December 1, 2004
CABARET REVIEW; A Jazzy Gloss on Astaire in Old New York
By STEPHEN HOLDENGliding against the Manhattan skyline in top hat and tails, his modest voice suave and friendly, Fred Astaire may represent the ultimate antidote to an agitated pop climate dominated by beat-driven boasts. That may be the reason two superb tributes to Astaire are playing simultaneously: they're needed for relief.
The newer one, ''Singing Astaire: A Fred Astaire Songbook,'' is a swift, invigorating pop-jazz revue at Birdland. It reunites Eric Comstock, a polished Astaire vocal acolyte and pianist, with the pop-jazz singer Hilary Kole and with Christopher Gines, a curly-headed crooner with the vocal cream of the early Sinatra. Together with Andrea Marcovicci's intensely romantic tribute at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel, the shows offer yin-yang perspectives on a legend.
The approach of Mr. Comstock and his partners, who collaborated on the revue ''Our Sinatra,'' is more down to earth and jazzy. Mr. Comstock notes that in 1952 Astaire teamed with the pianist Oscar Peterson to record a classic jazz album of the songs he made famous. As ''Singing Astaire,'' directed by Michael Bourne, glosses nearly 30 numbers, it avoids shuffling the performers into stiff, uncomfortable poses that makes so many revues look like human puppet shows.
The chemistry among the three singers (backed by bass and drums) is smooth as a 1940's movie fantasy. Mr. Comstock, understated but articulate, swinging but intelligent, and Ms. Kole, sexy with a sharp-edged hint of brass in her voice, rub together much like Astaire and Ginger Rogers, recalling Katharine Hepburn's remark about the duo that he gave her class and she gave him sex.
Each of the three has an outstanding solo turn with many duets and trios in between. Mr. Comstock's moody ''Something's Gotta Give'' finds the interior life in a cheery summons to a romantic joust. Ms. Kole's ''Night and Day'' locates the desperation and impatience lurking in Cole Porter's besotted lyrics. And Mr. Gines builds ''My Shining Hour'' into a stately pop aria.
''Singing Astaire'' culminates with a medley of songs about dancing
that picks up the show's pulse and musically ends it in a whirl of giddy
but controlled breathlessness, one foot off the ground.
''Singing
Astaire'' continues at Birdland, 315 West 44th Street in Clinton, through
Jan. 9.
