Anna Russell and Her Little Show “An Intimate Revue”

Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times said Russell had “more exuberance than variety,” and by the second act the evening became a “test of strength and endurance” in which he was “beaten down.” John McClain in the New York Journal-American echoed Atkinson when he noted that Russell’s “charm and ability” unfortunately “beat you to death” with her archness, her double-takes, and her “askance” glances at the audience. Watts noted Russell didn’t lack self-confidence, but it was his “sullen impression” that there was “no real hilarity bubbling up” from her spoofs. He suggested she was better suited to the concert hall than the Broadway stage. Robert Coleman in the Daily Mirror had seen Russell at Town Hall a few times, and said the often “terrific” performer had sadly omitted some of her best numbers from the revue and had unfortunately added a few that were “pedestrian.” William Hawkins in the New York World-Telegram and Sun said Russell was an “extraordinary satirist,” but noted she “seemed occasionally overanxious” and sometimes too self-indulgent with her material. However, John Chapman in the Daily News reported her “unusual gifts” combined “pointed and delicate” satire along with “broad and lusty” burlesque. He particularly liked how she “destroyed” the “chantoosie” of the Piaf school in “Les Cigarettes.” There was no cast album, but Russell recorded for Columbia, and her various records capture her special spirit and brand of satire, including her demolition of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Anna Russell also appeared Off Broadway in her one-woman show All by Myself, which opened at the 41st Street Theatre on June 15, 1964, for forty performances. Like her Broadway outing, the revue spoofed musical styles and singers; it included three songs from the Broadway production (“Les Cigarettes,” “I’d Be a Red Hot Momma,” and “Chlorophyll Sally”).

Music

Anna Russell