Previously published in NiteLifeExchange
Ann Talman – Classy and Classic
My curiosity about this show was piqued with the mere mention of Elizabeth Taylor, whose house here in town, Casa Kimberly, where she lived with Richard Burton before and after their marriage, is just a couple of blocks up the hill from me.
I knew it was going to be a notch above normal when I was handed a 20-page program going into the Casa Karma Red Room. A classy remembrance that I will keep.
Ann is tiny, even in boots, and she shines with gold sequins, leaving somber tones for her extremely able musical director, Alex Rybeck. I was almost unaware of the piano as Ann’s beguiling soft tones drifted from speaking into song. Alex was acutely aware of exactly where she was throughout the evening, and he used real sheet music—another classic touch.
She grew up being told how much she looked like Elizabeth Taylor in the movie National Velvet; some of the photographs of Liz and Ann together are astonishingly similar.
Whether it was Life imitating Art or the other way around, Ann eventually landed the part playing Liz’s daughter on Broadway in Lillian Helman’s drama “The Little Foxes.”
And so began an enduring friendship that lasted until Taylor’s death 14 years ago. Ann was invited, for example, to celebrate Elizabeth’s 60th birthday party in 1992 when Liz rented all of Disneyland for the night. Other guests included Michael Jackson and, of course, Richard Burton. Ann also met Princess Diana, The Reagans, and many other interesting people.
What made Ann Talman’s performance last week so intimate and endearing was her simple delivery. After all, the story she was telling was her actual Life. It didn’t need tragedy added or drama attached to or piled on top to make it enjoyable. And that she can put the best parts of her Life to music and then spread it around the continent like sweetened cream is a gift for us all to enjoy.
“The Shadow of Her Smile” is an over-the-top lovely celebration of Ann Talman’s Life, including her friendships with a couple of people you may have heard of.
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Previously published in NiteLifeExchange
An Evening with Dawn Derow
Her business card reads “Singer, Actor, Producer, Fitness Coach.” When she walked onstage at the Casa Karma Red Room, she could have easily added Mambo Maestra right up to the flower tucked behind one ear; the ruffles on her bright yellow dress jumped whenever she moved.
What a breath of fresh cabaret air she is. She is young, outrageously fit, and undeniably beautiful, and is definitely channeling two past decades, the 40s and 50s, as if she had lived them. She mirrors and doesn’t imitate.
Dawn has paid tribute to Eydie Gormé, the underadmired 1950s vocalist and she is in love with the music of pre-World War II America. Hence, her CD called My Ship: Songs from 1941.
Dawn studied opera at Boston Conservatory, and her top notes sprout wings with ease; she treated us with an aria from La Boheme. She packed her guitar to come to Vallarta for her show named ‘Because I Can,’ a title that celebrates her independent spirit and played a couple of her favorite songs.
On piano, the excellent David Maiocco skillfully integrated tracks on occasion and Dawn’s guitar work. An evening of positive vibes to be sure.
Three-time MAC award winner and counting, Dawn has lived in New York City for more than 20 years to be close to work at venues like Carnegie Hall and Green Room 42 that are known all over the entertainment world. We hope she will return to Puerto Vallarta soon and spend a bit more time with us.
