Once there was a New York bistro called
Eighty Eight's
. Downstairs had a
singalong
piano bar while the second floor hosted performances by such stalwarts of Broadway and
cabaret
as
Nancy LaMott
,
Julie Halston
, and for its coda,
Heather MacRae
, daughter of
Gordon MacRae
. This album captures the last performance of this venue before it shut its doors in 1999. Daughter
MacRae
takes this opportunity to honor her famous talented father with a program of songs from shows in which he appeared. There are tunes from
Carousel
The Desert Song
, and
Tea for Two
. Understandably, the show that gets most attention is
Oklahoma
, where
had perhaps his greatest role, that of the mostly out-of-work cowhand
Curley
. In addition to the music, daughter
tells some family stories about father
's comings and goings in this role. One of the more improbable, but true, tales is that
James Dean
was one of those actually considered for the
role, which
says would have made him "a cowboy without a cause." The singer and piano accompaniment and sometimes vocal companion
Mark Nadler
delivers most tunes with what they call for -- vigor and enthusiasm.
shows a great deal of sensitivity, however, as she runs the gamut from stern determination to tenderness in
"Soliloquy"
from
. She and
Nadler
have a lot of fun with a
music hall
-flavored
"Piano, Bass, and Drums"
About Face
. There's a lovely vocal recounting of
"What's the Use of Wondrin',"
whose lyrics have special place here following a
discourse about her sometimes-tumultuous relationship with her father. While the vast, thoroughly delightful Hollywood musicals that made household names out of rich baritones like
are likely gone forever, albums like this one keep the memories warm. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan