COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, REVIEWS AND ESSAYS
On Friday, June 20th I saw Amy Beth Williams ‘Crazy To Love You’ show at 7:00 pm at DON’T TELL MAMA (343 West 46th Street, NYC – 212-757-0788 – ). Daryl Kojak serves as musical director, and the show was directed by Tanya Moberly.
The first thing I noticed about Amy Beth Williams (even before she flashed her winning smile) was the smoky voice that greeted us in her opening number – Leonard Cohen’s ‘Crazy to Love You’ – the title song. She had capture me immediately! The second thing (besides that winning smile) was the ease with which she combined her vocal skills with her comedy skills. The third thing was that smile. Not all the songs were funny, not all the songs were serious, but that smile came through again and again, to remind us that “everything was ok, and a lot was just in jest”.
Amy Beth seemed to pick a lot of my favorites – as though she could read my mind. One does not often hear “I Cover The Waterfront” these days (I have fond memories of Phyllis Pastore singing this number at the old Upstairs, Downstairs in the Village). This 1933 gem was paired with another nautical song from 2009 – Teresa Tudury’s “When The Wind Blows Up” then followed by “She Must Be Beautiful” (2000) from Janis Ian and Kye Fleming. They were neatly tied together by the terrific talents of MD Daryl Kojak.
And so it went through the delightful song list – songs that stretched from1933 to 2012 – melded together into a package of love (the crazy kind) and filled with pleasant surprises. Ms Williams seemed destined to be the next Kaye Ballard – you love her instantly (in a crazy kind of way).