Lucie Arnaz at Cafe Carlyle
Apr 15, 2014 to Apr 19, 2014
Official Site
It might have started snowing – yes, snowing, during Lucie Arnaz’s Tuesday night’s opening at the Café Carlyle -- but it wasn’t just that the room has no windows that allowed the glittery audience to believe the weather was still balmy. For Arnaz projected such warmth – in both her songs and patter – during her aptly-titled show “Spring Is Here” that one never felt the slightest bit of chill.
Joined by her longtime musical director Ron Abel (and equally fine musicians Tom Hubbard on bass and Ray Marchica on drums), Arnaz gave the crowd a valuable primer on the many permutations of love, kicking off with Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin’s delicious song “Love” (from 1944’s “Ziegeld Follies). Indeed, among the many highlights of the 90-minute act were her saucy renditions of two tunes by the great Cy Coleman: “When In Rome” (with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh), a paean to the joy of occasional infidelity, and “You Can Always Count on Me” (with lyrics by David Zippel), the anthem of an unlucky woman in love from the Broadway musical “City of Angels.”
However, Arnaz proved she could tackle every sort of love song, from a bittersweet pairing of “The Things We Did Last Summer” and “Where Do You Start,” to a beautifully slowed down version of Cole Porter’s rueful “Just One of Those Things” (arranged by the late Marvin Hamlisch) to David Friedman’s heartfelt “Listen to My Heart.”
Her stories were often hilarious, including one quasi-blind item about two men she dated in the 1970s who turned out to be gay, and which led her to pen the comic “I Don’t Like It Already.” She spoke lovingly about her husband, actor Laurence Luckinbill, and frankly about the ups-and-downs of juggling her career with the needs of her children (which segued into a brilliant performance of the Craig Carnelia’s “Just A Housewife.”)
She even talked about some sage advice she received from her late father, Desi Arnaz, and reminded us that her final song, the classic tune “That’s All,” was performed on the very last episode of her parents’ beloved sitcom, “I Love Lucy” – which was filmed on the night Arnaz left Lucille Ball and moved out of the house.
Arnaz’s too-brief engagement (through April 19) is part of the Carlyle’s very busy Spring 2014 season, which continues with engagements by nine-time Tony Award winner Tommy Tune (April 22-May 3), singer Steve Tyrell (May 6-17), stage and screen favorites Hal Linden (May 20-24) and Megan Hilty (May 27-June 7), and Grammy Award winner Melissa Manchester (June 10-21).
Author: Brian Scott Lipton
Cafe Carlyle
Cabaret
East 70s
35 E 76th St (Carlyle Hotel)
New York, NY 10021
(212) 744-1600
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