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OBERLIN RETURNS ONE NIGHT ONLY TO METROPOLITAN ROOM OCT. 29TH

Karen Oberlin

“The Wizard of Words: Yip Harburg’s Songs of Wit and Wisdom”

When a talented cabaret singer announces a show devoted to the wonderful songs of E.Y. (Yip) Harburg, one can be pretty certain of being well entertained. Popular Karen Oberlin, actress, singer, recipient of several prestigious awards, has framed a superb production featuring the songs of one of the truly great lyricists of the Broadway songbook of the latter half of the last century. The sold-out show opened with a film clip introduction by Harburg, from “Broadway and Hollywood Legends: The Songwriters,” where Harburg speaks of his life and his songs and he sings “Over The Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, (1939) written with Harold Arlen, which brought me to tears.

How does a singer follow that? It was no problem for Ms. Oberlin with her light, true, pretty voice and her jazz influenced style, a deep understanding and appreciation of the lyrics and with Tedd Firth, her pianist/arranger/musical director  and Sean Smith on bass. She took us through five decades of brilliant songs, all of them precious to a Harburg buff like this humble reviewer. There is such incredible variety in his work with so many of the top composers of those musical years, from Jay Gorney, the stirring “Brother Can You Spare A Dime?” to Yip’s most frequent collaborator, Harold Arlen, who wrote the poignant “Last Night When We Were Young” (1935) and the silly, but so perspicacious “Napoleon” (Jamaica, 1951) and the joyous “Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe” (Cabin In The Sky, 1946) to the hilarious “Lydia The Tatooed Lady,” from the 1939 A Day at the Circus, plus many other gems with music by Burton Lane, Vernon Duke, Sammy Fain, and right up to a Jule Styne song “Sunset Tree” from 1968’s Darling of the Day.

In talking with Karen after her show, and congratulating her on a lovely evening and for her interpretations of the Harburg oeuvre, I mentioned my very favorite of the masters work “Time, You Old Gypsy Man,” written very late in his life with Phil Springer, a fine composer I’m proud to call my friend. Karen said she is so enamored of the Harburg material that she’s hoping to do a new show and include that special song. She has a great feeling for Harburg songs and the style and talent to perform them, so that is something devoutly to be wished for the future. Meanwhile, the show reviewed here has completed its run at The Metropolitan Room, but could easily be reprised there or many places out of New York. It is strong enough to have a good long life.