Stephen Holden Turns It Out: Metaphors on Speed
Cabaret Review. How my heart leaps when I see those two words in the Arts Section of the NY Times. I don’t always clamor for Stephen Holden’s film criticism, but it’s a different story when it comes to his thoughts on the supper-room stylings of Eartha Kitt, Keely Smith, the late Bobby Short, and others. I just can’t get enough.
Here’s an example from today’s review of “A Fine Romance,” the KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler tribute to lyricist Dorothy Fields at the Oak Room:
The clever, knowledgeable show unfolds as a breathless rush of verbal and musical banter. Mr. Nadler, a hawk-nosed beanpole who furiously crunches the piano, sings and plays some ukulele, is as jumpy as a marionette on speed. Ms. Sullivan, a voluptuous slice of strawberry shortcake with kewpie-doll eyes, a frayed semi-operatic soprano and a mastery of the slow comic take, is the whoopie cushion on which he rests his head.
Dorothy Fields Forever: A Centennial Tribute at the Algonquin