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Community Corner

Apocalypse Ebersole in Port Washington

Christine Ebersole's surprising return to Landmark.

A fixture of the stage is a fine Steinway grand, and if it could speak, it would have many a story to tell. Last Saturday night was John Oddo’s story -- a slightly spooky musical adventure starring cabaret darling Christine Ebersole. Ebersole, a favorite of the Port Washington venue for some years now, brought her glittering presence to town – and then ambushed a willing audience with the dark message: “It’s the end of the world as we know it” (and cabaret is the way to make sense of it).

Directed by Scott Wittman ("SMASH"), and arranged by pianist Oddo, the Ebersole show further energized a crowd fresh from basking in a perfect 80o spring day. Ebersole wasted little time getting to a spritely rendition of Start Up the Band,” and start they did, with big band verve and Manhattan jazz club (i.e., suit and tie) spit and polish.

But hang on to your hat, Nellie. The evening that began with Ebersole’s creative voiceover for the house “Cell Phones Off!” message moved quickly from prayer invoking the spirit of cabaret to “Paper Moon” to other tunes -- all following Ebersole’s seductive story line. With a voice eerily similar to Rosemary Clooney, but with a facile fortissimo, Ebersole called out “Get thee behind me,” and the Landmark audience obeyed. When she recounted a second date with future husband Bill, it was an excuse to bring out “That's Him,” a witty Kurt Weill/Ogden Nash collaboration that was to have been for Marlene Dietrich. Then Christine is on to fear of Big Pharma and consumerism. Shop first, she says firmly.

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Ebersole spoke with great affection about her adopted children – including stereotypical overachiever Asian daughter MaeMae -- and her chaotic household, yet resolutely offered Noel Coward’s “What’s Going to Happen to the Children (When There are No Grownups).” Hers is just that sort of apocalyptic vision.  The audience has but a few minutes to ponder husband Bill’s risky surgery when she offers her amnesia-inducing version of “Porgy I Loves You.”

When she returned to the classic “Brother, Can you Spare a Dime,” Ebersole’s audience is ready to give up Susan B dollars. To ease the pain, after what she laughingly refers to as one of her two “false exits,” she did a ribald revival of Sophie Tucker’s “Max from the Income Tax.”

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The performance closed with “Another Winter in a Summer Town” from the Broadway musical Grey Gardens, which starred Ms. Ebersole. The renters go home, the maple goes from crimson to brown. Oh God, my God, another winter in a summer town.” With so many treacherous segues, how did Ebersole bring it off this hayride of a script? With old school glam looks and top notch singing that she made look easy.

About this night, the Landmark Steinway was heard to say, if we must go, it shall be with a cabaret sparkle and a smile.

Ably taking direction from Mr. Oddo was Ebersole's backing band of David Mann on reeds (flute, clarinet, sax), David Finck on standup bass, Tony Kadleck on trumpet, and drummer David Ratajczak.

The Landmark concludes its Fabulous Folk Series with Vance Gilbert and Ellis Paul on Saturday. 

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