Growing up, my brother and sister would often poke fun at me, saying that I didn鈥檛 appreciate pop/rock songs until one of 鈥渕y singers鈥� covered the tune. And, truth be told, they were probably correct.
Not that I had anything against pop-rock artists鈥擨 did enjoy Helen Reddy, Dionne Warwick, The Jackson 5, Cher, and more as a kid鈥攂ut once I turned 11 or 12, I only listened to the women of the musical theatre and New York cabaret scene whose singing affected me in ways like no other performers. So, please don鈥檛 squeal when I confess that I am now a fan of Bob Dylan鈥檚 鈥淒on鈥檛 Think Twice, It鈥檚 Alright鈥� thanks to the supreme talents of Betty Buckley, who offered six concerts at her frequent haunt, Joe鈥檚 Pub, this past weekend.
I was lucky enough to catch Buckley鈥檚 early show Saturday evening, and one can best describe the hour-or-so set as a master class in the art of storytelling through song. And, an art it truly is. In the past decade or so, we have lost several of our greatest interpreters of song鈥擳ony winners Barbara Cook and Elaine Stritch among them鈥攁nd Buckley seems to have inherited the mantle, showing just how far one can fully immerse herself in a song. Unlike Cook and Stritch, however, Buckley鈥檚 taste in music extends far beyond tunes from the musical theatre and the American popular song. In fact, in one of her many welcome chats with the sold-out crowd, Buckley shared how she originally wanted to perform rock songs like Janis Joplin, but her mother wanted her to be in the theatre, while her father was not supportive of his daughter taking either road. 鈥淭herein lies the split in my personality,鈥� the Cats Tony winner joked, adding that 鈥渁ll the great music comes from the '60s.鈥�
The Mayfly, Animated Short Film From Betty Buckley, Will Play Tribeca Festival
But getting back to Dylan鈥檚 鈥淒on鈥檛 Think Twice, It鈥檚 Alright.鈥� In an intensely focused version of this song that details the end of a relationship, Buckley鈥檚 rendition was a soliloquy of heartbreak, an emotionally raw take that displayed all aspects of her voice鈥攖he soft whispers, the gentle tones, the evocative growls, and the cries of her biggest belt. I鈥檝e often thought that one cannot be a great singer unless she has lived a certain amount of life and experienced an equal amount of heartbreak. Buckley has lived an expansive and celebrated one, though filled with its own peaks and valleys, and she somehow manages to distill the highs and lows of all her experiences into her singing, which is as emotionally rich as ever. In fact, she similarly turned the Stephen Sondheim classic 鈥淪end in the Clowns,鈥� preceded by a solo from musical director Christian Jacob, into its own one-act play. And, no surprise, that the crowd rose en masse after Buckley鈥檚 moving delivery of the final lyric, 鈥淭here ought to be clowns鈥� Well, maybe next year鈥�.鈥�
It should be noted, however, the evening鈥檚 song list was not limited to elevated torch. The gifted performer kicked off her set with the Irving Berlin gem 鈥淚t鈥檚 a Lovely Day Today鈥� before offering a terrific take on Jimmy Webb鈥檚 鈥淲ichita Lineman.鈥� Buckley also delivered an almost ethereal, meditative take on the great Stephen Sondheim ballad 鈥淣ot a Day Goes By鈥� as well as a poignant 鈥淢oon River鈥� that evoked the unpredictable journey we call life.
Another of the evening鈥檚 standouts was Jason Robert Brown's 鈥淗ope,鈥� which the Tony-winning composer wrote the morning after the 2016 presidential election to depict the mix of emotions felt that day. In Buckley鈥檚 deft hands, the tune has now become a more hopeful vision of what tomorrow can bring. It is as uplifting as it is sobering, especially when she sings Brown鈥檚 beautiful lyric, 鈥淪o maybe I can substitute 鈥檚trength鈥�/ Because I鈥檓 strong/ I鈥檓 strong enough/ I got through lots of things I didn鈥檛 think I could/ And so did you/ I know that鈥檚 true."
Buckley again proved that she is also one of the most generous performers when it comes to sharing the spotlight with her musicians. She introduced her quartet, comprising Christian Jacob on piano, Tony Marino on bass, Jamey Haddad on drums, and Adam Rogers on guitar, at the beginning of the show and again towards the end, giving an especially warm welcome to the newest member of her tight-knit group, Steely Dan guitarist Rogers. Buckley let Rogers demonstrate his impressive skills when she asked him to offer guitar riffs on music by several rock greats, including Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Dave Mason. Full disclosure: this writer has no idea what any of those guitar riffs should sound like, but Buckley was so enchanted by his work that her joy was palpable. She was also similarly praiseworthy of musical director Jacob, who penned every arrangement.
Photos: See Broadway Turn Out to Celebrate Tony Winner Betty Buckley
Buckley closed her set by spreading warmth and joy with a compelling reading of Jacob鈥檚 new arrangement of Cordelia鈥檚 鈥淟ittle Life.鈥� And, her encore, Billy Joel鈥檚 haunting 鈥淎nd So It Goes,鈥� was particularly moving. As Buckley delivered the lyric 鈥渟o I will share this room with you and you can have this heart to break,鈥� I realized that is exactly what Buckley had given her audience. For a little over an hour, we all shared a room together, and through Buckley鈥檚 mesmerizing interpretations, she broke our hearts a bit, put them back together, broke them again, and offered hope for a brighter future.
It鈥檚 a gift of talent that one can only truly experience to its fullest live. As tempting as it is post-pandemic to avoid gathering with groups of people, either in more intimate cabarets or larger venues, one shouldn鈥檛 deny the pleasure that is unique to live performance鈥攅specially when Betty Buckley comes to town.
Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
Betty Buckley
