It's not every day that one is surrounded by divas of such magnitude
"There’s a fantastic chemistry between Rick and Steven, born of many years working together, but the show has a freshly minted flavour to it – they’re doing it just for us, you feel from the get go." - Brian Butler for GScene
That is precisely the sentiment we all felt, our little gang - Me, Madam Arcati, Hils, History Boy and John-John - as we sat in the surprisingly (and probably unnecessarily) sizeable environs of the Charing Cross (formerly Players') Theatre for a true meeting of Divas - Barbra & Liza Live! on Saturday evening.
The sublime creation of two long-serving veterans of the cabaret circuit Steven Brinberg as "Barbra" and our friend Rick Skye as "Liza", it's a tour-de-force of creativity - and an affectionate, if sometimes parodic, tribute to two of the greatest showbiz Grande Dames.
Mr Brinberg encapsulates everything that makes Miss Streisand the "MegaBabs" diva, idolised by generations - her poise, her gestures, her almost regal aloofness, but mainly that voice. The Way We Were, With One Look, Don’t Rain On My Parade, Send In The Clowns, Evergreen - all were magnificently delivered. Close your eyes, and you'd believe it was really her! Judge for yourself:
His talent as an impressionist stretches further than just Babs, however, as he proved when he performed I'm Still Here as a succession of divas in turn - Eartha Kitt, Cleo Laine, Ethel Merman, Lena Horne, Cher, Bernadette Peters, Billie Holliday, Bette Davies, Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and more - and later, a "duet" between Miss Streisand and Anthony Newley on Who Can I Turn To! Flawless.
Mr Skye, on the other hand, portrays all the nuances of a feisty just-past-her-peak Liza, all twitchy moves, slightly breathless, wide-eyed and wistful in her anecdotes, at other times almost frantic in wanting to entertain and - quite amazingly without doing an actual impression of her vocal dexterity - allows the audience to suspend disbelief and whoop for joy at being in "her" presence! His speciality is to combine many of Miss Minnelli's actual numbers such as Maybe This Time, a frenetic Losing My Mind, I Wish You Love, Stepping Out and (of course) Cabaret (melded with Over the Rainbow) with his own clever, and very funny, twists on her repertoire.
Thus, there is the hilarious Ode to Betty Ford ["when you’re overwrought, it’s the best resort"], a medley of Liza's version of Beyonce's Single Ladies [from the Sex in the City film] with Ring Dem Bells, and - remarkably - Feed The Birds mingled with Pizzazz!...
...and this, a twist on a song written for her by ["her best friend" - a running joke; everybody's "her best friend" and she's "known them since I was eleven years old"] Charles Aznavour:
As the evening's "special guest" halfway through the show, Chuck Sweeney was a delightfully funny "Peggy Lee", and treated the audience to a frenzied rendition of her classic Fever.
The show closed, as it began, with a duet between the two leading ladies - on Sondheim's Old Friends - followed by a marvellous take on the famous "vocal duel" between Liza's mother Judy Garland and Babs herself - Get Happy and Happy Days Are Here Again.
A brilliant evening! We loved it.
Shame there was not a bigger turnout, really - I mentioned at the outset that this venue was probably too big for a show like this. All three of tonight's stars have previously appeared (to great acclaim) at true cabaret venues such as Crazy Coqs, and the intimacy of such spaces would most likely have worked better for all concerned. A minor detail, and I sincerely hope they do well for the rest of the run...
Barbra & Liza Live! is on at the Charing Cross Theatre until 17th November 2024.
