In LONG STORY SHORT, written and performed by Colin Quinn, directed by Jerry Seinfeld, I was initially put off by Quinn’s tone— he seemed brash, crude, vulgar and charmless. I soon ignored that and went with the clever material. He gives us a skewed History of The World in seventy-five minutes. As he goes through history and philosophy all over the globe, he does make some funny references and comparisons, some smart, original associations, finding the incongruities of good observational comedy. The intellectual content is interesting as we go from Greece to Rome to China to the Middle Ease, to Africa where he gives good impressions of national stereotypes, and finally to some really good jokes about America, but it is not often funny. We get used to his working class tone, much of it on the same level, but the pace is rapid-fire, and words are missed. The very interesting set and projection designs by David Gallo are beautifully done, and give a real theatricality to the show, and lighting by Howell Binkley enhances everything. Although I was intellectually engaged by the ideas in the show, which are creative and occasionally profound, I was not emotionally engaged by Quinn because it was hard for me to identify with his persona. For me, the writing is better than the performance, and I’d love to see another comedian, someone with warmth and charm, do this same first rate material. But since Quinn is the only one doing it this week, you might as well go see him.

RICHMOND SHEPARD

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com

PHOEBE LEGERE at Iridium (51st & Broadway): The Mermaid sings! She is a stylized, larger-than-life character in shining silver sequins— a real singer: voice, timing, with a sprinkling of comedic vocal takes and she wiggles, and jiggles and bounces at the piano (after peeling off the sequins). Legere does songs from “The Great American Songbook” plus her own songs like “Text Me in the Dark.” Large in stature, large in voice, large in persona, huge in talent, she’s brash, funny with a real musicality in her strong voice, and awfully good looking. AND- she sings in French and plays the accordion. Once again Iridium gives us a major talent-- this one is a real star- a stage dynamo with the dimensions of a Carol Channing. They don’t make performers more entertaining than Phoebe Legere. She has a great combo with her: trumpet: Warren Vache; guitar, violin, vocals: Sir George Leonard; bass: Jon Burr and percussion: Ray Marchiko. It’s uplifting-- a privilege to be at a performance by Legere-- she’s a multitude, and all superb including a hoe-down with her on accordion or fiddle. It was hard not to stand up and dance. She’ll do two shows at Iridium on February 15th—7: PM and 9: PM. 212/582-2121.

RICHMOND SHEPARD

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com

PHOEBE LEGERE at Iridium (51st & Broadway): The Mermaid sings! She is a stylized, larger-than-life character in shining silver sequins— a real singer: voice, timing, with a sprinkling of comedic vocal takes and she wiggles, and jiggles and bounces at the piano (after peeling off the sequins). Legere does songs from “The Great American Songbook” plus her own songs like “Text Me in the Dark.” Large in stature, large in voice, large in persona, huge in talent, she’s brash, funny with a real musicality in her strong voice, and awfully good looking. AND- she sings in French and plays the accordion. Once again Iridium gives us a major talent-- this one is a real star- a stage dynamo with the dimensions of a Carol Channing. They don’t make performers more entertaining than Phoebe Legere. She has a great combo with her: trumpet: Warren Vache; guitar, violin, vocals: Sir George Leonard; bass: Jon Burr and percussion: Ray Marchiko. It’s uplifting-- a privilege to be at a performance by Legere-- she’s a multitude, and all superb including a hoe-down with her on accordion or fiddle. It was hard not to stand up and dance. She’ll do two shows at Iridium on February 15th—7: PM and 9: PM. 212/582-2121.

RICHMOND SHEPARD

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com

RAISSA KATONA BENNETT at Feinstein’s performs the music of Jerome Kern:

This was a wonderful evening of nostalgia for me as Bennett, a classical singer with a lovely voice, sensitively sang the songs I associate with my youth-- including my mother’s two favorites: “All the Things You Are” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” She’s a Broadway actress as well as a singer, and brings her personal touch to classics, from cute, clever lyrics to sexy ballads. It’s a pleasure to hear a real singer perform a range of Kern’s work from smart, catchy songs to the powerful “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man of Mine.” They don’t make better than the hot, first class musical duo accompanying her: Don Rebic on piano and Tom Hubbard on bass. Bennett has great charm, and this old man was quite moved by her singing and her persona.

RICHMOND SHEPARD

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com

LOMBARDI by Eric Simonson, about the renowned football coach, is a real play, not just a showing of a brash character, carried by the strong energetic performers including Dan Lauria as a vivid Lombardi and Judith Light who nicely balances the role of his wife. There are really no surprises for a football fan like me, and I found the technical talk quite interesting. Framed by an interview by a reporter, Keith Nobbs, LOMBARDI is well-written, with lots of good jokes, and it was a thrill for me to see three big guys in the real Green Bay uniforms just a few feet away. Fan or not, this is a strong, engaging piece of Theatre, energetically directed by Thomas Kail.

RICHMOND SHEPARD

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com

FRUED’S LAST SESSION by Mark St. Germain, directed by Tyler Marchant, is a meticulous production of a brilliant encounter between an 83 year old, irascible, dying Sigmund Freud and a younger C.S. Lewis. The contrapuntal arguments about the existence of God, sprinkled with real humor, give us a fascinating interchange as brilliant minds clash. Beautifully performed by Martin Rayner and Mark H. Dold, the play goes far beyond mere believer vs non-believer. It’s a powerful drama with human strengths, weaknesses and foibles, with its arguments interspersed with Freud’s illness and radio announcements of Hitler’s march into Poland. The beautiful detailed set is by Brian Prather, with fine lighting by Clifton Taylor. This is a powerful piece of Theatre that appeals not only to educated people who love mental swordplay, but to anyone who loves strong, gripping Theatre.

RICHMOND SHEPARD

Performing Arts INSIDER and lively-arts.com