Broadway legend Elaine Stritch “left the building” in 2014 but on Saturday night May 3rd, her self-proclaimed “bastard godson”, Paul Iacono, brought her spirit to life at the Green Room 42.
The Stritch Is Back: Paul Iacono Sings Elaine Stritch… Sings Elton John is an incredible show that imagines the type of cabaret Stritch might have performed to honor the legendary British pop star. In the 2013 documentary Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, she expressed interest in doing a show of John’s music, but she fell ill and left New York before she was able to see it through.
Iacono picked up the mantel and perfectly nailed it: the mannerisms, the vocal inflections and the old-fashioned razzle dazzle that made Stritch so unique. They were all there. And he was all there to witness the late star at work, which is what makes his show work so well.
As an 11-year-old, Iacono was cast in a small concert version of Sail Away, the 1961 Noel Coward Broadway musical that originally starred Stritch. The event was held at Carnegie Hall and Iacono regaled his rapt audience with the first time he met her backstage. His performance quickly won her admiration (no small feat) and that of critics, but a fall down a flight of steps moments before curtain left him with a broken arm. After a pep talk from Stritch, Iacono went on to do the show. At curtain call, she announced what had happened and called the kid “a trooper.”
From then on, the pair had a complicated friendship: sometimes warm and inviting, at other times cold and aloof. It all depended upon Stritch’s mood.
12 of Sir Elton’s songs were interwoven with stories of Iacono’s rising career and his interactions with Stritch. I’m Still Standing, Your Song, and Rocket Man were all included. But he avoided campiness and parody and instead, graciously honored the late star with a genuine, heartbreaking tribute. Like Stritch did in her award-winning autobiographical show At Liberty, Iacono dared to make himself vulnerable—and the risk paid off to an approving crowd.
Music Director and arranger Drew Wutke was pure magic at the keys and with first rate drummer Orion Turre, the two made the arrangements sound like a grand scale symphony. While they maintained the integrity of Sir Elton’s sound, the compositions were uniquely their own.
Director Ben Rimalower guided Iacono’s tale with a keen eye, ensuring that it maintained focus and delivered the perfect amount of zip and zeal.
Iacono is an incredible talent, both vocally and as a storyteller. We can only hope for an encore performance and like Elaine, we’ll drink to that.
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For more information about The Green Room 42, click here