where to begin really - i mean - last night - to have the absolute pleasure to sit in one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world (carnegie hall) - and watch one of the most iconographic women in cabaret - perform for her 80th birthday - i'm telling you - it was truly an experience of a lifetime. the woman in question is none other than eartha kitt. i've been loving this woman for as long as i can remember. from watching old episodes of batman when i was a kid - to singing along to her disco hits in the 70's. this woman has seen and done it all. and for 80 - my god - still giving most people half her age a definite run for their money.last night - it was all about eartha. simple stage set with a usual jazz band as a backdrop - 2 spotlights illuminating this timeless woman for all to see. i lost count at 12 standing ovations. the crowd absolutely loved her - as well they should. she opened with the sondheim classic 'i'm still here' from follies. she of course adapted it in her own eartha way - touching on her u.s. exile during the vietnam war from presidents johnson and nixon all the way through her comeback from the 70's and beyond. very fitting to open the show.
without missing a beat - eartha went onto sing some of her most known hits including my personal favorite - 'come-on-a-my-house' - sung in japanese and adapted from the original work by rosemary clooney! always a flirt - this night was no exception - purring at the men (and women) in the front row - commenting on how she needs to change the lyrics in 'just an old fashioned girl' from 'old fashioned millionaire' to 'billionaire' to raise the stakes a bit. i was quite happy when she staged her version of 'le danseur de charleston' - something i've been waiting for most of my adult life to see live (the link is an example when she did it in australia many years ago). for an 80-year old woman - she could charleston without missing a beat! i was impressed. the only number missing from the night was 'champagne taste' but the above totally made up for it. she closed out the first act with the disco favorite 'i will survive.' another fitting tune for this triumphant woman.
in the second half of the show - her special guests performed with her: tonya pinkins (tony winner - jelly's last jam & tony nomination - caroline, or change), lachanze (tony winner - the color purple & tony nomination - once on this island), and ben vereen (tony winner - pippin & tony nomination - jesus christ superstar). tonya and eartha brought the house down with a duet inspired by eartha's hit 'monotonous' while lachanze and eartha paired up for a rendition of 'santa baby'. ben vereen saluted eartha with a jazz inspired free-form version (including soft shoe dance) to 'my funny valentine.'
several times during this segment of the performance - eartha broke down into tears of joy - and you could hear her sobs throughout the rest of the show. she once stopped to simply say 'thank you - thank you to each of you for making me live so long.' it was truly a touching moment and one i'll never forget. after the music had died down and the ovations were had - the fabulous woman that she is - took time to shake people's hands as she moved from one end of the stage to the next - audience members showering her with flowers and cards - and ms. kitt taking time to sign an autograph or two.
breathtaking performance. absolutely stunning.
fortunately for us all - she'll be headlining at the carlyle hotel in new york city starting on september 18th through october 27th. i'm already in line for my tickets!
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