Blonde ambition

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Michelle Collier sings "Shaking the Blues Away" and
"Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry"
at The Cabaret Project open mic night
May 15, 2013

Who: Michelle Collier
What: A Tribute to the Hollywood Blondes
Where: The Bistro at Grand Center, St. Louis
When: May 16, 2013

If it were possible to bottle and resell whatever powers Michelle Collier's A Tribute to the Hollywood Blondes show, the nation would never experience an energy shortage.

An ebullient and engaging performer with a fine voice and impressive dance moves, Ms. Collier (a St. Louis native) got the hometown crowd on her side from the start with Maury Yeston’s “I Want to Go to Hollywood” (from Grand Hotel) and kept them there through her finale, Jule Styne and Leo Robin’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Along the way we got a cheerfully informative traversal of over a dozen songs associated with some of the brightest and (in some cases) brassiest blondes of the silver screen, from Ginger Rogers (Berlin’s “Let Yourself Go” from Follow the Fleet in 1936) to Renee Zellweger (“Roxie” from Chicago, 2002).

This was a show that pulled off the neat trick of maintaining a consistently high energy level while maintaining a nice sense of pacing and variety. The strategic placement of ballads like Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner’s “Too Late Now” (from Royal Wedding, where it was sung by Jane Powell) and Meredith Willson’s “Good Night, My Someone” (The Music Man, Shirley Jones) certainly helped in that regard, but mostly the credit goes to Ms. Collier’s ability to be energetic without ever seeming frenetic. A self-described “up-tempo gal,” Ms. Collier clearly knows her where her strengths lie and how to make the most of them.

Michelle Collier sings "Too Late Now"
at The Cabaret Project open mic
May 15, 2013

Perhaps the most obvious of those strengths is her comic ability, hilariously displayed in songs like Johnny Mercer and Victor Schertzinger’s “Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry” (which demonstrates that only a real dancer can be clumsy in a truly funny way) and “I’m Tired,” the classic Dietrich send-up from Blazing Saddles. Throw in what appears to be a genuine sense of sheer joy in the act of performing, and you have an irresistible combination.

I also appreciated the fact that Hollywood Blondes was informative as well as entertaining. I’m an unabashed fan of the cabaret act that focuses on the music, its creators, and its cultural context, so I found the biographical bits on the women who introduced these songs nearly as enjoyable as the songs themselves. Ms. Collier cannily gave a background sketch of each performer before naming her, turning each each one into a kind of trivia question. As an audience engagement technique, it was both effective and fun.

Accompanying Ms. Collier were the redoubtable Carol Schmidt on piano, Ric Vice on acoustic bass, and Clancy Newell on drums. They all had chances to shine in solos and as a combo played with a polish that was quite impressive, given the brief rehearsal period they had with Ms. Collier and her arrangements. There’s a reason you see the names of these musicians so often on cabaret programs; they’re quick studies and they pay attention to each other and to the star.

Thanks to Robert Breig’s Mariposa Artists for bringing Michelle Collier back to her old hometown. One hopes there will be more such visits in the future. Meanwhile, Mariposa’s next presentation is Palm Springs-based singer Jerome Elliot’s My Favorite Springs at The Chapel Venue on Saturday, June 29th; see brownpapertickets.com for details.

Song list for A Tribute to the Hollywood Blondes, including the actress who introduced each song:

1. Maury Yeston: I Want to Go to Hollywood (Grand Hotel, 1989; the only song not from a film)
2. Irving Berlin: Let Yourself Go (Follow the Fleet, 1936) (Ginger Rogers)
3. Harry Warren and Mac Gordon: Down Argentine Way (1940) (Betty Grable)
4. Johnny Mercer and Victor Schertzinger: Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry (The Fleet’s In, 1942) (Betty Hutton)
5. Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner: Too Late Now (Royal Wedding, 1951) (Jane Powell)
6. Cyril Mockridge and Leigh Harline: I’m Gonna Stake My Claim (River of No Return, 1954) (Marilyn Monroe)
7. Andre Previn and Comden and Green: Thanks a Lot But No Thanks (It’s Always Fair Weather, 1955) (Dolores Gray)
8. Irving Berlin: Shaking the Blues Away (Love or Leave Me, 1955; originally recorded by Ruth Ettig in 1927) (Doris Day)
9. Rodgers and Hammerstein: Honey Bun (South Pacific, 1958) (Mitzi Gaynor)
10. Meredith Willson: Goodnight My Someone (The Music Man, 1962) (Shirley Jones)
11. Mel Brooks: I’m Tired (Blazing Saddles, 1974) (Madeline Kahn)
12. John Farrar: Hopelessly Devoted to You (Grease, 1978) (Olivia Newton-John)
13. Shel Silverstein: I’m Checkin’ Out (Of This Heatrbreak Hotel) (Postcards from the Edge, 1990) (Meryl Streep)
14. Kander and Ebb: Roxie (Chicago, 2002) (Renee Zellweger)
15. Jule Styne and Leo Robin: Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953) (Marilyn Monroe)

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of March 21, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

The Bistro at Grand Center presents A Cabaret Evening featuring Shirely Aschinger, Kevin Cherry, Kari Donovan, Erica Perlow and Charlene Reimann with music direction by Carol Schmidt on Saturday, March 23, at 8 PM. ”This original evening of songs - some you will know, some that will be new to you - will entertain and touch you.” Tim Schall directs. The Bistro is at 3536 Washington Blvd in Grand Center. The showcase is the finale of an eight-week cabaret performance workshop taught by Tim and Carol, so you know it's going to be polished. For more information: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/351510.

Peabody Opera House presents A Chorus Line Thursday through Sunday, March 21-23. Well, who doesn't like A Chorus Line? And, as I have said before, the Peabody is one of the best places in town for musical theatre. For more information, visit peabodyoperahouse.com or call 314-622-5420.

Union Avenue Opera presents La Vie de Bohème on Saturday, March 24, at 7 PM. It's an evening of dinner, drinks, and entertainment by UAO artists and takes place at Dressel's Pub, 419 N. Euclid in the Central West End. Union Avenue has an impressive track record of producing quality opera in a difficult space. They deserve our support. For more information: unionavenueopera.org.

Held over:

Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Next to Normal Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through March 23. "From the composer of High Fidelity comes the most adult, most mature rock musical to hit Broadway in decades, an unrelentingly intense, brutally honest – and often, darkly funny – story about a bipolar woman and the family that grapples with her illness, all set to a hard driving rock and roll score that explodes with raw, searing emotion. Rolling Stone called it 'the best new musical of the season – by a mile.'” I saw the national tour of this show at the Fox in April of 2011 and was very much taken with it. In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Laura Kyro praises "the amazing acting and singing by all members of the cast." Performances take place at the Washington University South Campus Theatre, 6501 Clayton Road. For more information, call 314-534-1111.

©Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents Venus in Fur through March 24. “Vanda is determined to land the lead in Venus in Fur, a new play based on a classic erotic novel. Her emotionally charged audition for the playwright/director unexpectedly becomes an electrifying and dangerous game of cat and mouse that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex.” Performances take place in the studio theatre at the Loretto-Hlton Center, 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves, MO. For more information, call 314-968-4925 or visit repstl.org. As I note in my review for 88.1 KDHX, the script could do with a bit of trimming but "overall it's a classic example of the 'well-made play' a la Terrence Rattigan or J.B. Priestly." Performances and direction are first-rate.

The Fox Theatre presents the drama War Horse through March 24. "A heartwarming drama about the unlikely bond between a hoarse and his young master, War Horse also boasts itself with its marvelous horse puppets intricately crafted by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company. No play in Broadway has ever roused audiences’ emotions with such vivid and lifelike imagery and stimulating scenic designs and a story that reminds us that unwavering dedication, bravery and friendship is timeless and universal other than this modern theatrical masterpiece." The show is also a powerful indictment of the insanity and brutality of mechanized warfare. We saw this in London last fall and were very much impressed. In his review for 88.1 KDHX, Steve Callahan describes War Horse as "visually and aurally stunning." The Fox Theatre is at 527 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: fabulousfox.com.