Elizabeth Sullivan: My Song

Peter Haas | May 30, 2016

Elizabeth Sullivan

My Song

Metropolitan Room, NYC, May 2, 2016

Reviewed by Peter Haas for Cabaret Scenes

Photo: Heather Sullivan

There are certain signs that spring has come to New York. The city’s parks turn green, the sun stays longer in the sky, and Elizabeth Sullivan returns for a birthday concert with her family. And so it came to pass that on a warm Sunday afternoon in May, the Metropolitan Room was packed with friends and fans as Sullivan mounted the stage to perform her original songs in her own sweet-spirited style, accompanied by a growing family roster, now including grandchildren.

Dressed smartly in a white pants suit, her hair becomingly upswept and her Oklahoma charm undiminished, she turned the room into a combination love-fest and party. Among performers: her daughter-in-law, Robin Brooks, herself a popular professional, performing Elizabeth’s “Turn It Around” and, with KT Sullivan, “As Long As We Sing,” which was inspired by the work of Mabel Mercer; Robin’s son, Montana, now a young man about to enter college, soloing as a fine pianist; KT going solo on “How Were We to Know?”; Stacy Sullivan with a jazzy “Lullaby of Birdland” and then joining forces on “Where It Goes” with her daughter, Savannah Brown, who has become a charming singer/guitarist in her own right.

Star of the afternoon was Elizabeth herself, performing her own songs “Here I Am,” “Beyond the World,” “Do I Remember You?” and her poignant tribute to her late husband, Jim, “Not Tonight,” which she had written originally for his 70th birthday.

Accompanying the proceedings were Dennis Buck as musical director/pianist and Tom Hubbard on bass, with Jon Weber stepping in to accompany Stacy.

For the afternoon’s finale, the stage filled with generations of Sullivans to sing Elizabeth’s “Friends,” followed by a rousing sing-along with the audience of “Oklahoma!”

The gods willing, Elizabeth and the family will come together again next year to celebrate one more birthday. How many years? A gentleman reviewer doesn’t tell.

Tags: American Songbook, As Long As We Sing, Beyond the World, Broadway, Broadway Musicals, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, CD, Clubs, Composers, Dennis Buck, Do I Remember You?, Elizabeth Sullivan, Friends, Great American Songbook, Heather Sullivan, Here I Am, How Were We to Know?, Jazz, Jazz Singers, Jazz Vocalists, Jim Sullivan, Jon Weber, KT Sullivan, Lullaby of Birdland, lyricists, Mabel Mercer, Metropolitan Room, Montana Sullivan, Musicals, Musicians, My Song, Nightclubs, Not Tonight, NYC, Oklahoma, Peter Haas, Popular Song, Revues, Robin Brooks, Savannah Brown, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Stacy Sullivan, Standards, Supper Clubs, Tom Hubbard, Turn it Around, Venues, Vocalists, Where It Goes