Still, too many times Marcovicci lost her pitch, wobbling above, below and around some notes as she searched for the right place to land. And she was forgetting lyrics, too, most disconcertingly in the middle of Bernstein and Sondheim's Somewhere. It wasn't the age difference that put Marcovicci at a disadvantage last night. It was something she can't as easily laugh off. Campbell's well paced and well prepared set glowed with professionalism.
Age is no excuse for poor pacing, inadequate preparation, and a very uneven program.
Campbell returned for some concluding numbers with Marcovicci. He did a very funny takeoff on Mandy Patinkin singing Hello Dolly , catching Patinkin's body language and use of falsetto tones followed by a sudden drop in register. That's No Way to Say Goodbye, was sweetly sung, though the song probably belongs in the trash heap along with Moon River. First rate piano accompaniment by the singers' music directors, Shelly Markham and Christopher Denny, was enhanced by some four hand arrangements in the closing songs. In all, a very generous evening of cabaret showcasing two fine talents, one amazingly professional in his youth, the other, perhaps, needing to take her audience less for granted.