The New York Pops— Kelli and Matthew: Home for the Holidays
The New York Pops
Kelli and Matthew: Home for the Holidays
Carnegie Hall, NYC, December 20, 2014
Reviewed by Joel Benjamin for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Joseph Marzullo/Playbill
If you feel the need to celebrate the holiday season in music—and who doesn’t?—why not do it with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, where Musical Director Steven Reineke and his guests, Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Matthew Morrison, gave fresh takes on Christmas fare, with a dollop of Broadway and a spoonful of Chanukah thrown in for good measure. The huge Essential Voices USA chorus (Music Director, Judith Clurman) gave heft to such holiday perennials as “We Need a Little Christmas” (Herman), “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (Edward Pola/George Wyle) and a zesty medley called “Songs of Freedom: A Celebration of Chanukah” joined in the latter by robust-voiced bass Arlo Hill.
O’Hara and Morrison sang four duets: a bit-too-cool “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (Loesser), “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” (Styne/Cahn), the optimistic “Believe” from Polar Express (Alan Silvestri/Glen Ballard) and a lovely “Tonight” (Bernstein/Sondheim). They clearly like working with each other. Each had solos, with O’Hara assigned the more religious aspects of the evening, singing “I Wonder as I Wander” (John Jacob Niles) and a dynamic “O Holy Night” (Adolphe Adam/John Sullivan Dwight), which reached a touching crescendo with the Essential Voices.
Morrison spoke of his love of Hawaii which led into a heartfelt medley of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (Walter Kent/Kim Gannon) and the Hawaiian “Mele Kalikimaka” (Robert Alex Anderson). He misfired with a night-clubby rendition of “Younger Than Springtime,” which failed to express the sensuality of that classic romantic ballad, doing neither himself nor the song any good.
Of course, the program had to end with a Christmas Sing-Along which included several traditional carols.
Reineke was his usual exuberant self, clearly in control and spreading his enthusiasm to the upper reaches of the balcony.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
