 Emily Skinner/Alice Ripley Duets spotlights Emily Skinner and Alice Ripley, who gained theatrical prominence by starring in "Side Show," a musical about Siamese twins. Skinner and Ripley (I nominate that to be the name of an "X-Files" spinoff) were literally conjoined for the show, and were even dually nominated for one slot of the Best Actress Tony. Now, the fact that this show was about Siamese twins may cause some to smash their hand down on the desk and shout "It has GONE TOO FAR!" but actually it was not a terrible show, thanks mainly to the charisma of its two (one?) leading ladies. Their voices blend wonderfully, so the idea of a duet album to follow-up the show must have been a no-brainer. It's a fine album, veering into schmaltz a fair amount, but I'm such a sucker for harmony in any form that I can stomach the cheese in the name of counterpoint. The track selection is drawn from a wide spectrum of shows, new and old, from "Shenandoah" and "Gypsy" up to "Chess" and "The Life" and including one song cut from "Side Show" ("Stuck With You/Ready to Play" – fortunately/unfortunately not the Huey Lewis "Stuck With You"). Fortunately, not too many of the tracks get too cutesy with the duet pairing (there's no "Side By Side") but they have covered all the bases to emphasize the "two" concept ("Two's Company," "My Friend," "Perfect Strangers," "We Make a Beautiful Pair," "Sisters," "My Own Best Friend,"). Most of it is pretty "Come on girls, let's PUT ON A SHOW!" but there are some nice ballads to temper the glitz. Highlights are "I Know Him So Well" from "Chess" (another classic from the male half of Abba), "We Make a Beautiful Pair" from "Shenandoah" (which actually gets close to down-home knee-slappin' fun) and "Every Day a Little Death" from "A Little Night Music." Not-so-highlights include the "charming" "If Momma Was Married" from "Gypsy" (not Sondheim's best moment, in my opinion), the smooth jazz treatment of "Baby, Dream Your Dream" from "Sweet Charity," and the emo-core version of "Something's Coming" from "West Side Story." Okay, that last one was fake, but I had to test ya'll to see if you were paying attention. The overall feel is good cabaret, along the lines of Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway, not like (though not terribly unlike) the Jan Hooks skit cabaret from "Saturday Night Live." Some of the disc is unmemorable, but it's a pretty pleasant ride straight through (well, maybe "straight" isn't the right word). The disc closes on a thoroughly bizarre but hilarious note with a hidden track of Emily & Alice imagining Julie Andrews and Jennifer Holliday taking over the roles in "Side Show" for a future London production. Andrews and Holliday are about as convincing as twins as Schwartzenegger and DeVito, and the girls' impressions are dead-on. Totally unexpected bonus at the end of the album. I mean, how many Broadway albums have hidden bonus tracks?
Review by Hattie Huber |