Sunday, March 15, 2015

Cabaret Review: Linda Kennedy's dramatic cabaret debut at the Gaslight

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Who: Linda Kennedy
What: Melody/Movement
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival at The Gaslight Theatre, St. Louis, MO
When: March 12, 2015

I've always maintained that some of the best cabaret comes from singers who also have a solid theatrical background. A well-constructed cabaret act is ultimately a kind of one-act play, and actors have the advantage of understanding the form.

As evidence, I offer "Melody/Movement," the cabaret debut of veteran St. Louis actress Linda Kennedy. From the reverent a cappella version of Cassandra Wilson's "Sankofa" that opened the show to the jazzy riffs of Miles Davis' "Seven Steps to Heaven" that closed it, this was an act that consistently engaged and entertained the audience.

That's a bit surprising, given that the emphasis was on protest songs from the 1960s and 1970s dealing with issues of racial prejudice and injustice. Numbers strongly associated with Nina Simone like "Revolution," "Blackbird," and "I Wish I Knew How it Feels to be Free" were prominently featured, as well as Roberta Flack classics like "Go Up, Moses," "Compared to What," and the acerbic "Business Goes on as Usual." All good stuff, but potentially heavy going.

But Ms. Kennedy made it all work, largely because she personalized it and kept it tethered to her own unique narrative. She didn't preach but she did illustrate, and that makes all the difference. And besides, as she pointed out mid-way through the evening, recent events have shown that the issues raised by those songs are, sadly, as relevant today as they were when the songs were written.

With all that as a backdrop, the dramatic highlight of the evening, Jerry Jeff Walker's "Mr. Bojangles," took on an added level of meaning. It became a beautiful and moving tribute to all the "down and outers" kicked to the curb by a justice system that all too often seems uninterested in actual justice. I think it's no accident that the song that precedes it is Cassandra Wilson's "Justice." "Give me a bottle of justice," she wrote. "I hear it sets you free."

Accompanying Ms. Kennedy were Arthur Toney on piano and Jamal Nickels on acoustic bass. Mr. Toney was a last-minute substitute for Ms. Kennedy's music director, who was sidelined by illness, so there was the occasional hiccup, but nothing serious enough to interrupt the flow of the show. For the most part he and Mr. Nickels worked very well together and easily followed Ms. Kennedy's lead.

In her closing credits, Ms. Kennedy included St. Louis Black Rep artistic director Ron Himes. Mr. Himes has a substantial reputation locally as an actor and director, so I suspect at least some of the sound theatrical decisions in this show can be traced to him.

That's not to say that there weren't a few minor issues with the show. Ms. Kennedy had not entirely memorized it, which meant she had to frequently refer to the script she kept on a music stand. That, in turn, made it impossible for her to move from her spot at the stage left end of the piano, which made things rather visually static.

There was only one performance of "Melody/Movement," but with any luck Ms. Kennedy will have the chance to present this again. I hope so, as it deserves a wider audience.

The Presenters Dolan's Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues through April 11 at the Gaslight Theater in the Central West End. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

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