Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (19)
See it if you want to hear an expert interpreter of Cole Porter songs enchant you with the tender story of the great (gay) composer & his devoted wife
Don't see it if you aren't a fan of the American Songbook, particularly Porter's contribution to it; you expect more substance & fewer sentimental anecdotes Read more
See it if you'd enjoy hearing some of Porter's songs sung well around stories of his life and times with his wife and others. Good band supporting.
Don't see it if you want a complete biography or deep revelations about their marriage - many things are mentioned but they are kept very polite.
Critic Reviews (9)
"A first-rate turn by Stevie Holland, who’s bringing back a work she’s been developing and improving for several years...Emotionally absorbing...Putting aside the question of who inspired the Porter love songs, Holland sings them in a clear loving voice...Notably and commendably, Holland doesn’t stick to typical renditions...It’s often said of song and songwriters that they don’t write ‘em like they used to. With 'Love, Linda'...the old saw is absolutely on the money."
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“But, in the end it is Stevie Holland who deserves the accolades for taking a familiar story and turning it inside out. Her revelations of Linda's shared life with Cole Porter and her sultry, emotionally focused singing make ‘Love, Linda’ a must see for fans of the great American Songbook who want something different.”
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"A charming & poignant cabaret show that offers an intimate ruminating of life as Mrs. Cole Porter...Between musical selections all composed by Porter, Linda looks back with fond & bittersweet memories of their lives together...The book by Stevie Holland and Gary Friedman strikes the right note between storytelling and song. Holland is adroit at taking us into her confidence...An entertaining window into Linda & Cole's collaborative co-habitation in a cabaret fashion."
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“’Love, Linda’ gets its power from its songs, not from the sentimental story that strings them together...Holland is a singer, not an actress. She is most alive in the musical numbers...Feels like a cabaret show that’s found itself in the wrong space....The book goes only skin deep, and not wittily...There’s also the matter of originality. Slender though it is, 'Love, Linda' borrows phrasing and structure more than once from ’Cole Porter: A Biography’."
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"More of a high-concept cabaret act than a full-blown musical...Holland is an affable hostess, capturing the frivolity and bravery that marked Linda's life. As a singer, her phrasing and diction are impeccable; she handles Porter's songs like the Cartier items they are. Best of all, she captures the terrible yearning at the heart of ballads...'Love, Linda' offers a portrait of that marriage that feels honest and is blessedly without mawkishness...An intimate soiree, one that will gratify fans of Porter.”
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“’Love, Linda' reduces Porter to little more than a glitter-coated anecdote in a cabaret act...The show is really about Porter's wife...But as Holland has written and plays her, Linda exists exclusively as an afterthought-appendage of her husband...Accomplished as her singing might be, Holland doesn't seem to be playing a character as much as she does hawking a solo CD...Not that she has much to work with. The book contains no fresh insight...Holland is just there to sing."
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“The first half of ‘Love, Linda’ depends more on Cole’s music than on the book...The second half of ‘Love, Linda’ is very powerful and moving. The songs that open the show...seem especially appropriate to this saga. Stevie plays Linda beautifully at any and all stages of her life and she really does justice to Cole’s music. If Linda could have sung as brilliantly as Stevie does, she could have made a glorious life on her own.”
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“The one-woman show is a miniature bonbon with a gigantic score of Porter tunes, performed with elegance as well as depth...Holland explores the lyrics for both their emotion and cleverness and captures the silken beauty and jaunty sophistication of his melodies...Maltby Jr gives the show a theatrical validity, taking it smartly beyond what could be simply a cabaret...It’s Holland’s talents and the great Porter tunes, that make ‘Love, Linda’ a love letter well worth opening.”
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“A triple-threat artist delivering a Play with Music in which Holland uses the music and lyrics of Porter...Holland has managed something no other musical using old songs has succeeded in doing. She makes them further HER story, makes us believe Porter had written these songs for a score emanating from it...She attacks the songs with such intelligence and wit...Her spin on some of the great old songs is fascinating, and continues throughout the delivery of all 15 of them.”
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