Deux Grandes Dames
Melissa Errico & Isabelle Georges in France
May 28, 2023 | France Musique at Carreau De Temple, Paris, France
June 2, 2023 | Le Bal Blomet, Paris, France
The programme consisted of music by Michel Legrand — the common star under which these two “leading, and tall, ladies” stand, as the muses and stars of Legrand’s only musical comedie which ran on Broadway — as well as a virtuosic set of Sondheim, swinging classics by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Lerner & Loewe, Cole Porter— and thrillingly included 4 original bilingual songs by Broadway great Marc Shaiman, New Yorker magazine humorist/essayist/lyricist Adam Gopnik (winner of this year’s prestigious French Legion d’Honneur), and Jeremy Sams. Songs from the Broadway musicals “Dreamgirls,” “Victor/Victoria,” “My Fair Lady,” and many French films. Tony-nominated for her work in Legrand’s Broadway musical “Amour,” Melissa won the French audience’s heart with a passionate rendition of Hymne de L’Amour by Edith Piaf. Isabelle dazzled with tour de force tap dancing. But it was in the duets where the two “tall” ladies — sexy, witty and utterly musical — seemed to be discovering, with every note, a joy in delighting a crowd, together. An uncommon artistic friendship & partnership a commence!
“Melissa & Isabelle are a musical match made in heaven, offering a show of energy, wit, and mischief.”
—Remy Batteault, film director.
Deux Grandes Dames at Cabaret 42e rue
May 28, 2023 | France Musique at Carreau De Temple, Paris, France
Encore at Le Bal Blomet
June 2, 2023 | Le Bal Blomet, Paris, France
Reviews
“The pair perfectly complement each other thanks to Georges having a superb range and, at times, operatic voice, which seamlessly harmonizes with Errico’s dulcet soprano. They inject a Parisian flavour with a program including Legrand’s Jumelles, and You Must Believe in Spring”.
— London Theatre Magazine
“In the tradition of Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett, these twin sisters of Michel Legrand’s musical comedies offer a high-coloured musical night, lofted up by the joy of their complicity.”
– Radio France
Paris, Mon Amour
From her first appearance on stage, Melissa’s career has been in part a French affair. It began with her professional debut as Cosette in “Les Miserables” — but then went on to her leading role in Michel Legrand’s sole Broadway musical, “Amour”, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress, setting off a relationship between the actress and the composer that continues to resonate in two languages and many countries.
Her symphonic album, conducted and arranged by Legrand himself and produced by Phil Ramone, called “Legrand Affair” was one part of this legacy. Then, in her blossoming role as a writer for the New York Times, Melissa was asked to contribute a lengthy appraisal of Legrand on the occasion of his passing in 2019. She was then honored that summer to be invited as the only American performer to the prominent Legrand memorials in London and Paris, at the Royal Albert Hall & Le Grand Rex. In Paris, critics called her enchanting & her performance of Legrand “stunning”. In the wake of her celebration of Legrand, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Legrand’s loyal lyric writers, reached out to her with the very last song that they had composed with Legrand, never before recorded or even sung. The song “I Haven’t Thought Of This In Quite A While”, a widow’s recollection of her long and happy marriage, became one of the highlights of her expanded and enriched re-release of Melissa’s Legrand album, “Legrand Affair Deluxe”.
For the French Institute Alliance Francaise, Melissa soon after curated an 11-movie film festival (“The Summer of Legrand”) for which she organized live music and speakers and performed herself. Nor has Legrand been Melissa’s only French touchstone. During the pandemic, Melissa collaborated with FIAF by creating a 3-part televised series called LOVE, DESIRE & MYSTERY which entwined many French songs and sensibility, from Piaf to Duras, with their American counterparts, and eventually led to her newest, acclaimed noir album and live show, “Out Of The Dark”, which includes a unique performance, entirely in French, of the legendary singer-songwriter Barbara’s “Solitude”.