On a rainy Memorial Day in Manhattan, Karen Akers stands in the spotlight at Birdland before a packed house. She is effortlessly elegant and perfectly at home as she performs an eclectic set of songs that she calls “a musical journal of sorts” accompanied by musical director Alex Rybeck on piano and Tom Hubbard on bass.
While Akers is well known for her onscreen appearances in The Purple Rose of Cairo, Heartburn, and the television show Cheers, it is the stage that is her true home. Her Broadway debut in Nine garnered her a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress. Her cabaret and concert appearances have given her a worldwide fan base enamored of her cut-glass diction, innate chicness and underlying warmth. The Birdland audience was no exception, cheering her on as she opened with “Among my Souvenirs” (Edgar Leslie/Horatio Nicholls), segueing into Kander & Ebb’s “Among My Yesterdays.”
Directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, the evening touches upon many people and events that have informed her life. She charts the dissolution of her marriage to the father of her sons through Dan Hill and Barry Mann’s “Sometimes When We Touch,” bringing greater depth to the seventies easy listening chart-topper and Elton John & Bernie Taupin’s “The Greatest Discovery” was a charming window into the love and affection she has for her two, now grown, sons. Speaking of illusion and fantasy as a safety net for aging brings us into a contemplative “Both Sides Now.” Closing out the evening with “If I Ruled the World” (Leslie Bricuse/Cyril Ornadel), she quotes the poet Lawrence Joseph, “the mystery of love is ultimately greater than the mystery of evil,” leaving us all with much to think about.
"Karen Akers: Water Under the Bridge"
Performed by Karen Akers
Musical Director: Alex Rybeck
May 27, 2024
Birdland Jazz Club (315 West 44th St)
Wendy Lane Bailey has a powerful classic pop voice and a rather cavalier attitude towards the idea of genre. Wendy-Lane’s debut solo recording, Breathing, was produced by composer/arranger/pianist Michele Brourman. Her performances in venues across the country have earned critical praise for versatility and sophistication. She has appeared as a guest artist on multiple recordings, including Leslie Gore’s and Susan Egan’s. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, HB Studios and the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center. Off-stage Wendy Lane is a creative advocate for artists. While living in Washington, D.C., she founded a regional networking organization for musicians and for five years, was the Associate Director of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University. She received a 2007 Bistro Award for outstanding achievement and was nominated for a Washington Area Music Association Award. While serving on the board of NJ’s Pioneer productions, she produced, directed, and appeared in several theatre pieces. She is currently developing Hot Coffee, MS, a solo theatre piece with music in collaboration with Michele Brourman & Gretchen Cryer. In 2020, she accepted the position of Assistant Artistic Director of the United Solo Theatre Festival. In addition to her performing work, she teaches and consults privately and in master classes for singers of all genres.
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