Melissa Errico (vocals); Tedd Firth(piano, musical director); David Finck (bass); Eric Halvorson (drums)
There
was a musical homecoming this past Friday night at the Landmark Theater in Port
Washington, NY. Tony Award-nominated vocalist, actress, and award-winning author,
Melissa Errico – who grew up in the area – performed selections which appear on
her newest release, I Can Dream, Can’t I? - Illusions and
Conversations from the Great American Songbook (Three Graces Music, 2026). Backed
by a highly-engaged rhythm section, the artist held a near-full house in awe for
two hours non-stop, diving deeply into the romantic aspects and poignancy of
the Great American Songbook material.
After a very warm introduction by her husband, tennis great Patrick McEnroe – also a former local - Errico, radiantly beautiful and elegantly coiffed and attired, opened with a lively, yet sexy take on Cy Coleman’s catchy When in Rome (do as the Romans do). It set the upbeat, enthusiastic tone for the evening. She segued into I’m Old Fashioned, delivering Johnny Mercer’s lyrics with Astaire-like flair. All in Fun from the Broadway play Very Warm for May was a perfect vehicle for Errico’s lyric versatility. She took the story tune that depicts romance within New York Nightlife and drew every ounce of wit and irony from it.
Errico was beautifully love-crazy on Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields’ touching ballad, Remind Me. It was a highlight among many in the evening. On Rogers and Hammerstein’s quirky The Gentleman is a Dope, she showed Sarah Vaughn-like sass and Ella Fitzgerald swing. As many songs from Brazil have become embraced into the GAS, Errico plucked a plum with Like a Lover (originally titled O Cantador, penned by Dori Caymmi, and released in the States by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66).
She covered the Bacharach-like
selection and the Bergmans’ English lines in fine fashion. Joni Mitchell’s Both
Sides Now, a bit of a pop outlier among the evening’s GASbookers, was rendered
balladic – and beautiful. Stephen Sondheim’s With So Little to Be Sure Of
had Errico at her Broadway best and was a marvelous moment. After You, Who? From
Cole Porter closed the curtain with Errico’s fine interpretation, demonstrating
the song’s sophistication and its lyrics’ obvious devotion to love and romance.
Errico,
a vibrant, resonant soprano who is more Broadway than Birdland, demonstrated
impeccable intonation, dynamic depth, killer terminal vibrato, and vividly dramatic
chops. She was never sappy, being totally engaged and respectful in the nuances
of the melodies and lyrics she carried. At times, her lovely ballad renditions were
so emotionally engaging that her decrescendos and tacets had the audience’s
heartbeats the only “noticeable” sounds.
One
element of the performance that played into the all-things-love-and-romance
theme of the evening was Errico’s presenting brief readings from Mon Cher
Amour: The Love Letters of Albert Camus and Maria Casares. That was
a production stroke of genius as the spoken preludes added poetic wonder to the
songs that followed.
The
trio of pianist/musical director, Tedd Firth, David Finck and Eric Halvorson framed
Errico with marvelous taste and appropriate restraint. Firth, a celebrated
accompanist (who also performs with GAS king, Michael Feinstein) was brilliant
in his role. His keys sparkled and his comping and counterpoints to the
vocalist were superb. Finck and Halvorsen kept Rolex time with taste and volume
restraint. They enhanced the artist, shining throughout the evening.
Errico’s
performance at the Landmark was, to use an archaic Broadway term, boffo.
This homecoming queen not only held her court spellbound, but, gave that adoring
audience a new and exciting perception about these well-known songs. It was a
performance that, like its gilded content, won’t soon be forgotten. Nick Mondello
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