Annie’s Song

Like a good married lady, Andrea McArdle will be spending Valentine’s Day with her husband, musician Ed Kalehoff — not to mention her 17-year-old daughter, her brother, and plenty of adoring fans. Forget dinner at a cozy table for two in some secluded boite; instead, McArdle will be performing her club act NYC on February 14 as part of The Spring Season at Birdland.

The 42-year-old star, who has already wowed audiences at Joe’s Pub, will perform an eclectic program that night, designed to show off her musical strengths and influences. She’ll include a passel of songs that she sang on Broadway, such as “It Might As Well Be Spring” from State Fair, “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Misérables, and both “NYC” and “Tomorrow” from Annie, the 1977 Broadway musical in which she created a sensation in the title role. “I tried not to do ‘Tomorrow’ once, and it was a mistake,” she says. “When you have a song that’s yours, why not do it? But I’m still looking for a new arrangement that will knock my socks off. The best one I ever heard was Cissy Houston’s, so I think I’ll try to find a gospel arrangement that I can do myself.”

Since taking the Great White Way by storm in Annie and earning a Tony Award nomination in the process (she lost to co-star Dorothy Loudon), McArdle has managed to stay in the spotlight, playing Judy Garland in the TV film Rainbow and making some noteworthy Broadway appearances; she was in the original cast of Starlight Express and took over the role of Belle in Beauty in the Beast. Her act also features songs from those shows, along with such pop tunes as “Superstar” and “Native New Yorker.” Says McArdle, “I was partying at Studio 54 when ‘Native New Yorker’ was a big hit, so that was a natural choice.”

But she’s most excited about performing a number written by her musical director, Ben Toth, and a trio of Stephen Sondheim songs: “Losing My Mind,” from Follies; “Everybody Says Don’t,” from Anyone Can Whistle; and “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” from Company. McArdle performs the latter tune in an unusual, Sinatra-like arrangement. “It’s very effective,” she says, “and it allows me to show off a bit more vocal texture and a richer tone than people are used to from me. I want to show that I have more than a Broadway belt.”

While McArdle has finally overcome her resistance to the world of cabaret, she certainly hasn’t given up on the theater. She loved playing Sally Bowles in the national tour of Cabaret and is thinking of revisiting the role this summer in Maine. During the tour, her daughter Alexis hung around backstage, but this time she may share the stage with her mom. “She’s always wanted to be a Kit Kat Girl,” says McArdle, “and it would encourage her to learn the clarinet. I think it would awaken that side of her talent, which she gets from her father.” Alexis will enter college next fall and is strongly considering her father’s alma mater, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. “Ed and I got married right across the street from there,” her mom notes.

McArdle would also like to team with her daughter in a production of Gypsy. She played Mama Rose two years ago, in what she rates as a bad production at the Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theater. “I wanted to just do it and hide away from everyone, but I forgot about the Internet,” she says with a laugh. “At least I will be prepared for the role the next time it comes around. I am telling you, this is my role — and Alexis would be a great Louise.” More immediately, there’s another part that McArdle would really love to play: Mrs Lovett in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd. “I was a kid on Broadway when Patti LuPone was first a star, and now we’re up for the same roles,” she remarks. “I would so love to replace her in that show!”