The PhilHallmonic Society Presents

Swingin’ on a Star: A Tribute to the Music of the 1940’s (their apostrophe, not mine)

Phil Hall (music director and accompanist) along with bass and drums/percussion (some very nice metallophone flourishes) provided the background for the nine Ladies presented. I wanted to like this more than I did. Some of the staging was a little slow; some of the singers had a few pitch problems; some of the performers were weaker than others; and some of the acting/presentation was a little bit lacking. Still, it was an interesting afternoon’s entertainment, presented by nine Ladies. (To a sold-out, freebie crowd.)

Hearing (snippets of) 30+ songs from the ’40s is a treat in and of itself. Most were known to me (I’m a ’50s baby with an old soul), but a few were new to me. And I heard some “new-to-me” lyrics, as well.

Where to start? “Take the A-Train,” “It’s a Good Day,” and “Tangerine” started us off pretty well. A strong performance of “Daddy” was unfortunately followed throughout the afternoon with same-old, same-old interpretations later on by the performer. “Besame Mucho,” “Since I Fell for You,” and “La Vie en Rose,” were mood changers, though not particularly strong numbers.

Now to the high points, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man …” was fun, staged well, and all-around enjoyable. “Oh What a Beautiful Mornin’” was sung by a baritone—a whiskey baritone (a gal with a very low voice)—but it was quite effective. I also liked “Too Darn Hot” (Cole Porter, from Kiss Me Kate) with pitch the woo and a reference to Kinsey in the lyrics. “So In Love” was also very strong.

“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” fell under the aforementioned acting/presentation concern—a little one-dimensional. Still. It’s a fun song. “Moonshine Lullaby” (Annie Get Your Gun) was a great way to hear backup singers in close harmony. Also a big plus was the (female) duet “Anything You Can Do.”

New-to-me songs included “But Beautiful” (Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Burke) and “Billy-A-Dick,” a close-harmony Andrews Sisters–style number (Hoagy Carmichael/Paul Francis Webster). The finale of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” (there’s that harmony again) also cheered my heart.

I’m not a big fan of audience interaction, but the Lady—oh, hell, let’s call a dame a dame—who worked the crowd (well, the male portion!) in “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” was on the money.

I’m looking back at the program and realizing that there were other songs I really liked—“Laura,” “As Time Goes By,” “Blues in the Night,” and “You’ll Never Know.”

So there was a lot to like; it just wasn’t a home run.

ConcertMeister