STATE THEATRE
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ
MARCH 12, 2006
As of 10:30 Saturday night I was not planning to be at the State Theatre
on Sunday afternoon. But at the eleventh hour - literally - I got a call from a
friend who had an extra ticket. It was fate. A gift from the God who smiles
upon Irish Tenor fans. And I am so glad I was at Sunday's performance.
It was the best of the three recent performances in the northeast, and
probably the best of the whole tour, so far. The audience was packed
with people expecting a great show. And they got it.
Anthony was at least 90% recovered and sang marvelously. "Scorn Not
His Simplicity" was most beautifully and movingly sung. And "The West's
Awake" was at its most magnificent. His voice was rich, clear, and ringing.
And his ending high C has not been bettered by anyone I've heard. He was
also more vocally assured in the trios, singing beautifully in "Be Thou My
Vision", "Fields of Athenry", and "Rose of Tralee", to name just a few. The
trio of "Phil The Fluther"/"Come Back Paddy Reilly"/"Are You Right There,
Michael" was very entertaining, with John pretending to wind Anthony back
up after his high note at the end of "Phil", while Anthony flopped over as if
he'd run out of steam, and Finbar making "baaing" noises when Anthony
sang his verse about arriving with a top C instead of a squall, in "Paddy
Reilly." John was struggling a little, with a fever, but even so, there were
moments of great vocal beauty. John said "The Old Man" was the most
requested song he performs. And it's easy to see why. John puts into the
words and music, all the love, caring, and pride he feels for his father, and
the sadness he felt when his father passed away. And in doing that, he
expresses for us, the same love, pride and caring that we feel for our fathers,
especially those who are no longer here. And for that, I thank John. As usual,
"Legacy" was one of the highlights of the afternoon, and received a standing
ovation. And John's resonant lower range more than held its own, in the trios.
Finbar was not only Mr. Wright. He was "Mr. Right-On!" I didn't think he
could get better than he was on Friday night in Waterbury. But he was.
He certainly was. His "Little Brigid Flynn" is a showstopper. "Maggie"
was a real audience favorite, with Finbar adding some vocal nuances I
hadn't heard him do before. And "Forty Shades of Green" was just 40
shades of wonderful!
The orchestra was excellent, although still not as good as the one in
Manchester, New Hampshire. And Arnie conducted elegantly, and exuberantly.
There was a Meet & Greet after the performance, and not only were we
lucky enough to be able to thank the Tenors, but Arnie joined them, and
we were able to thank him, as well. I told Arnie I was so glad that Sean
had persuaded him to be at the M&G, and Arnie said that he heard people
had asked for him. So now, he will join the guys.
So thank you to CMI Entertainment and Sean Casey for bringing us The Irish
Tenors, thank you to Anthony, Finbar, John, and Arnie for giving us their best,
and thank you to the God who smiles on Irish Tenor fans. He must have been
grinning on Sunday.
Berta Calechman