Eric Yves Garcia
Eric Yves Garcia
Iridium, NYC, April 22, 2016
Reviewed by Marilyn Lester for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Kevin Alvey
In the brotherhood of men who sing and accompany themselves on piano, there’s an unwritten rule of the road to cultivate an air of quintessential style. This Eric Yves Garcia has aced, along with—to use a good old-fashioned term—breeding. A couple of songs into the show he leaves the piano to stand at the microphone, personably welcoming you to his space. With this gracious gesture you know you’re going to be taken good care of.
His opening number, an upbeat “I Just Found Out About Love” was followed by “Let’s Misbehave,” both sung with a knowing twinkle in the eye. Garcia sings as if every lyric has come from his own personal experience. With numbers such as “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” or “I’ve Got the World on a String” you wonder what’s behind that one? His song choices are a balanced mix of the well-known and the more obscure, such as “About a Quarter to Nine,” “Spring Isn’t Everything,” “House of Flowers” and “River, Stay Away from My Door.” Like many piano men, Garcia has a large repertoire and doesn’t like to work with sheet music. It irked him to do so with a new try-out, “Why Can’t I?,” but he did just fine. He performed two requests, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” and “As Time Goes By,” without missing a beat. With a mini- medley of “La Mer” and “I Cover the Waterfront” he delighted his French-teacher mother, who was in the house.
The urbane Garcia is also a wit and a raconteur. He’s got the ability to make his narrative seem entirely spontaneous, even if it’s been well-rehearsed. Plus, he’s an expert at spinning an ordinary life event (“true story,” he’ll say) into an amazing yarn. His piano style is nimble, lyrical and sometimes pleasantly florid. It was a treat to hear an extended piano solo with “I Wish I Were in Love Again.” In sum, the entire Garcia package is a gift box of joyful entertainment—an evening very well spent.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews, Regional
