Signature's Salute to Kander & Ebb, First You Dream
Julia Murney in First You Dream.
It's not surprising this world premiere would find its home at Signature, which devoted an entire festival last year to showcasing the duo's work, including an unforgettable production of the lesser-known Chita Rivera vehicle The Visit (a show which gets a brief but appreciated tribute here). Signature's previous festival showcased not only the crowd-pleasing, razzle-dazzle aspects of Kander & Ebb's catalog (these are, after all, the "New York, New York" guys), but their darker, more sophisticated forays as well. This time around, it's nearly halfway into the second act of First You Dream before things venture into melancholy territory, but with so many showstoppers along the way, it's hard to notice.
And those showstoppers include "Sara Lee" (made famous from an earlier Kander & Ebb revue, And The World Goes Round), the silky-sounding Norm Lewis' passionate tribute to the instant dessert mix; Ring Them Bells, Heidi Blickenstaff's vivacious, Liza Minelli-reminiscent anthem to finding her match; and Matthew Scott's prancing Kiss of the Spider Woman medley.
But things really get interesting when First You Dream's performers get the chance to add some heft to both familiar and forgotten material. Julia Murney shines in the desperate, pleading rendition of the torch song "How Lucky Can You Get?" or in the hauntingly indifferent "I Don't Care Much." And the raucously callous Chicago favorite, "The Cell Block Tango," gets a new twist adding some merry (male) murderers to the traditional group of female criminals. Though all six of these performers are magnetic, vocal powerhouses (and the chemistry between Blickenstaff and Murney is a constant joy to watch), they're not just showy song and dance folks – there's a whole lot of, well, acting that goes into their interpretations of these songs.
First You Dream's wide-reaching scope is admirable, but as it clocks in at 31 songs, many of them medleys, a little editing is warranted ("Blue Crystal," for example, would be an easy subtraction). But even at two and a half hours and counting, First You Dream calls to mind the songwriting duo's own advice: "What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play..."
First You Dream is playing in a limited run at Signature Theatre through Sept. 27. Tickets are available online.