Joanne Halev’s elegance as a performer filled a packed room upstairs at Birdland. She was queen of the thoughtful pause, allowing reflective spaces in her phrasing, and connecting with her very engaged audience.
Joanne Halev (Photo: Helane Blumfield)
Directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, Sailing On was a loose set of reflections about Halev’s life and travels, with the image of the Maine seaside serving as an anchor for tales of romance, children, gratitude, and grandmothers. Music director and pianist Alex Rybeck’s very tasteful arrangement of Charles Trenet’s “La Mer” bookended the evening—first sung in English, then later, briefly in French (English lyrics, Jack Lawrence). Song choices, although lovely, leaned heavily toward ballads. Even a driving song such as “Show Me” (Lerner & Lowe) was slowed down and smoothed out. With a long setlist and many song excerpts interspersed with patter, the show would have been well served with some judicious editing.
Comic turns were welcome contrasts in the calm performance, and delightfully executed. “Nesting Time in Flatbush” (Jerome Kern, P.G. Wodehouse) was a joy, featuring a note-perfect, broad, Brooklyn accent inspired by Halev’s grandmother. “Out of Practice” (Dillie Keane) was also very funny; Halev was vulnerable and suitably off-kilter as she told the story of the awkwardness of dating after divorce. Vocally, Halev found a strong moment in the nautical medley of “Blow the Wind Southerly” (Traditional) and “Ship in a Bottle” (Amanda McBroom), with her higher range opening up and her lower range showing depth and texture.
“Nobody’s Heart Belongs to Me” (Rodgers & Hart) was one of my favorites of the evening, with Tom Hubbard’s walking bassline supporting Halev, who sang the carefree lyrics with attentive rhythm. “The Lies of Handsome Men” (Francesca Blumenthal) was where we heard her in an especially heartfelt command of her craft, with a measured tempo, and uninterrupted by patter. The encore, which featured a 6/8 arrangement of “I Got the Sun in the Morning and the Moon at Night,” (Irving Berlin) was a good button on the evening: the meter gave it a new, gentle sway and underlined the running theme of appreciation for the simpler things.
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Presented at Birdland, 315 W. 44th St., NYC, April 21, 2025.
From Canada, Penelope Thomas came to NY to study dance with Merce Cunningham; then through a series of fortunate and unfortunate events, she wound up back in singing and acting. Credits include lead vocals with FauveMuseum on two albums and live at Symphony Space, singing back-up for Bistro Awards director Shellen Lubin at the Metropolitan Room, reading poet Ann Carson’s work at the Whitney, and touring North America and Europe with Mikel Rouse’s The End of Cinematics. In Toronto, she studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music and cello with the Claude Watson School for the Arts, and in New York she studied music theory with Mark Wade. She's taught in the New School’s Sweat musical theatre intensive and taught dance in public schools and conservatories.
