By Brenda Hillegas

Philadelphia’s only Broadway cabaret venue, Broadway Cabaret at the Rittenhouse Grill, will launch its spring 2026 season with ‘Love Is Good’ starring two-time Tony Award nominee Christine Andreas.

She’s joined on piano by her husband, Grammy-nominated composer and musical director Martin Silvestri, as they share with audiences more than 35 years of marriage, music and adventures.

The duo’s musical partnership has long included Philadelphia, where they first performed cabaret together. Andreas was born and raised in nearby Camden, New Jersey, while Silvestri (a Germantown native) attended La Salle High School, Villanova University and trained at the Neupauer Conservatory of Music in Center City.

Andreas recently sat down with Metro to discuss coming home to Philadelphia, her longtime collaboration with Silvestri, and their experiences that shaped ‘Love Is Good.’

‘Love Is Good’ takes audiences on a journey of love and adventure spanning all seven continents. How does performing this show together shape the way you approach songs and stories onstage?

Marty and I have traveled all seven continents making music together. We’re married, and as a couple spending all this time together and seeing all the wonders of the world, we have a deep appreciation that maybe not everybody else has the opportunity to experience. Even if they do, we’re able to express that appreciation through the music we choose and share that music with our audience. 

And as far as stories go, we once performed in the desert of Wadi Rum (Lawrence of Arabia’s desert) with an airdropped Steinway grand piano. The audience was chauffeured in by four-wheeled vehicles and after an hour of driving through endless desert, their jaws dropped at the sight of a woman in a beautiful gown and a man in a tux tinkling the ivories on a Persian carpet.

You both have strong ties to the Philly area. What memories stand out from your earlier performances together in the city?

We played the beautiful room at the top of the Bellevue at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in cabaret, doing a Rogers and Hammerstein evening. We performed at the Morgan Cabaret at the Prince Theatre many times and also in the Prince Theatre itself for several galas for Marjorie Samoff. Marjorie then invited me back to star in ‘Pal Joey’ for which I won a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Leading Actress in a Musical. It was a very thrilling experience to do that show in Philadelphia. And Marty, being a Philly boy, has a million stories of all the things he’s done in Philadelphia from the time he was 13 years old.

In what ways is Rittenhouse Grill’s Broadway Cabaret series a great fit for ‘Love Is Good’?

From what I understand, the Rittenhouse Grill is where people go in search of a romantic, intimate setting, fine dining, and beautiful music. ‘Love is Good’ is my most intimate show. It’s a love story through music and my life in music with Marty. It’s nuanced with everything we have felt and been through as a couple, personally and professionally, and people are very moved to hear all of that expressed with great humor and humanity.

What do you hope guests take away from the show, musically and emotionally?

Actually, what I’m really thinking about is what people leave behind when they leave the room. I’m hoping they leave behind a great deal of the concerns and cares that accompanied them when they walked into the room, if only for a while. I’m hoping that the time they spent with Marty and myself, and our music, makes a little space in their psyche. I’m hoping they can get out of the news in their heads and appreciate the beauty that still exists around them so that what they take away is a lighter spirit.

Performance dates for Broadway Cabaret at the Rittenhouse Grill are Monday, Feb. 16 and Tuesday, Feb. 17. Reservations can be purchased online at rittenhousegrill.com/cabaret-series or by calling 215- 772-1701.