Robert Ryan Wows a Full House at Act2PV
What a gift we were given last night in the Casa Karma Red Room at Act2PV Theater. In his mid-sixties, Robert M. Ryan debuted in his show called Songs from the Heart. Although he was aware of brisk ticket sales, the look on his face when he took to the stage and saw a sea of familiar faces spread out before him, then looked up to more in the packed balcony, was at once fearful and splashed with hope. A full house.
He was momentarily stunned; I saw tears prick his eyes with the enormous finality after weeks of rehearsals of ‘this is really it.’ A couple of warbled notes caught in his throat, and then he confidently hit his stride. The entire concert was a quiet triumph.
Robert’s song choices were carefully curated, with about half nobody in the theater had ever heard before. The funniest was Alan Chapman’s “Everybody Wants to Be Sondheim But Me.” It was sung bombastically using every inch of Ryan’s larger-than-life operatic training. The lyrics are hilarious, and I can only guess how fun the stage play must be. (That’s a hint to somebody out there, btw!)
In a wonderful tongue-in-cheek comeback was a Rodgers and Hammerstein mashup that followed the Sondheim dismissal like a church choir busting into a Goth rave. It was brilliantly fused together and did become the singalong portion of the show.
Ryan’s storytelling was matter-of-fact, beginning with his overflowing love for his husband Martin, backtracking to his grandmother, of whom he spoke and sang with deep respect and carried us from Rhode Island to Vassar, to opera, Canada, and Puerto Vallarta.
Robert participated in the recent Fiesta de Cabaret held in November at Act2PV. The concept of teaching cabaret by some of the most successful people in the business was the brainchild of pianist and Musical Director extraordinaire Mark Hartman. Robert paid avid attention and bubbled over with news every time I saw him ‘after class.’ After nine days, he emerged as a different singer. He took everything he learned, studied hard, applied the major learning curves, and presented Songs From The Heart with aplomb, humility, and a soft strength that earned him two standing ovations. How I wish his teachers could have been in the audience; what an affirmation!
Live music supporter Georgia Darehshori held an afterparty for her dear friends Robert Ryan and husband Martin Methot at her condo and invited the entire theater to join in the fun.
There was live music. Michael Ferreri continued to play piano as he did for Robert’s show. He is an elegant pianist whose fingers literally dance on the piano to the cadence of the storyteller/singer. Seeing and hearing him again after a couple of years he spent abroad was delightful.
Georgia’s home was bursting at the seams with people congratulating Robert on his dreamy, warm embrace of a cabaret show. The fourth wall of Robert’s life has crumbled to dust, and he can now bring his heart to the stage and share it with each one of us. A gallant heart it is.