Eve Eaton: Back to Billy: A Love Affair 30 Years in the Making
Eve Eaton
Back to Billy: A Love Affair 30 Years in the Making
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, May 12, 2015
Reviewed by Joel Benjamin for Cabaret Scenes
Eve Eaton has had a crush on Billy Joel for decades, running to his concerts in her native Tacoma as a teen and following him off and on since then. Her Back to Billy at Don’t Tell Mama was an SRO tribute to the New York City native and his extensive songbook.
Smoothly directed by Lennie Watts, who was the first to suggest this show, with musical direction by Steven Ray Watkins, Eaton tied Joel’s songs to an easy-going and amusing autobiographical narrative.
She opened with “The Stranger,” which deals with the faces we wear and what we keep to ourselves. She caught the desperation in “Get It Right the First Time” and the sweet wistfulness in a medley of “You’re My Home” and “Travelin’ Prayer.” She exposed the darker tones in her voice in “Big Shot” and “Vienna,” both coming across as more scolding than powerful. In “Modern Woman,” performed in a cool, intimate style, she actually sounded a tad like Peggy Lee in her sardonic, speak/sing mode.
A tinkling piano introduced “Running on Ice,” a fairly unknown Joel song about weariness and running on empty. “Everybody Loves You Now,” sung amidst the audience, also expressed the sadder aspects of fame. The soft brush strokes of percussionist Donna Kelly sustained the wistful mood.
“My Life” and “Movin’ Out,” both defiant expressions of self-confidence, were sung in the richest voice of the evening, easily communicating their message of self-determination.
Her band was completed by Fritz Stewart on violin and Matt Scharfglass on bass with Wendy Russell and Rachel Hanser providing expert backup vocal harmonies.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
