Maureen Taylor: Taylor Made: Bob Merrill
Maureen Taylor
Taylor Made: Bob Merrill
Metropolitan Room, NYC, July 13, 2016
Reviewed by Elizabeth Ahlfors for Cabaret Scenes
Wearing a vintage 1950s black-and-white swing dress with a peek of crinoline and the just-right perk of red shoes, Maureen Taylor presented Taylor Made, a charming salute to Bob Merrill, popular and theater songwriter. Besides jukebox favorites like Rosemary Clooney’s hit, “Mambo Italiano,” Merrill’s songbook included 1960s musicals like Carnival! and Funny Girl (with music by Jule Styne), although he never reached the realm of Rodgers and Hammerstein or Irving Berlin.
Merrill’s range of pop and show tunes caught the attention of former opera singer Maureen Taylor. In 2009 and 2010, she was intrigued enough to lightly trace her life through his music in the acclaimed Taylor Made – Bob Merrill. In 2016, the show returned as part of the Metropolitan Room’s monthly series, New York Cabaret’s Greatest Hits, produced by Stephen Hanks and Fr. Jeffrey Hamblin, MD. Directed by Peter Napolitano, the catchy pop tunes commanded most of the show, although Taylor included several of Merrill’s Broadway songs, mostly in abbreviated clips.
Accompanied by Musical Director and pianist Matt Castle with Joe Brent (guitar, mandolin, and violin), Taylor opened with “Travelin'” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a musical that closed before opening night. She stayed with the high-spirited mood of Breakfast at Tiffany’s glamorous imposter with two more songs, “Holly Golightly” and “Same Mistakes.”
It was in ballads like “The Girl with Too Much Heart” (The Prince of Grand Street) where her voice—light, clear and pitch-perfect—shone. Notably lovely were “Look at Him” (New Girl in Town) and “Kissed on the Eyes,” from Hannah, 1939. Taylor showed a sprightly comedy sense as well, proven in a song cut from Funny Girl, “I Did It on Roller Skates” and, for just a touch of zany, she invited guest singer Rev. Yolanda (Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes) to perform “The Beauty That Drives Men Mad” (Sugar, also written with Styne).
Bob Merrill certainly had his most acclaim with his novelty and pop songs. Sarah Vaughan earned a hit with his “Make Yourself Comfortable,” presented as a duet by Taylor and pianist Castle. Merrill wrote a snappy hit, “Ooh Bang, Jiggly Jang,” for Doris Day, and “(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window” for Patti Page.
These selections may not spell the best of the Great American Songbook, but they were jukebox moneymakers. My suggestion would be to include a bit more personal information about this man whose songbook traced the flavor of mid-century American taste and style.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews, Regional
