Hamptons Holiday Review: Melissa Errico Is Sensational In Bay Street’s “Season For Joy,” A Special Virtual Holiday Concert

On Thursday, December 10, the screens of many different types of devices were filled with Tony Award-nominee Melissa Errico sharing her wonderful talents with Bay Street’s audience as she headlined Season For Joy, a special virtual holiday concert.

Errico has a unique quality of friendly humbleness that disarms her audience and draws them in to experience her talents, her grace and her charm. This was the case on Thursday, December 10.

From her banter with Bay Street Artistic Director Scott Schwartz in front of the Bay Street Theater at the start of the program, until her last goodbye from the stage of the empty Sag Harbor theater, it was all style, class and holiday spirit.

In a sensational glittery green dress, Errico, accompanied by Tedd Firth, ran through a list of songs – starting with My Favorite Things. Firth has a real show biz flair, along with flawless keyboard magic and arrangements.

What made this show a winner was not only the quality of Errico’s talents, or that she was flawless in her presentation of the songs, but it was the way she bantered in between the songs – almost in the style of Judy Garland when she portrayed Dorothy Gale of Kansas in The Wizard of Oz. I believe that to be a high compliment.

Incorporating her children and husband into the program gave it a touch of those old Bing Crosby Christmas specials. It’s nice to see kids smiling during these troubled times of COVID-19. It was both informative and touching as she described the reality of having her husband, former pro tennis player and now esteemed tennis TV personality Patrick McEnroe, very sick with the Coronavirus back in March.

That’s why the sequence of her oldest daughter, Victoria, a world-class junior tennis player, and husband actually showing off some skills with a volley drill, without the ball touching the ground, was so impressive. Also, her twin daughters, Juliette Beatrice and Diana Katherine, joined in enthusiastically with song.

She added a sweet personality in her renditions of Baby It’s Woke Outside, Tik Tok, I Can Cook Too, Make Someone Happy, Hard Candy Christmas, Have Yourself A Merry Little Not While I’m Around and A Little Love – by Andrew Lippa.

Melissa Errico is a star – and in this show, she was a Christmas star.

Season For Joy will be available to stream through Thursday, December 31.

For more information, visit www.baystreet.org.