Marilyn Maye’s return to the Metropolitan Room was like a camp reunion for the saloon set. Saloons, she informed the crowd already familiar with her patter, are otherwise called “upholstered sewers.” This chanteuse, elegant in her mid-80’s in a blond bouffant, sang tunes suggested by her “regulars,” many of whom she addressed from the stage by first name: “Who requested this?” she asked amiably on the night I caught her act. “You? Okay, now you’re hearing it.” 

For a requests only show, many of the tunes were esoteric. At times, the choices seemed motivated by the audience’s playful one up-man-ship. Never mind. The result was a bit like a history of the American songbook, some tunes from Steve Allen, “This Could Be the Start of Something Big” and “I Love You Today.” When she said she would sing something from Annie Get Your Gun, my heart leapt up in recognition, hoping for some memorable Dorothy Fields lyrics: I got the ballad, “Lost in his Arms.” Oh well. The best medley was her cover of music made famous by Ray Charles (“You Don’t Know Me”). The knowing crowd, including actor John Glover and fellow performer John Epperson “Lypsinka,” stood and cheered after the generous two hour set that also featured Billy Stritch at the piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and drummer Ray Marchica.

Greeting fans downstairs at the Met Room, next to a table piled high with CDs for sale, Maye was equally giving and energetic. One well-wisher had an old lp, “A Taste of Sherry,” with a photo of Marilyn, a young brunette in a classic ‘50’s hairdo. “That’s me in a Jewish flip,” she quipped, not missing a beat.

Regina Weinreich

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