Andrea McCormick: Press

"Broadway" – Andrea McCormick – www.andreamccormick.com

Listeners can't accuse Andrea McCormick of not aiming high with her debut solo recording. On this disc, this talented singer tackles songs that are associated with the likes of Barbra, Liza, Judy and Linda (Streisand, Minnelli, Garland and Eder ). What's most impressive on Broadway is that she uses her smooth, silky and powerful voice to simultaneously pay tribute to these divas while also making each of their songs her own, from the disc's opening track, "The Music That Makes Me Dance" from Funny Girl to the disc's penultimate track, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

In between these two tracks are a host of songs, primarily from contemporary musicals from Aida to "Les Miz." A few favorites on this disc are McCormick's exceptionally touching rendition of " Unusual Way " from Nine and her zestful "My Strongest Suit" from Aida .Also delightful, McCormick's closing track: a heartfelt interpretation of David Freidman's "I'll Be Here With You."

Also on the disc are "Children Will Listen" (from "Into the Woods") and the standard from Les Miz, "I Dreamed A Dream." While McCormick brings both of these off with aplomb, it's difficult not to wish that she might have chosen two songs a little less familiar, tunes on which she could leave her own mark. As it stands, "Broadway" is an impressive debut from a singer and performer from whom it's certain audiences and listeners will be hearing more.

UNDER THE RADAR

Like the album above, the next Broadway survey includes a Sondheim tune and some Jekyll and Hyde . Each singer has two CDs, one of show tunes and one of Christmas music. Here's our discovery of the week:

ANDREA McCORMICK
BROADWAY

The voice of Andrea McCormick has many colors, all bright hues. You'll know well before the end of the first chorus of her opening track that she can really sing! She's not hiding behind any studio tricks as she pours her voice into "The Music That Makes Me Dance," from the stage version of Funny Girl . Emotional without histrionics, she's at first warm and later throws her head back and belts. Confident without sounding like a diva, she is firmly in command in this album.

"I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables is the best showcase for illustrating her range and strength, calling on vibrato judiciously. Her other Broadway songs include "Children Will Listen" and Aida 's "My Strongest Suit." Her strongest suit is not inventiveness in interpretation, though they're all well sung. These recordings hew very closely to the cast album versions in tempi and general form. The attractiveness and richness of her voice makes me care a lot less about this than I normally would - her voice and projected personality are that good. Besides, she never sounds like she's trying to "keep up." I'd just love to hear her try some more creative takes on famous songs. The most blatant case of cloning is Liza Minnelli's comic special material piece, "Ring Them Bells." It was recorded live, and I have to think the duplications of the smallest details of vocal mannerisms, phrasing, and instrumental arrangement fills were meant to be a re-creation. Another choice would serve her better, especially
on an album with only 10 tracks.

Andrea has been performing at The American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The live track was recorded there and she employs eight musicians from their orchestra. One is the pianist Charles B. Ancheta, who co-produced the CD with her and sings a duet with her, revealing an appealing vocal quality. Their choice is Jekyll and Hyde 's "Take Me as I Am."

Andrea's stage experience includes a tour of The Wizard of Oz with Eartha Kitt and Mickey Rooney, so she includes "Over the Rainbow." It's a relaxed version capturing some of the yearning quality without trying to sound childlike. The album ends sweetly and simply with David Friedman's tender all-ages lullaby, "I'll Be Here With You." Andrea's website, www.andreamccormick.com , will let you hear some samples of what I'm praising. She's also apparently just finished a Christmas album and has been cast in a five-person, politically oriented musical revue The Bush Wars opening next month in New York City.

As 2005 draws to a close and the days dwindle down to a precious few, I'll be listening for you between Christmas carols and Auld Lang Syne.


-- Rob Lester

Bush Wars," a musical revue written and co-directed by Nancy Holson, has the dubious luck of preeming after Joshua Rosenblum's "Bush Is Bad," meaning the show is GothamGotham's second collection of far-left song-and-dance numbers attacking the current administration. But arriving second doesn't mean taking second place. On the contrary, "Bush Wars" proves to be a political satire so smart and so surprising that it deserves to be compared not to "Bush Is Bad" but to timelessly effective works like Joan Littlewood's "Oh! What a Lovely War."

Obviously there's no avoiding the production's bias, but auds of any political persuasion should be able to appreciate how well Holson and Jay Falzone (co-director, choreographer and cast member) understand what makes comedy work. Each of the 15 skits finds some way to pierce expectations, be it with a risky premise, a surprising twist ending or a palpable dose of the anger that always infuses a satirist's work.

For an example of all three, take the scene "Bill Frist," in which Falzone apes the Senate majority leader by claiming he can diagnose anyone's illness. The piece begins rather tamely, with Falzone inventing various maladies for audience members, but the envelope gets pushed hard when a hospital intern (Chris van Hoy) wheels out Terry Schiavo (Andrea McCormick). Frist looks at the comatose woman and immediately declares her healthy. Then a romantic melody begins to play, and he invites her to dance.

A more predictable staging might send Schiavo waltzing with Frist around the room, but McCormick stays seated and immobile. That leaves Frist to insist she's "dancingbeautifully," and what could have been a silly bit suddenly becomes much darker. The moment is still funny, but Falzone's manic oblivion to his patient's state becomes an acid comment on what politicians are willing to ignore.

Like the rest of the production, the Schiavo scene features lovely music, played by music director-pianist Alex Rovang. The cast also have excellent voices, perfectly designed to belt power ballads like "Don't Lie Out Loud," a Karl Rove-inspired parody of Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud."

The quality of the music and singing means "Bush Wars" succeeds not only as satire but also as pure entertainment.

There's beautiful four-part harmony, for instance, as the ensemble wails "When the Saints Go Marching Out," a riff on Hurricane Katrina victims waiting for the New Orleans Saints to leave the Superdome so they can move in. Dressed in tattered rags, the survivors evoke genuine sympathy, even as their high-spirited, hand-clapping gospel draws laughs.

That's another truth that Holson understands: The best satire mixes its anger with vulnerability. The writer's own sadness, fear and frustration are apparent in her writing, which makes her comedy ring viciously true.

Though they sometimes slip into mugging, the cast generally trust Holson's material enough to underplay it.Falzone sets the bar with his sly timing, taking even the occasional missteps -- do we need another "perfect suburban family" gone awry? -- and finding ways to make them fresh.

As Dubya, Jason Levinson refreshingly chooses not to play the president like a crazed cowboy. Instead, he gives the character a gleeful innocence, as though he were a puppy who was thrilled to run around the backyard. His goofiness blends well with Falzone's knowing malice, particularly in the scene where Falzone plays Jesus, come down to help the president permanently fuse church and state.

Even for New York, it's fairly shocking that Jesus is a singin'-and-dancin' character in this show, but Holson justifies her audacity by using his presence to make an intelligent point. There's no doubt that the scene -- along with most of the others in "Bush Wars" -- will offend some people, but excellent satire can't work any other way. When comedy demands a reaction, it's doing something right.

Bush Wars....

The five-member cast is adept at switching personalities and costumes. The two women, Andrea McCormick and Abigail Nessen, provide added zing with their loony vocalizing. Jason Levinson zestfully impersonates Dubya.