from THE BEVERLY HILLS OUTLOOK - July, 2006
OH, HOW I HATE TO GET UP IN THE MORNING WITHOUT BENJAMIN & CHAPMAN
REVIEWED BY DORIAN
When you were a kid, did you enjoy the anticipatory thrill of zooming down a really high slide on the playground? I sure did. The feeling of accomplishment, completion when you reach the bottom, and the overpowering urge to do it again and again? That's what I feel in my gut listening to Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman - can't get enough of them! Theirs is a happy marriage of voice, song, piano and patter - a delightful showcase of talent - as they took us on a journey through the quiet, the quirky, the emotional, the patriotic and the plain joyful on successive evenings devoted to Songwriters And Their Songs series.
On one evening we had a presentation of Livingston and Evans with Ray Evans to help guide us through his collaborations with Jay Livingston, sprinkled with anecdotal information. At 91, Evans is a remarkable presence with remarkable memories of the music he wrote with Livingston (who has gone on to songwriters' heaven). With a legacy of three Oscars (and robbed of at least 5 more), Karen and Alan opened with "Bing Bang Bong" - unforgettable for its lyrics. What, you don't remember this one? Neither did we. Ah, but then they melted our hearts with "Almost In Your Arms" from "Houseboat" (with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren), and Ray recounted how the song came to be composed and how on Oscar night "Gigi"trounced it. Also that "Houseboat" was his favorite film and how he fell in love with Sophia Loren - like what man didn't?
But then the Golden Statuette smiled upon them for "Buttons and Bows," written for Bob Hope and Jane Russell in "The Paleface." The other two Oscar winners were "Mona Lisa" (originally titled "Prima Donna"!) and "Que Sera Sera" - think Nat King Cole and Doris Day, but no more: they never heard Karen with her silken voice, deceptively low pitched, then reaching lyric soprano heights. The chandeliers were a-shakin', I tell ya', and there warn't no chandeliers. Sitting with friends in a rather uncomfortable arena, we all forgot any discomfort and also forgot to breathe lest a note be missed. Even the venerable Ray Evans was clearly enchanted with the diva - and diva she was (it even says so on her license plate).
I heard all the songs presented, from the divine ("To Each His Own") to the questionable ("Chomp A Diddy, Chomp A Diddy, Chomp, Chomp, Chomp"). Many of the composers' songs were nominated for an Academy Award, but only the three won. "Chim Chim Cheree" won over "Dear Hearts," for example. "Silver Bells" (composed for "The Lemon Drop Kid" with Bob Hope) was originally titled "Tinkle Bells" but the title was quickly changed. The sweetest song of all won no awards, only hearts: "How Can I Tell Him?"
We were positively overwhelmed with the sublime musicality. Alan's bon mots, comments and historical references just made the evening sparkle. The best thing they do is bring full power and attention to every single piece of music, whether or not it was a blockbuster. You get a history of how it came to be composed, why it remains favored and some charming heretofore unknown tidbit they choose to share with you.
A few nights later, we attended the Irving Berlin Songfest at the same venue: Steinway Hall on the P2 level of Fields Pianos on Pico at Bundy. Born in Russia as Isadore Baline, Berlin came to the U.S. at age 5. He couldn't read or write music - ever - and used musical secretaries to notate. Not bad for this prolific composer. His list begins (for me) with "(I'll Be Loving You) Always," "Cheek to Cheek," "Easter Parade," "White Christmas" (winning an Oscar, plus 6 other Academy Award nominations), "How Deep Is The Ocean," "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm," "Oh, How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning," "A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody," "Puttin' On The Ritz," "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails," "What'll I Do?" "Blue Skies," and the brilliant "God Bless America."
There is no adequate way to describe the depth of feeling evoked by memory, nostalgia and just plain heart-wrenching emotion listening to the range of music so presented and the anecdotal references that bring the music alive as well as resurrecting the composers. The Benjamin/Chapman team (on stage and in real life) is indescribable and incandescent. I dislike using so much hyperbole to express the power and potency of this cabaret duo, but there it is. People, they are plainly sensational and easy on the eyes as well. If you love good old-fashioned music with words you can understand, with unsurpassed musicality, do not ever miss an opportunity to hear this amazing twosome. Their next gig is on Wednesday, July 26 at 8:00pm, Steinway Hall, when they will present the songs of George Gershwin. How can you possibly not attend? Check their website: karenandalan.com for tickets and information.
