Two regular transatlantic visitors to famed Chelsea cabaret room The Pheasantry, evergreen Broadway star Christine Andreas and Los Angeles pianist-singer-songwriter Michele Brourman, have brought out stunning CDs that are well worth a listen.
Andreas, who took over from Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle in the 1976 Broadway My Fair Lady and later was Tony-nominated for Oklahoma! and On Your Toes, still has the magical purity of voice of 40 years ago.
She has recorded the tribute show to Edith Piaf which she and her composer-husband Martin Silvestri brought to The Pheasantry in October.
Most of Piaf’s songs are rendered in perfect French which is quite a feat as Andreas doesn’t speak a word of that language outside this material which she learned from Piaf’s tapes, copying all the French inflections as well as the accent.
All the Piaf favourites are on the CD – among them ‘Hymne a l’Amour’, ‘Autumn Leaves’, the Brel masterpiece ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’ and of course ‘La Vie en Rose’ and ‘Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien’. The set finishes off with a rousing ‘Milord’.
The big difference is that while hubby Silvestri played piano and accordion as sole accompanist at The Pheasantry, Andreas has a 33-strong orchestra backing her on the CD which was recorded in London.
Brourman was at ‘The Phez’ in June, first as accompanist to her great friends Amanda McBroom and Ann Hampton Callaway, then in her own show The Price of Love.
The title song is a real weepy sure to resonate with all animal lovers. The price they pay is the inevitability of having to lose their beloved pets, often over and over again, because of their shorter lifespan. She and McBroom often collaborate on her songs, some of which are quite naughty.
Much liked was the witty ‘You’re Only Old Once’ while of the serious ones ‘Orange Blossoms’, ‘London in the Rain’, ‘Mary Said No’ and the title song stand out in an album you will want to return to again and again.
Both CDs are warmly recommended. Andreas is on PS Classics, an American label. Both are on offer as MP3 albums for download.
Jeremy Chapman
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