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This Time The Dream's On Me - The Music of Harold Arlen
A fine cabaret show is one that's pared to the essentials: fine singing, sensitive accompaniment, economy of staging, and focus on the songs and what they say. All of which sums up the pleasure of Courtenay Day's latest outing, This Time The Dream's On Me - The Music of Harold Arlen, at The Duplex. An update of an earlier show, this run found Courtenay in warm command of the stage (and gowned for it), and in better voice than ever. With Christopher Marlowe providing the right touch at the piano and Thomas Honeck's sensitive lighting, Courtenay offered a program of fifteen numbers, plus just enough narrative to put Arlen's life and career in perspective. Her Over the Rainbow perfectly captured the song's yearnings, while her Come Rain or Come Shine revealed a solid belter. What's more, to quote the Mercer lyric to Arlen's Shining Hour, “this moment, this minute, and each second in it” with Courtenay was a pleasure.