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Theater Review: Phil Coulter in ‘The Songs I Love So Well’
A professional air and caring touch
By Judd Hollander
Phil Coulter at the piano. (Carol Rosegg)
NEW YORK—The holidays are welcomed in joyful fashion with The Songs I Love So Well, offering a funny, tender, and at times, breathtaking performance by Phil Coulter at the Irish Repertory Theatre.
An Irish artist, Coulter has an international reputation as a songwriter, composer, arranger, music producer, recording artist, and storyteller. He looks back on some of his favorite, most memorable, and seasonally appropriate tunes for this engagement, performing them all on a grand piano with a professional air and caring touch.
"Coulter … has a husky vocal tone aged by time and experience".
Offering a mixture of instrumental and vocal selections, Coulter makes for a genial host, noting how after he’s played such venues as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, he’s finally made it to the Irish Rep.
And after working in those much larger spaces, he’s clearly enjoying appearing at a more intimate one. The songs and sounds are so perfectly balanced, it feels as if one is attending a private concert with Coulter performing directly for each member of the audience.
The evening starts off with Coulter’s rendition of the classic Irish song “Danny Boy,” the music hanging quietly in the air; it is followed by the soulful “Lament for the Wild Geese” and the touching “The Old Man,” all interspersed with some enjoyable verbal banter.
Other highlights include the gentle “In The Bleak Midwinter,” Coulter’s favorite Christmas carol; the rousing “Ireland’s Call,” which he composed for the rugby team of Ireland; the haunting folk ballad “Scorn Not His Simplicity,” a song he wrote after his son was born; and the rather jaunty “Coultergeist.”
Coulter tells an amusing story regarding “Coultergeist’s” creation. It is one of many tales and anecdotes he works into the show, all expressed with the ease of one used to making speeches sound conversational. These stories often told appear completely fresh and new.
Coulter doesn’t have a classic pop voice per se, rather he has a husky vocal tone aged by time and experience and thus is able to project nuances and feelings into every word he sings or speaks.
In regard to the latter, Coulter also proves his worth with several spellbinding poetry narrations, including his haunting and image-filled delivery of “The Man From God Knows Where.”
In an interesting coincidence, Coulter, who grew up in the town of Derry in Northern Ireland and is quite familiar with the troubles between the Catholics and Protestants and British and Irish, is performing this show on the set of “The Freedom of The City.”
The most recent production at the Irish Rep., “The Freedom of The City,” which will return after a December hiatus, tells a fictional story based on actual events. The story follows three Irish citizens caught up in a situation beyond their control after taking part in a peaceful protest disrupted by the British.
This background provides a rather appropriate setting for Coulter’s recollections from that era, many of which are crystallized with the nostalgic and bittersweet song “The Town I Loved So Well,” showing just what happens to a picturesque locale when touched by war.
Mostly a solo performance, Coulter is joined in the middle of Act 2 by Geraldine Branagan, his wife and a musical star in her own right. Branagan delivers a wonderful rendition of “The Water is Wide” and also joins her husband for several other numbers.
Coulter, who knows the classic trick of always leaving his audience wanting more, winds things up with a very enjoyable piano medley saluting the 1960s and then presents a rollicking rendition of the 1920s tune “Coney Island Washboard,” sung in the style of Jimmy Durante.
The set by Charlie Corcoran, basically consisting of the piano and some Christmas decorations, in addition to the set mentioned above, works fine. The use of a projection screen to allow the audience to see Coulter’s hands moving in time to some of the pieces he performs is a nice touch.
Sound design by Zachary Williamson augments Coulter’s music.
A virtual master on the ivories, Coulter presents heartwarming entertainment for lovers of good music, all things Irish, classical piano, and the Christmas season.
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
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Miss you w/CT! Actually not sure what's going on the past week...hoping and praying that Ryan is well..people are saying "coma" "accident at home" just crazy..and not sure if it's Neil either.
After all Ryan has been thru...God I hope he will be blessed again w/good health. Might Paul be taking his place in the CT tour I am wondering....
Happy Days to you and yours!
I was born in Coalisland Co Tyrone,I have been living out side Pittsburgh USA for the last 22 years,we love your music and would like to know if you plan to tour the US in 2012/13 when I hear The The Town I Loved So Well I think about growing up in the Island 70-80'S spuds,cabbage and my favorite potato bread.
God Bless You and Family
KIeran Cullen
Take good care as always~
mEG
http://www.derryjournal.com/lifestyle/entertainment/coulter-s-back-in-town-1-3767392?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
Coulter
http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/184/47744/1/Ireland-AM
Thank-you for all you do for music.Thanks
most of all for your piano music. I listen toyour cd's every day.I also listen to Celtic Thunder. It is not as good without you. Wish I could have known my Irish ancesters. My Great-Grandfather ran away from IRELAND whem he was a boy. His nsme was Peter Doyle or
Dowel. His daughetr was my Grandmother.
I know you are busy with recording and working on Michael English and Mary, but I do hope you are taking good care of yourself. When you are this quiet I start to get excited about what surprises you have in store for us. I will be goingg to Austria in the fall- mayhap on the way home I could catch a concert!
I love Heartland!!! Iam so sad to here you are leaving CT. I was so thrilled to see you at Radio City and Poughkeepsie the year I brcame a 60 year old groupie.
I take my daily walk with my Doxie hound pup and listen to tranquility, American tranquility and now Heartland. As a gaze down on my grandparents fruit farm I can hear the love in your fingertips and my day slows down a bit and becomes civilized.
I'm sorry to say that all the changes made me a bit unsettled with CT but change is good. However the years you wre in charge of the musical direction were superb. (I miss Damian but boys grow up and I guess i will have to get used to the new ideas and lads. It's hard
for me.
Good wishes for your new endeavors.
Judi
I am only half Irish. My Mother was born in Dublin but when ever I played any of your albums it certainly brings out my Irish side.
Continue to make us all happy, record on.
Please is there any chance you'll have a concert in Belgium.? The Netherlnds .? Germany .? i would like to meet you at a concert . Thanks for taking the time to reply . God bless you
And, Phil, I have a number of your albums ~ not all of them...yet...and receive a lot of enjoyment listening to them. I must tell you, though, that there are two songs that I have a difficult time listening to because they remind me of some painful times. "The Shores of the Swilly" on the Lake of Shadows CD is really a tough one - my youngest sister passed away less than 2 years ago. I miss her so very much. Does the pain of losing someone so special every ease up? The other is from the Songs I Love So Well album - "Keep A Candle In the Window". I'm reminded of when our youngest daughter got deep into drugs shortly after graduating from high school. For weeks on end, we'd have no idea where she was or if she was even alive. The not knowing really weighs heavy on a parent. And you keep wondering what you could have done better in raising her. There is a happy ending though ~ after a pretty bad experience, she decided she needed to do some changing. That was a number of years ago - now she has a great job at the local university (been there for 20 years) and has a great family. Please don't stop writing and performing your music. It touches so many people. And I thank you for it!
I heard "Scorn Not His Simplicity" for the very 1st time today and I felt I needed to write you.
My beautiful and amazing daughter Ella was born with some physical disabilities and is deaf in her left ear. She is such a little spit fire, you can't tell right off that anythings amiss. I am grateful Ella is a happy 23 month old and has just began preschool for children with physical and developmental disabilities. It just so happens that 5 out of the 7 children in her class have Down Syndrome. Her new friends/classmates have already taught her so much. Her signing and behavior have improved by leaps and bounds. I have found children with Down Syndrome to be loving and very sweet.I'm so happy my girl is in this class. Their parents are so amazing, and patient too. I've seen first hand how they love their children all the More, Not less, because of down syndrome.
This afternoon, while I was driving Ella home from preschool I put on Celtic Thunder's CD Voyage. When I heard George sing your lyrics I started to cry. The thought of someone scorning or teasing my daughter or any of her friends breaks my heart. I want people to understand and show some compassion. Your beautiful song described all my Hopes,concerns/guilt.
It's not uncommon to blame ourselves, and worry that we caused our child's problems. Thankfully we come to understand it wasn't our fault. We get on with our lives, do what needs to be done and most importantly, enjoy our kids.
I'm bringing the CD to Ella's class on Friday, I really want the other parents to hear it. I have a feeling tissues will be in order. ;O)
I just want to thank you Phil for what you do.
Take care,
Debbie Houston California
Hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends.