Before and after

Who: Amy Willard Top
What: Back to Before
Where: The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis
When: April 19 and 20, 2013

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I’m not a big fan of the “This is My Life” school of cabaret that ties everything back to the performer’s biography.  That’s not an artistic judgment, just a personal preference; some very good cabaret acts have come out of that approach.

Amy Willard Top’s cabaret debut was definitely autobiographical, charting her course from musical theatre professional in New York and on the cruise line circuit to St. Louis mom.  The fact that, my personal preferences not withstanding, I found it mostly quite entertaining and engaging is an indication of what a good job Ms. Willard Top, music director Greg Schweizer, and director Tim Schall did here.

The song selection was nicely varied, including both old and new numbers from the Great American Songbook and the musical stage as well as some pop standards.  Mr. Schweizer’s arrangements fit like a glove and some of them (his jazzy “But Not for Me” comes immediately to mind) shed interesting new light on familiar material.  Pacing and the overall emotional arc of the evening were quite satisfying. 

The show did, in short, what a cabaret show should do: provide a showcase for the performer’s talents and present that performer in the most flattering possible light.  Ms. Willard Top came across as a charming performer with a good sense of theatre and a clear, focused voice.

On the technical side, the lighting made good use of the Kranzberg’s limited space and the sound mix was very clean.

Were there some things I would have done differently?  Probably, but most of them are more personal preferences than artistic decisions.  The bottom line is that Back to Before was a very solid cabaret debut by a skilled musical theatre performer.  Whether she goes on to do more cabaret or not, she can take some justifiable pride in this one.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of April 19, 2013

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

The Kranzberg Center presents Amy Willard Top: Back to Then, Friday and Saturday, April 19 and 20, at 8 PM. The show is “a collection of Broadway, standards and pop.” It's directed by Tim Schall with musical direction by Greg Schweizer. Performances take place at the Kranzberg Center 501 North Grand in Grand Center. Amy gave us a preview of the show at the March Cabaret Project open mic night; I think you'll find this a very enjoyable evening. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/351384

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents baritone Ed Golterman and pianist/vocalist Kellie Frohnert in The Best of the 'Sweaters' Crowd, featuring the music of Andy Williams, Perry Como, Eddie Fisher, Jack Nat Cole, and Vic Damone, on Saturday, April 20, at 8 PM. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt at Waterman in the Central West End. Expect a pleasantly nostalgic evening. There’s free parking in the lot right across the street. For more information: 314-909-7224 or email egolterman at att.net.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents Jane Eyre, based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë and adapted by Julie Beckman, through April 28 at the Fontbonne Fine Arts Theatre, 6800 Wydown Blvd. In her review for 88.1 KDHX, Tina Farmer says this is a "very entertaining evening of theater that overwhelmingly succeeds for a broader audience, as well as fans of period pieces, complete with a Hollywood-like happy ending" For more information, call (314) 719-8060 or visit the web site at www.mustardseedtheatre.com.

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents Shake38, a 38-play Shakespeare marathon that takes place all over St. Louis. This year, Shake38 will celebrate Shakespeare's Birthday, running Friday, April 19, through the Bard's Birthday on Tuesday, April 23. Many local theatre companies are involved in this annual celebration of The Bard of Avon. For more information: sfstl.com.

Union Avenue Opera presents Leonard Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 3 PM, April 19-21. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. The opera is sung in English with projected English text. Performances of thie early Bernstein work are rare; there hasn't been one locally for a good many years. For more information, visit unionavenueopera.org or call 314-361-2881.

Held over:

Stray Dog Theatre presents the Jule Style/Stephen Sondheim musical Gypsy, based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM, April 4-20. There will be a matinee on the closing Saturday at 2 PM in addition to the evening show. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. There's a reason this is a classic. Well, three reasons, actually: Jule Styne (music), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), and Arthur Laurents (book). Four if you count Gypsy Rose Lee herself, whose best-selling memoir was the basis for it all. This production features two of our most reliable musical theatre performers: Deborah Sharn (as Mama Rose) and Ken Haller (as her long-suffering boyfriend Herbie). "You should let them entertain you," writes Andrea Braun in her review for 88.1 KDHX, '"cause you’ll have a real good time, yes sir." For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.