Blend a wordsmith like Lorenz Hart with a songsmith like Eric Michael Gillett and you’ve got magic. The Lyrics of Lorenz Hart, featuring an endless well of lyrical jewels, is the theme of Gillett’s latest foray into the musical world of Hart as a debut at 54 Below.
Larry Hart wrote from the heart and it takes an interpreter like Gillett to bring the wondrous lyrics to life; to tell the story of what makes the world go round; what makes us laugh, cry, swoon and moon. It’s what we all crave - - - - -
L O V E!
The cleverness of how Careless Rhapsody (from “By Jupiter”) unfolds, is the story of our lives. Our hearts beat a little faster when we see that certain someone because “The Heart is Quicker Than the Eye,” as we surrender to the emotion “Everything I’ve Got (belongs to you)” - - an old Chris Connor song I used to sing over and over again in the 50s.
The storyline is masterfully told in a series of song medleys, the lyrics written by a man who understood wit and it was especially nice to hear the inclusion of many verses to some of the songs, i.e.”You Took Advantage of Me,” “I Could Write A Book.” From love, relationships, loss and sadness, to finding new love and new heartaches, Gillett mesmerizes his audience with his lyrical savvy, his fine phrasing and acting skills as he pleases and teases.
He soars when he needs to, “Wait Till You See Her,” and simplifies when it’s important, “Little Girl Blue,” to achieve just the right degree of sensitivity.
Accompanied by the nimble-fingered Don Rebic on piano and Dick Sarpola on bass, Gillett’s time on stage flew by and we wanted more, more! And we did get a scrap – a delicious encore of one of his favorites “Sing For Your Supper,” with the addition of three up and coming lovelies - - Eva Kantor, Bailey Means and Marissa Mulder who added their voices and vocal harmonies so perfectly.
You’ve only got one more chance to see Eric Michael Gillett at 54 Below and it’s Wed. Feb. 27th at 7 p.m. Run, do not walk!
Club: (646) 476-3551; to purchase tickets visit TicketWeb.com or call (866) 468-7619
54 Below - 254 W 54th St, Cellar - New York, NY 1001
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