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She Loves Him: Kate Baldwin, Live at Feinstein's [PS Classics PS-1101]
One of the highlights of last spring, in the delightful/delicious/delovely category, was Kate Baldwin's act at Feinstein's, She Loves Him. The "him" in question being lyricist Sheldon Harnick; he was not only sitting at a table at the back when she started, but inevitably climbed onstage for five of the fifteen numbers.

Baldwin is the soprano who warmed Broadway's cold heart when she played Sharon, the lass from Glocca Morra, in the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow. She was just as grandish at Feinstein's; imagine what Baldwin can do with "Will He Like Me?" or "When Did I Fall in Love?" and you'll get a good idea of how the evening went. You needn't imagine it; PS Classics has brought the act to CD.

Harnick's presence was an extra-special bonus. For almost 50 years, the three authors of Fiddler on the Roof — librettist Joe Stein, composer Jerry Bock, and Sheldon — have been very much part of the Broadway scene; the only intact team of writers from a classic musical of the Golden Age. Joe and Sheldon, especially, were very much in evidence. Each year, during the height of the season, they were likely to show up at two or three events per week. (Jerry, being sweet and shy, was rather less visible.)

	Sheldon Harnick and Kate Baldwin
	photo by Aubrey Reuben

But Stein died on Oct. 24, 2010 at the age of 98, and Bock died 10 days later, on Nov. 3, at the age of 81. This was jarring to all of us who were accustomed to having the authors of Fiddler around, sure; but it must have been positively numbing to the 86-year-old Sheldon. So it was poignant when the lyricist walked up to join Ms. Baldwin on March 8 at Feinstein's; I don't suppose he was any less hearty than he had been when last seen, but he seemed suddenly vulnerable.

And totally lovely. Harnick joined Baldwin for "To Life," replacing the lyrics about Tzeitel and her husband with some non-specific couplets he had long ago filed away and forgotten. He followed this with that regular showpiece of his, "If I Were a Rich Man." He then told us about "Dear, Sweet Sewing Machine" from Fiddler. This had been everybody's favorite during rehearsals; once they got onstage in Detroit, though, the song died night after night until it was cut. But the songwriters forever loved the song, and after you hear Sheldon and Kate sing it on this new CD I suppose you will too.

At this point, Harnick moved to a stool upstage, behind bass player John Beal, while Baldwin continued her act. As she sang "I Couldn't Be with Anyone But You" — a sweetly tender song written with composer Joe Raposo for the 1986 musicalization of "It's a Wonderful Life" — I found myself riveted to Sheldon. He was leaning back against the wall, eyes closed; but he seemed to be transported by the music, which seemed to almost lift him out of his chair. I've known Sheldon for years, but that's an image of him that I will always keep: eyes shut, midway between a trance and a dream, lifted on a cloud of song (his own).

As if this weren't enough, the 30-something singer and the 80-something lyricist finished with "In My Own Lifetime," which somehow seemed even more affecting coming from them than it did when Mayer Rothschild — or, rather, Hal Linden — sang it in 1970.