[Dixielandjazz] Sexy Music at 82 - Eartha Kitt

[Steve Barbone]

Not Dixieland but surely OKOM. The 82 year old Eartha Kitt apparently still
has "it" as far as performing is concerned. On the strength of this review,
Martha and I are going to NYC to see her show during the coming week.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone 

Hey, Big Spender, This Purr¹s for You (Especially if You¹re 82)

NY TIMES - By STEPHEN HOLDEN - September 20, 2007

Who else but that eternal femme fatale Eartha Kitt could announce with a
straight face from the stage, ³I may be 80, but I¹m still burning,² and have
it be partly true? 

This was how Ms. Kitt followed her rendition of ³I¹ve Got My Love to Keep Me
Warm,² on Tuesday in her opening night show at the newly renovated Café
Carlyle. Actually, Ms. Kitt¹s face was not so straight. During a show that
found her prowling the stage in a dark red velvet dress, she was unable to
contain her amusement at her gold-digger routine. Or as she said, widening
her cat¹s eyes into a ravenous stare and scouring a room filled with
well-heeled patrons before breaking into a grin, ³Je cherche un
billionaire.² 

Woe be the male ringside patron who becomes her cat toy for the evening, as
she queries him in several different languages and coyly inquires about his
financial status. If he is young, the chances are she will soon lose
interest and suggest he introduce her to his father. In ³Too Young to Be
Meant for Me,² one of her wittiest songs on Tuesday, she impatiently brushes
off a 20-year-old admirer and tells him not to wait: ³Can¹t you see I¹ve got
a date with someone rich and 82?²

It is fascinating to watch the flickers at the corners of Ms. Kitt¹s lips
and eyes during these audience questionnaires. The peevish scowl of an
arrogant siren who has been through this ritual a thousand times can
suddenly turn into the cunning grin of a carnivore about to pounce on a
juicy morsel of filet mignon.

The gold digger is just one aspect of this performer with many layers.
³Everything Changes,² the centerpiece of her new show is a sweet, fatalistic
lament with music by Brian Feinstein and lyrics by Diana Hansen-Young that
she introduced last year in the Off Broadway musical ³Mimi Le Duck.² Ms.
Kitt shed several layers of armor to play an aged bohemian whose famous
friends and lovers have all died. Her haunted performance of it on Tuesday
evening put the final coat of polish on a song that suggests ³Memory² from
³Cats,² but with famous names dropped, including Picasso and Sartre.

For a music critic the extensive renovation of the Café Carlyle promises
much. The room is brighter and airier without having lost its cozy elegance.
The raised ceiling has improved its muffled acoustics, which are further
enhanced by the installation of a modern sound system. Ms. Kitt¹s band
(Daryl Waters on piano, Jon Burr on bass, Joseph Friedman on guitar, Brian
Grice on drums and Carlos Gomez on percussion) had noticeably more bite than
the past, and Ms. Kitt¹s voice was in full growl.

Eartha Kitt appears through Oct. 27 at the Café Carlyle, Carlyle Hotel, 35
East 76th Street, Manhattan; (212) 744-1600, thecarlyle.com.