Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – GOING BACHARACH is a musically astute love letter to the legacy of the legendary pop songwriter Burt Bacharach

• By drediman
• January 15, 2026
• No Comments

For those of you nostalgic for the less prismatic times we used to live in, I suggest you check out Amas Musical Theatre’s production of Going Bacharach: The Songs of an Icon, a musical revue of the songs of the great Burt Bacharach (most of which were written with lyricist Hal David) currently playing Off-Broadway at the cozy Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater in the Upper West Side. The writer of such eclectic and memorable classic pop songs as “Alfie”, “That’s What Friends Are For” (lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager), “What the World Needs Now Is Love”, and “I Say a Little Prayer”, Bacharach is all but national treasure, a sort of Max Martin of his day. Taking a wholistic view of his output, it’s quite astonishing to see how effortlessly Bacharach was able to navigate between various genres — notably R&B, soul, jazz, classical music, and rock — all the while maintaining a distinctive musical voice all his own.

This isn’t the first time that Bacharach’s material has found its way into a theatrical musical revue. In fact, it seems like these songs return to the legitimate stage about every decade or so (The Look of Love in 2003 and What’s It All About? in 2013 have preceded this production). Given his compositions’ inherent theatricality — he did write the score for the musical Promises, Promises, after all — I’m not surprised. As masterminded by Will Friedwald, Tedd Firth, Jack Lewin, and music director Adrian Galante, you’re in good hands at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater. Going Bacharach takes its own approach to the songbook, giving it a more intimate feel than its more overtly theatrical and elaborate predecessors. The concert-like production has been simply yet tautly directed by David Zippel, who conjures an experience more akin to a night at the cabaret than the theater. Featuring an illuminating, efficiently scripted overview of Bacharach’s career as told from the perspectives of Galante and his three singers, the show makes the conscious effort of largely focusing on the music-making. In Going Bacharach, the masterfully crafted songs themselves are the main attraction — a valid stance, in my opinion.

Thankfully, the music is expertly curated, arranged, and performed. Powered by an exceptional five-piece band, the evening is nothing less than a musically sophisticated and astute love letter to the legacy of the legendary songwriter. Over the course of two intelligently curated acts, Galante exhibited immense respect for these songs, as evidenced by the way he intentionally caressed the keys of the Steinway or soulfully wielded the clarinet. Vocalists Hilary Kole, Ta-Tynisa Wilson, and John Pagano were no slouches, either. Pagano was a longtime lead vocalist on Bacharach’s world tours, and it showed in his meticulously phrased song interpretations. The same can be said of Kole, a sensuous singer whose song stylings called to mind — and favorably compared to — those of the one and only Barbra Streisand. By far the youngest of the trio, Wilson doesn’t quite have the maturity nor the polish of her co-stars (at least as of yet). That being said, she possesses a big voice that thrilled in key moments. The three harmonized sublimely, even if occasionally the somewhat muddy sound design got in the way.

RECOMMENDED

GOING BACHARACH: THE SONGS OF AN ICON
Off-Broadway, Musical Revue / Concert
Amas Musical Theatre at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater
Approximately 2 hours (including an intermission)
Through February 15