 Manchester in the Grove neighborhood. For more information: themonoclestl.com.

The Theatre Guild of Webster Groves presents the thriller Wait Until Dark Friday through Sunday, November 11 - 13. "A sinister con man, Roat, and two ex-convicts, Mike and Carlino, are about to meet their match. They have traced the location of a mysterious doll, which they are much interested in, to the Greenwich Village apartment of Sam Hendrix and his blind wife, Susy." Performances take place in the Guild theatre at Newport and Summit in Webster Groves, MO. For more information: theatreguildwg.org or call 314-962-0876.

St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley presents the drama The Woolgatherer through November 12. Performances take place in the Fisher Theatre on the campus at 3400 Pershall Road. For more information, www.stlcc.edu/fv or call 314-644-5522.

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Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.