PENNIES FROM HEAVEN. To 7 October.
London.
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN – The Life and Songs of Arthur Tracy “The Street Singer”
by Gregory Moore.
Jermyn Street Theatre, 16b Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6ST To 7 October 2007.
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat Sat & Sun 4pm.
Runs 2hrs One interval.
TICKETS: 020 7287 2875.
www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk
Review: Geoff Ambler 2 October 2007.
An evening in the company of The Street Singer with music that defined romance.
Steve Ross, last in Jermyn Street performing a salute to Stephen Sondheim, is now accompanied by virtuoso accordionist Romano Viazzani and Gregory Moore for a fascinating journey into an era of musical history when “The Street Singer” topped the Palladium’s pre-war billing and starred alongside Bing Crosby in Hollywood, a time remembered in black and white and filled with music that will never be forgotten.
Ross’ narration punctuates the music with memories and tales of the life of Arthur Tracy, a Ukranian born, naturalised American who was given his western name when he passed through Ellis Island with his family aged seven, into the American dream. Ross brings his natural wit to the fore as he leads his audience through the evening, keeping the performance alive with Tracy’s music, heavy on thirties romance and now steeped in nostalgia.
Throughout the evening Viazzani’s entrancing accordion adds a continental flavour to the music, setting the tone by opening with the emotive gypsy melody “Marta, Rambling Rose of the Wildwood”. Moore takes the role of Arthur Tracy’s stage persona “The Street Singer” and shares the vocals with Ross, looking every inch as though he’s stepped through sixty years into this charming setting, where he beguiles and enchants.
An extensive song list, including “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”, propels you straight into the thirties, the melancholy “Danny Boy”, a delightful “The Way You Look Tonight” and “A Foggy Day” evoking a London otherwise known only through monochrome Saturday afternoon movies. Tracy sings of love that is never cynical, and never clouded by realism - something long banished from modern life.
Gregory Moore's tribute closes with the two most famous melodies “When You Wish Upon A Star”, adopted by Disney, and “Pennies From Heaven”, which drew Tracy back into the limelight in the eighties via a Steve Martin movie, giving his music a last chance to shine, fifty years on in a century that had forgotten how much it had benefited from his life, his music and spirit - things these three masters in Jermyn Street have now re-ignited.
Narrator/ Piano / Vocals: Steve Ross.
The Street Singer: Gregory Moore.
Accordion: Roman Viazzani.
Director: Gregory Moore.
2007-10-04 16:57:46