GERSHWIN

Got my attention ! Gerswhin sings Gershwin ! That... is playing 3 days at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The name Gershwin grabbed me because of the great muscial songwriting history of George and Ira Gerswin and Rhapsody in Blue ! So what? Well their sisters daughter Frances had four children the oldest, Alexis, and she is singing their songs. She is no spring chicken as my show partner Gerry said, "she is older than us" and us are 62. There were lots of us's in the audience and unfortunately you probably needed some mileage to get the best from this show. Just for the game, Alexis has hidden her age and did not reveal it in recent interviews but her mother was born in 1906, thusly the child bearing years of the 20's... 1926 -1936 would put Alexis in the 71-81 range, you do the math. She looked a touch frail in a long black gown and gloves. Alexis has lived in California and now after family and lots of life is touring this music. Alan Alda's father played George Gershwin in the 1945 movie which did not include all of Rhapsody in Blue, I find negativity in everything but I look for it and sometimes it finds me. Enough on that.

All shows start at 100 and this one, 13 minutes late started with a grade of 87 so they have ruined a perfect score before they started. However this was quality stuff 81 minutes of the greatest lyrics of all time (next to Lennon and McCartney). Alexis can sing and did and did some nice narrative of the brothers Gershwin story. Six backup singers, what's the message here, Peggy Lee had a bass, piano and soft drummer 20 years ago here and that was enough. Alexis worked off of two telepromters which she did not seem to need, all the musicians read music, conductor, piano, guitar, bass, drummer and 4 horn players, thats 15 people on stage and I was there only for the lyrics, seemed like too many, but none were bad. The show had a little zip, dance and production and altho none of it was fine tuned, none of it was bad and most of it was unnecessary. I was thinking, looking and listening to this how really great Sammy Davis was comparing him once again to everone. Again it would be hard to criticize (my job) the big picture here.

George Gershwin died in 1937 of brain cancer at age 38 one of the greatest losses to music since the way too early death of John Lennon in 1980 at age 40. George Gerswhin and brother Ira who lived to 86 produced a body of romantic music and lyrics unsurpassed until the Beatles, being second in this race is like being on top, how lovely to listen to the words that evoke emotion and not be overpowered by noise. Thank you Alexis (however old you are) for bringing this piece of heaven to us here in Las Vegas.

Hope you enjoy the review here but for all shows the experience is the show itself, sucking up this kind of stuff is the fruit of my life!

Starting from 87... a B 85 the bulk of score for the music and the bulk of the negative for starting late, Sammy Davis you are still the greatest, I miss you every day and you will be on top forever.