It’s the perfect evening out for anyone who would like to slip into a warm, romantic mood. Maude Maggart, an ever-pleasing chanteuse with a pure voice and an enchanting personality to match, has brought an expertly crafted romantic program titled “Three Little Words” to the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel for her new show that will be stimulating hearts through May 8, 2010.
The idea is clever. Every song in her repertoire on this occasion has only three words in the title, and all the selections are about love. A gimmick, yes, but it pays off in one lilting interpretation after another, the cozy pattern broken only for a few entertainingly offbeat exceptions. Looking elegant in her rich-brown velvet gown, Maggart is the essence of simplicity in the charmingly direct way she engages with her audience. There’s a minimum of chatter, which makes her occasional remarks all the more effective. It is the singing that counts, and there is admirable clarity to her voice and actress-like meaning that she applies to her lyrics with consistent depth of feeling.
Accompanied skillfully by her musical director John Boswell at the piano, Maggart sets the romantic tone immediately with her intimate rendition of “Love, I Hear,” by Stephen Sondheim. After sensitive follow-up with “Where or When” and “Be Here Now,” she gets playful with “I Said No,” a song with sexy double entendres leading up to “no” turning into “yes,” but instead of committing to the bedroom, it turns out that the lady is succumbing to ordering a magazine subscription. Maggart obviously gets a big kick out of delivering the punch line.
Another of her selections in a different mode is “Getting Married Today,” Sondheim’s amusing tongue-twister about a bride-to-be in an utter state of panic, which Maggart effectively dramatizes at breakneck speed. Then there is Tom Leherer’s “The Masochism Tango,” with which Maggart has fun expressing the kinkier side of love. These are highly enjoyable detours, but the main route is serving up romantic love in its assorted versions.
Maggart smartly embraces “I’m Old Fashioned” and “It Amazes Me,” and she communicates sadness with “The Other Woman,” sophistication for “C’est Comme Ça,” and a heartfelt mood for “Body and Soul.” I also greatly appreciated her “My Old Flame,” “Without a Song” and her encore number, “Make Someone Happy.” She should make a lot of people happy during her run at the Oak Room. She’s been making me happy since I first heard her. One other likable thing about Maggart--she considerately makes a point of moving about in different directions attempting to make sure that, wherever one is sitting in the elongated room, nobody feels left out. At the Oak Room, Algonquin Hotel, 59 West 44th Street. Reservations: 221-419-9331 or bmcgurn@algonquinhotel.com.