Review: Melissa Errico happens to like Stephen Sondheim.

“I happen to like New York,” wrote Cole Porter in 1930. “I like the sight and the sound and even the stink of it / I happen to like New York.” The late musical theatre legend Stephen Sondheim (a great admirer of Porter) apparently agreed, for while he owned a home in Connecticut, he essentially lived his entire life within a 20-block radius of his New York City home.

[Check out my interview with Melissa Errico on YouTube.]

At The Blue Strawberry last week (April 26 and 27) Melissa Errico (another musical theatre legend) peppered her new showcase of the songs of Stephen Sondheim with that and other fascinating biographical bits.   Along with the equally legendary Tedd Firth (her music director), she gave the audience a heaping helping of Sondheim, with (by my count) eighteen songs spanning most of the composer’s long and productive career. That included a nicely balanced set of tunes from Errico and Firth’s latest CD, “Sondheim in the City” which was released back in February.

The evening opened with the earliest all-Sondheim song in the set: the rousing “Everybody Says Don’t” from “Anyone Can Whistle” (1964). It was a perfect way to introduce us to Errico’s big, expressive voice. Her dynamic range and vocal control were impressive, allowing her to move from a purr to a roar as needed. Her sparkling blue dress—chosen to honor her first appearance at The Blue Strawberry—was the ideal visual equivalent to her effervescent stage persona.

Her long-time collaborator Firth supported her every inch of the way, with imaginative arrangements that encompassed a wide range of styles from classical to jazz, all delivered with the impressive virtuosity I have come to expect from him over the years.

 Next was a quietly confident version of “Not While I’m Around” from “Sweeney Todd” (1979). It its original context, the song is about the Mrs. Lovett and the slow-witted Tobias making promises to each other they don’t fully understand and won’t be able to keep. In Errico’s hands, it became a less ambiguous and more openly moving declaration of familial love. Either way, it’s all there in the music and lyrics; one just needs to shift perspective a bit.

The contrast of moods set the stage admirably for a show that was all about Sondheim’s masterful use of ambiguity and contradiction. “Small World” (from “Gypsy,” 1959, music by Jule Styne), in this context, is all about Rose’s affection for and manipulation of the long-suffering Herbie, while the following number—“Loving You” (from “Passion,” 1994)—shows how easily romantic love can coexist with creepy obsession.

Errico’s interpretation leaned towards the “romantic love” end of the spectrum, but the subtext of creepiness was there as well. Firth’s arrangement included a volcanically Romantic solo break (Rachmaninoff would have approved of it) that could also be taken either way. It was, again, a matter of perspective.

And so it went for around 90 minutes, with anecdotes drawn from both Errico’s and Sondheim’s lives segueing neatly from one great song to another. It was a musical biography of both Errico and Sondheim as well as an entertaining night of cabaret guaranteed to gladden the hearts of musical theatre lovers in general and Sondheim fanatics (“Sondheimaniacs”?) in particular—a group in which I would unapologetically include myself.

That said, the between-song patter, well-chosen and informative as it was, sometimes became a bit discursive. In a few cases, it all became a bit of “inside baseball,” dwelling at length on technical aspects of lyric construction and performance practice that would have been a better fit for a master class. I found this stuff fascinating, mind you, but I’m not sure that this was a majority view.

Still, that’s a minor quibble, which is why it’s here at the end of the review. Errico and Firth are masters of their craft just as Sondheim was of his. The combination was a match made in musical theatre heaven. This might have been their first appearance on a local cabaret stage, but I hope many more will follow.

Meanwhile, you can listen to most of her extensive discography on Spotify and check out her videos (including her enlightening “Sixty-Second Sondhiem” series) on YouTube. Information about upcoming shows at The Blue Strawberry can be found on their web site.