Melissa Errico's video: Melissa Errico - The Girls of Summer Sondheim Live at Feinstein s 54 Below June 3 2017

Live concerts before the recording sessions for the project: www.sondheimsublime.com Recorded and released in 2018 on Ghostlight/Warner Records. June 2017 Entering through the audience to sing "Something's Coming" from WEST SIDE STORY, Errico carries a youngish optimism and experienced discernment that starts the show with a special excitement. Errico's silky smooth voice and lightning speed vibrato seemed to make the entire room quiver with delight. "If anyone doesn't know who Stephen Sondheim is, you can leave now. You're in the cult," she teases. This savvy songstress's knowledge and respect for the music she sings pays off. It's what elevates this cabaret act to something more than just a collection of songs but an actual experience for all who were fortunate enough to witness it. You could literally hear the audience either left breathless between songs, or actually talking back to her as she recounted some of her favorite Sondheim anecdotes, and was able to strike a careful balance of sharing personal encounters with the composer, with staying humble and accessible. Errico is a powerhouse known for her impeccable vocal phrasing and tantalizing journeys through song. The layman might have attended the show to hear her beautiful voice, which was plenty enough reason. I certainly expected no less of her effortless, legit range, soaring soprano prowess and trembling timber. But her show took audiences on a journey that transcended vocal craft. She introduced her "Sondheim theme" by telling us about the first time she met Sondheim, while she was actually performing. He commented on her performance, saying, "You were wonderful, most of the time." This was Melissa's gift of delivery for the night, and a magic that lifted the audience far off the ground for the following hour. All of her stories were delivered with such humor (some endearingly self-deprecating) and humility, but were furthermore always quickly followed by deep reflection, making her stories more than just witty banter and trite commentary, but rather, a deep "behind the scenes" perceptiveness that even a Sondheim nerd may not have not considered. -- by Amy Oestreicher, Broadwayworld