September 29, 2002- Press of Atlantic
City
Section: Entertainment
Edition: All
Page: B1
STEVE & EYDIE JUST GET BETTER WITH TIME
SCOTT CRONICK For The Press
Sometimes, this job has perks. Case
in point: Friday night. Granted, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme at Resorts Atlantic
City wasn't at the top of my must-see-shows of 2002. But my girlfriend's mother
Adores (note the use of the capital A) the husband-and-wife singing duo, has
for what seems like forever to her.
What the heck, I figured. Why not score some points with her and check out what
the buzz is all about?
Man, am I glad I did.
There's a reason Steve & Eydie have been playing here since the first casinos
opened their doors: They're great, fabulous even. This was the first time I
ever saw them, but it's hard to imagine they were ever much better.
Maybe their steps are a little slower, maybe you've heard their jokes once or
twice before, but their voices are superb, their stage presence captivating
and, most importantly, their camaraderie is second to none.
The sold-out, literally standing-room-only crowd, that included Joe Pesci, seemed
to thoroughly enjoy every minute of the duo's impressively long set that stretched
nearly two hours. There were no surprises. Steve & Eydie did what they've
been doing for more than 40 years: classic standards from the likes of Gershwin,
Porter and what seemed like every major composer you can think of backed by
a ridiculously large orchestra that had a string and brass section that spared
no expense.
By the time the dynamic duo got done, they performed more songs than you can
keep track of. They did stuff together and solo, and their well thought-out
medleys sometimes weaved in and out of more than 15 songs.
That takes some planning. But it also takes talent. The two cut into each song
with knifelike precision, evidence of their years on stage together. They never
missed a beat, a cue, an entrance or a note.
Opening with the energetic "Wherever You Go," they eased their way
into "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" and "It's Wonderful."
Other highlights included "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Fly
Me to the Moon," "I Wish You Love" and "New York, New York."
Their encore, "Our Love is Here to Stay," was sweet and fitting, but
the Sinatra medley was the show stopper. Firing Sinatra faves out like a machine
gun, Steve & Eydie tackled "Night and Day," "All or Nothing
At All," "Come Fly With Me," "Saturday Night is the Loneliest
Night," "Witchcraft," "That's Life" and "When
You're Smiling," among others, with the orchestra using some of the legendary
charts Sinatra gave to the couple before his death.
Lawrence's voice, especially when doing Sinatra favorites, could give you goosebumps.
And Gorme's voice has enough personality to charm a snake.
Although she suffered some recent health problems that even led to Lawrence
doing some shows without her, Friday night proved she should be doing this for
a while longer.
The most impressive aspect of the show is how much fun they're still having,
evidenced by their teasing of each other. Lawrence made fun of Gorme's oversized
white dress at the start of the show.
"You got someone in there with you?" asked Lawrence, the more humorous
of the two. "We've been looking for Paul Anka for three months."
He would later poke fun at her weight again.
"You're the only thing I ever invested in that doubled," he joked.
"Now you have to figure out how to make me split," she retorted.
Some of his other jokes were corny, but the crowd loved them.
"I took Viagra, the only thing I got was a stiff neck," said Lawrence,
who also had some pretty funny lawyer jokes.
After more than four decades of touring, Steve & Eydie announced their "One
More For the Road" tour in 2003, their last tour. Their Web site says they
won't be retiring, but are just cutting down on the rigors of the road.
No return date to Atlantic City has been announced, but most people in the industry
predict Atlantic City will remain on the duo's places to perform after that
tour concludes.
So in the end, the night turned out all right. I made some ins with my girlfriend's
mom and saw a casino show my kids will never understand when I tell them about
it 20 years from now. Oh well, their loss.
Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme perform at 8 tonight at Resorts. Tickets are
$40 and can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420, or on line
at www.ticketmaster.com.
To e-mail Scott Cronick at The Press:
SCronick@pressofac.com