Andrea Marcovicci Sings Fred Astaire

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Andrea Marcovici -- premiere cabaret singerHeaven, I'm in Heaven…

I saw the most wonderful cabaret performer at the downstairs cabaret space at ACT in Seattle -- Andrea Marcovicci, the self-proclaimed "chatty chanteuse". Hard to believe, but this was the first (and so far only time) that this particular space had been used for a cabaret. I reserved a private table right next to the small stage, which held a piano, a bass, flowers, a framed photo of Fred Astaire and a microphone. The show hadn't even started and it felt like a wildly civilized way to spend a Saturday night!

Andrea Marcovicci has had a long career as a cabaret singer, and is well known for her shows at The Algonquin in New York. She devoted this particular show, "Andrea Sings Astaire" to the songs first introduced to the American public by her absolutely favorite singer, Fred Astaire. Now I remember missing days and days of school to stay home (feigning illness) to watch the Fred and Ginger movies that were always on PBS. And in addition to the amazing dancing, I do remember loving the way he sang these incredible songs, like "Night and Day", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", and "The Continental", "Cheek To Cheek", now standards in the "American Popular Song Book." He sang them like her really meant it, like he really meant what the song was saying. Songs from his movies -- Flying Down To Rio, The Gay Divorcee, and Top Hat -- to name just a few.

Andrea Marcovici is a mesmerizing performer -- the way she sings the songs luxuriously, meaning each and every word, and the way she weaves stories and anecdotes. She was very nostalgic for those golden years, a classier time, a more elegant time. Her parents were avid ballroom dancers (her dad was the one who taught Arthur Murray to reverse direction) and were always going out in top hat and tails and lovely long gowns. Her father was known as "the waltzing doctor". That was the age of Fred and Ginger. Sigh.

At the end of the show, the piano player came up to me and said I must really know all the songs, since he could see me mouthing all the words. Oops. My Bad!

It was just a glorious evening. We got signed CDs after the show and decided to bring our two girls back the following week. They loved the show and of course were the only kids in the audience. Andrea made a wonderful fuss over them, which added to their enjoyment!

She is currently playing in The Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel (how classy is that!) through January 12 and has a new CD out -- Andrea Marcovicci Sings Rodgers and Hart. She has an awesome website (marcovicci.com) with cool pics of her parents too!

Go and see her now!

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By Suzy Conn on November 25, 2007 10:59 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)


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