Adelaide Cabaret Festival – Lucy Maunder: Irving Berlin, Songs In The Key Of Black

To a twinkle from her pianist Australian Lucy Maunder walked on stage in a skimpy black dress, sat down in front of the piano and began a slow and gentle recital of Irving Berlin’s ‘Blue Skies’.

Maunder's opening comment – “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my New York” – set the tone for her 70 minute show Irving Berlin: Songs In The Key of Black. Through introductions (which sometimes felt more like poems), and some sultry banter, Maunder illustrated and paid homage to Irving Berlin’s eternal song writing talent with a touch of hue and interpretation.

Each number was met with pin-drop silence in this sold-out, once only performance, as much out of respect for the songs as Maunder’s smooth voice and Andrew Patterson’s virtuoso piano playing  – who she introduced as “Tin Pan Alley’s hottest pan”.

[pull_left]Each number was met with pin-drop silence . . . as much out of respect for the songs as Maunder’s smooth voice and Andrew Patterson’s virtuoso piano playing.[/pull_left]

Maunder encouraged her audience with word-pictures to imagine the times and circumstances of Berlin’s changing moods and environment – a necessary and well used device, as no set or visual accompaniment was at her disposal to assist. However, the quality of the songs did speak for themselves as did the quality of the performance.

Maunder produced enough highlights to hold the crowd's interest including an amusing toast “To the weaker sex – men!” before delivering a hands-on-hips rendition of ‘After You Get What You Want, You Don’t Want It’. A mournful ‘All By Myself’ watered several eyes in the audience. Maunder also read a text from the era on the “evils of ragtime” about “the debauched nature of dancing” to songs “featuring the word ’it”. A maudlin ‘How Deep is the Ocean’ followed by a comic and loving performance of ‘Yiddisha Nightingale’ were all received with warm, genuine appreciation.

Near the end of the night, the two performers slipped into a sketch whereby Patterson displayed his talent and his sense of humour, playing in a variety of styles from vastly different epochs as Maunder sat by until Patterson settled back into Berlin's ‘I Love A Piano’ and Maunder began singing again. She turned around to look him directly in the the eye and smiled brightly for the line “he’s a long-haired genius” which got more than an ironic chuckle from the audience as Patterson’s hair flows down past his shoulders.

‘Cheek To Cheek’ ended this performance how it began – as a moving and sensual experience of the highest quality.