Lush Life

I've raved about Marilyn Maye so many times on here, that all I'll say now is that, in her current show at The Metropolitan Room ("Love On the Rocks"), Ms. Maye is so friggin' fantastic, and in such spectacular form, that you'll be sorry if you miss her. As per the esteemed Stephen Holden's rave review of the show in The New York Times:

By any standard Ms. Maye’s rich, booming contralto is in remarkable condition. The moment you think you’ve pegged her as a brassy nightclub gal of the old school of mascara and sequins, she slips into a jazz mode and shows her chops as an accomplished improvisational scat singer. The more jazz shadings she adds to songs, the more she transcends the image of the kind of soft-boiled good-time entertainer who is often described as “a survivor.”

With all due respect to Mr. Holden and the Times, one shouldn't discount the power of brass, mascara, sequins and survivors, either. The jazz artist AND the good time gal were both on display last night, and both blew me (and the rest of the screaming, hooting and hollering audience) away. She even "picked up" an adorable young French boy in the park the afternoon before (true story!) and brought him to the show last night, introduced him to the audience, and had him murmur French phrases into the microphone as we all swooned. Then, noticing his lovely date, Maye wryly remarked, "You didn't have HER yesterday!"

This 80 year old (!) wonder reaffirms everything good and right about New York night life.