I'll Take Romance

On Saturday evening I went to a hugely entertaining concert by Molly Ringwald at Longwood Gardens. Molly, now a mother of three, remains best known for her movie roles in the 1980s ("The Breakfast Club" and "Sixteen Candles" in particular) but is launching a new career as a chanteuse. On Saturday she sang standards from the Great American Songbook -- such as "The Very Thought of You," "I'll Be Seeing You," Pick Yourself Up" -- and put in lots of plugs for her forthcoming CD, "Except Sometimes," to be released in April.
She praised the Great American Songbook as "one of our national treasures" and contrasted these brilliant classics with the disposable popular music of today.
I think my favorite song she did was from "My Fair Lady": the enchanting "On the Street Where You Live."
Molly sounded great and looked beautiful in a red, skin-tight, one-shouldered knee-length dress and towering black heels. Her backing trio was led by her musical director Peter Smith, who was extraordinary at the piano.
Molly told the audience how amazing it was to perform in such a beautiful setting as Longwood, calling it "surreal" and "a magic garden." Not only did Longwood look beautiful in the evening, but the fragrance -- freesias, stocks, daffodils and Oriental lilies -- was sublime.
She closed the show with "Don't You Forget About Me," by Simple Minds, which was featured in "The Breakfast Club." The woman sitting next to me, a schoolteacher from New Jersey, clapped with delight as she heard the first few words.