Richard Holbrook: The Songs of Burton Lane
Richard Holbrook
The Songs of Burton Lane
54 Below, NYC, March 17, 2015
Reviewed by Joel Benjamin for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Jeffrey Hornstein
Richard Holbrook took his Songs of Burton Lane to 54 Below, where he and his program were a perfect fit. Musical director Tom Nelson’s pleasant arrangements, Holbrook’s eager Burton Lane anecdotes and his pleasant singing style made for an intimate concert and an amusing walk through Lane’s professional life. Lane’s colleagues included many of the greats, like Frank Loesser, Alan Jay Lerner, Yip Harburg and Ira Gershwin, whose elegant words joined his beautiful melodies with debonair grace.
Dolled up in an elegant tux—a rarity in today’s dress-down culture—Holbrook eased his way through Lane’s Hollywood and Broadway careers, starting and ending with “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” (Lerner) and other songs from that show, including the lovely “She Wasn’t You.” From Finian’s Rainbow (Harburg): a cheeky “Old Devil Moon,” a thoughtful “Look to the Rainbow” and a poignantly rough-edged “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” Late- career Lane included “It’s Time for a Love Song” and a yearning, pensive “One More Walk Around the Garden,” both from Carmelina (with Lerner).
Holbrook showed much more animation than he has previously, particularly in upbeat songs like “Heigh Ho! The Gang’s All Here” (Harold Adamson), “Applause, Applause” (Gershwin) and a medley which began with “I Hear Music” (Loesser).
Although his voice has lost some of its sheen, he still managed to produce lovely, languid ballads like “The World Is in My Arms,” which was the most perfectly sung number among a very generous roster of Lane repertoire.
Tom Nelson’s bright-sounding Trio included Tom Kirschmer on bass and drummer Peter Grant.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
