Review: The joy of stride with Judy Carmichael and Chris Flory

This review originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Judy Carmichael

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As Al Joslon once sang to Jimmy Durante, "It's a thrill when a real piano player sits down at the keys." Last Friday, November 11, at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, singer, songwriter, Sirius/SM radio host, and stride pianist extraordinaire Judy Carmichael showed that ol' Joley knew what he was talking about.

Because, make no mistake, Ms. Carmichael is a real piano player. She's got the powerful left hand you need for that strong octave/chord alternation that characterizes the bass line of the stride style along with a nimble right for all the flashy stuff. She dove into the long instrumental jams with her performing partner, guitarist Chris Flory, with a cheerful gusto that was positively infectious. Even her one blues number--"Boisdale Blues," a Carmichael original--was accurately billed as a "very happy blues" that takes its title from a London restaurant chain where Ms. Carmichael likes to play.

In fact, if this show was about anything it was about the joy of making music. You could see it in the little verbal asides between her and Mr. Flory and you could absolutely hear it in the endless invention and unflagging virtuosity of her keyboard style. Like so many of the great pianists, Ms. Carmichael treated those 88 keys as simple extensions of her fingers; a thought became music with the speed of neural transmission.

Ms. Carmichael is also a witty songwriter, as evidence by original numbers like the "Take Me Back to Machu Picchu" ("Where have you gone, my love hypnotic? / Remember when you weren't neurotic?") and "My Manhattan." She wrote the latter when she first moved from California to the Big Apple of which, as she reminded us, Ed Koch once said "if you're one in a million, there are ten of you in New York." Her lyrics and the music of her composing partner, Harry Allen, combine to create the kind of hip, "jazz patter" numbers I associate with Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross.

There were more quiet numbers in the show, of course, including a sensitive performance of the too rarely heard "The Lamp is Low," with Mitchell Parish's lyrics grafted on to Ravel's serene Pavane pour une infante défunte. But for the most part this was an evening that brought smiles of pleasure and frequent applause for the virtuosity on display.

The fall edition of The Presenters Dolan's Gaslight Cabaret Festival concluded last Saturday, but Jim Dolan continues to produce cabaret acts on an ongoing basis in The Emerald Room at The Monocle in the Grove. Ms. Carmichael, meanwhile, continues to tour.

Review: Karen Irwin rocks the Gaslight Theatre with her Janis Jopin tribute

This review originally appeared at 88.1 KDHX, where Chuck Lavazzi is the senior performing arts critic.

Karen Irwin

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As anyone who has ever seen Barb Jungr or Storm Large in action understands, there is definitely a place for rock at the cabaret table. Karen Irwin demonstrated that again last Saturday (November 5, 2016) with her killer Janis Joplin tribute at The Gaslight Cabaret Festival.

The main thing you need to know about Ms. Irwin's show Janis, Me, and Bobby McGee is that it's neither simple celebrity impersonation along the lines of the Rat Pack shows, nor a straightforward run through Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits.

Yes, Ms. Irwin definitely has the Joplin voice down pat. And her energetic, "full tilt boogie" performance style has the same raw emotional power that made the late singer such a formidable presence on stage. There's also no doubt that her set list included songs that even a casual admirer of Janis Joplin would recognize, like "Me and Bobby McGee," "Piece of My Heart," "Mercedes Benz," and "Down on Me."

But what made this a real cabaret show was the way she related Joplin's music to both her own life and to the history of women in pop music. When Ms. Irwin talked about learning to embrace a voice that was considered "not pretty," she was speaking not only for herself and Joplin, but ultimately for every woman who has defied the roles defined as "proper" for her by men. She told us a story that was her own and Joplin's and that of every woman who has ever sung the blues.

In fact, one of the best things about this show was the way Ms. Irwin demonstrated that Joplin was part of an illustrious line of great female blues shouters going back to the early 20th century. That means Clara Smith (whom Ms. Irwin calls the "queen of the moaners") whose 1924 "Don't Advertise Your Man" was such a hit for Bonnie Raitt and was sung so well by Ms. Irwin in the show. It also means Bessie Smith, represented in Ms. Irwin's show by the 1923 Jimmy Cox classic "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out.” Other performers did it before and since, but Smith's 1929 recording is still the touchstone.

And it means Big Mama Thornton, whose "Hound Dog" is still the definitive version, The King not withstanding. She's represented in the show by a powerful rendition of one of her own compositions, "Ball 'n' Chain,” which was also a favorite of Joplin's.

It's easy to forget that Joplin was primarily a blues mama, so it was good to be reminded.

Ms. Irwin shifted back and forth between being herself and being a virtual incarnation of Janis Joplin with such ease that the change always felt entirely natural. I wasn't at all surprised, then, to see that her web site bio describes her as an "[a]ctor by trade, singer by accident." I have always maintained that actors have a leg up when it comes to cabaret for the simple reason that a well-constructed cabaret show is like a one-act play, and actors are more comfortable with that format. Those who ply their trade on the stage understand the importance of telling a story.

Backing Ms. Irwin in her pure tornado of a performance was an impressive band consisting of Paul Brinnell on piano, Leo Peña on drums, Brian Sharpe on guitar, Ed Sullivan on bass, and backup singer Narciso Lobo. Mr. Sharpe, in particular, tore off some smokin' solos.

Janis, Me, and Bobby McGee was part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival's fall season, which concludes this coming weekend with jazz pianist and singer Judy Carmichael on Friday, November 11, and Ken Haller's The Medicine Show on Saturday, November 12.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of September 14, 2016

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:

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That Uppity Theatre Company presents Every 28 Hours, and evening of one-act plays inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, on Saturday, October 15, at 8 p.m. "The One-Minute Play Festival (Dominic D'Andrea, Producing Artistic Director), and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Claudia Alick, Producer) collaborated to create a collection of 71 one-minute plays from across the country called “Every 28 Hours”. This national partnership focuses on the widely shared statistic that every 28 hours in America, a black person is the victim of systemic violence and is killed by the police, vigilante, or security guard. The performance takes place at COCA, 524 Trinity in University City. For more information: uppityco.com.

My take: I think the importance of the issues dealt with here pretty much speaks for itself.  If you miss this performance, it will be repeated on Monday the 24th at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis stage at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus.

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Golda's Balcony
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents Golda's Balcony through October 30 "This is a strong show about a strong woman, Israel's fourth Prime Minister, Golda Meir. We meet her as she struggles with what became known as the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and which was very nearly a disaster for the State of Israel. The play asks us to consider what happens when idealism becomes power." Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

My take: Lavonne Byers, who has so many impressive roles to her credit on St. Louis stages, appears to have another hit on her hands with this one-woman show. In her upcoming review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says Ms. Byers "goes both broad and deep when capturing the life and motivation of one of the twentieth century's most popular and divisive female leaders" and that the show "gives us a terrifyingly real and decidedly unromantic view of those who seek to balance power and idealism. The one-woman biography is a stunning success and fitting tribute."

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Marilyn Maye

The Presenters Dolan presents Marilyn Maye on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., October 14 and 15, as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "The queen of nightclub and cabaret singers, Marilyn Maye brings you a Best Of retrospective of the last 60 years. At 88, Marilyn Maye is an electrifying performer, a singer's singer and an artist for connoisseurs." Tedd Firth is pianist and music director for the show. The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: A cabaret legend who appeared a record number of 76 times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Maye has been packing them in at Carnegie Hall, New York’s 54 Below, Feinstein’s, Birdland, and in clubs and concert venues throughout the country. Reviewing her appearance here in 2007, I praised her "immediate and honest communication with the audience." "Maye’s boundless energy and obvious delight in her material," I wrote, "in combination with her cheerful, off-the-cuff repartee, establish an immediate bond with those of us on the other side of the spotlight." If you missed her appearance with Ann Hampton Callaway this past summer, here's a chance to see a real pro at work doing what she does best.

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Suspended
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents the world premiere of Suspended by Israeli playwright Maya Arad Yasur, through October 23. "The play shows two refugees who have fled their war-torn country and have landed in a wealthy city where they work as window washers. As their day progresses we learn how deeply they are connected, and why they are suspended between a world they can see but cannot join, between a past scarred by violence and an uncertain future." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

My take: Upstream has presented some pretty inventive and daring theatre over the years, and their current production appears to be solidly in that same line. "As usual," writes Steve Allen at Stage Door St. Louis, "Upstream Theater brings us provocative and thoughtful theatre. “Suspended” is a story that unfolds slowly but gets to the heart of the matter. Thanks to two outstanding performances and excellent direction, “Suspended” becomes a show that you shouldn’t miss." At the Belleville News-Democrat, Lynn Venhaus says the show is "an absorbing character study with more layers than even the premise implies." Other critics have had good words for it as well.

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Held Over:

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Celebration
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Celebration Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through October 22. "With words by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, I Do! I Do!, 110 in the Shade), CELEBRATION tells a wild, adult fable set on New Year's Eve, centered on Orphan, an idealistic and cheerfully optimistic young man, who reminds the wealthy and jaded old man William Rosebud Rich of his younger self; Angel, a sweet but not so angelic erotic dancer who longs to be Somebody; and the cynical Potemkin, who serves as narrator, commentator, and instigator. At the story's core is the primal, often comic struggle between youth and old age, innocence and corruption, love and ambition, poverty and wealth, as Angel tries to decide if she would be better served by her feelings for Orphan or Rich's willingness to fulfill all her material dreams." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

My take: Everybody knows Fantasticks, but other Jones/Schmidt shows like I Do, I Do and 110 in the Shade get less attention than they deserve, so it's good to see New Line take on this adventurous 1960s period piece. "Part fable, part love triangle, and part 1960s hippie/Brechtian/Fantasticks-style love-in," writes Richard Green at Talking Broadway, "this seldom-seen show succeeds brilliantly thanks to its post-Vietnam urgency, its post-Civil Rights egalitarianism, and perhaps even a soupçon of pre-Watergate naiveté—along with excellent leads and the sheer wit and exuberance of the whole ensemble."

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of September 14, 2016

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:

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That Uppity Theatre Company presents Every 28 Hours, and evening of one-act plays inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, on Saturday, October 15, at 8 p.m. "The One-Minute Play Festival (Dominic D'Andrea, Producing Artistic Director), and Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Claudia Alick, Producer) collaborated to create a collection of 71 one-minute plays from across the country called “Every 28 Hours”. This national partnership focuses on the widely shared statistic that every 28 hours in America, a black person is the victim of systemic violence and is killed by the police, vigilante, or security guard. The performance takes place at COCA, 524 Trinity in University City. For more information: uppityco.com.

My take: I think the importance of the issues dealt with here pretty much speaks for itself.  If you miss this performance, it will be repeated on Monday the 24th at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis stage at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the Webster University campus.

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Golda's Balcony
Photo: Eric Woolsey

New Jewish Theater presents Golda's Balcony through October 30 "This is a strong show about a strong woman, Israel's fourth Prime Minister, Golda Meir. We meet her as she struggles with what became known as the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and which was very nearly a disaster for the State of Israel. The play asks us to consider what happens when idealism becomes power." Performances take place in the Marvin and Harlene Wool Studio Theater at the Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur. For more information: www.newjewishtheatre.org or call 314-442-3283.

My take: Lavonne Byers, who has so many impressive roles to her credit on St. Louis stages, appears to have another hit on her hands with this one-woman show. In her upcoming review for KDHX, Tina Farmer says Ms. Byers "goes both broad and deep when capturing the life and motivation of one of the twentieth century's most popular and divisive female leaders" and that the show "gives us a terrifyingly real and decidedly unromantic view of those who seek to balance power and idealism. The one-woman biography is a stunning success and fitting tribute."

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Marilyn Maye

The Presenters Dolan presents Marilyn Maye on Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., October 14 and 15, as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. "The queen of nightclub and cabaret singers, Marilyn Maye brings you a Best Of retrospective of the last 60 years. At 88, Marilyn Maye is an electrifying performer, a singer's singer and an artist for connoisseurs." Tedd Firth is pianist and music director for the show. The performances take place at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

My take: A cabaret legend who appeared a record number of 76 times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Maye has been packing them in at Carnegie Hall, New York’s 54 Below, Feinstein’s, Birdland, and in clubs and concert venues throughout the country. Reviewing her appearance here in 2007, I praised her "immediate and honest communication with the audience." "Maye’s boundless energy and obvious delight in her material," I wrote, "in combination with her cheerful, off-the-cuff repartee, establish an immediate bond with those of us on the other side of the spotlight." If you missed her appearance with Ann Hampton Callaway this past summer, here's a chance to see a real pro at work doing what she does best.

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Suspended
Photo: ProPhotoSTL

Upstream Theater presents the world premiere of Suspended by Israeli playwright Maya Arad Yasur, through October 23. "The play shows two refugees who have fled their war-torn country and have landed in a wealthy city where they work as window washers. As their day progresses we learn how deeply they are connected, and why they are suspended between a world they can see but cannot join, between a past scarred by violence and an uncertain future." Performances take place at the Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information, including show times: upstreamtheater.org.

My take: Upstream has presented some pretty inventive and daring theatre over the years, and their current production appears to be solidly in that same line. "As usual," writes Steve Allen at Stage Door St. Louis, "Upstream Theater brings us provocative and thoughtful theatre. “Suspended” is a story that unfolds slowly but gets to the heart of the matter. Thanks to two outstanding performances and excellent direction, “Suspended” becomes a show that you shouldn’t miss." At the Belleville News-Democrat, Lynn Venhaus says the show is "an absorbing character study with more layers than even the premise implies." Other critics have had good words for it as well.

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Held Over:

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Celebration
Photo: Jill Ritter Lindberg

New Line Theatre presents the musical Celebration Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM through October 22. "With words by Tom Jones and music by Harvey Schmidt (The Fantasticks, I Do! I Do!, 110 in the Shade), CELEBRATION tells a wild, adult fable set on New Year's Eve, centered on Orphan, an idealistic and cheerfully optimistic young man, who reminds the wealthy and jaded old man William Rosebud Rich of his younger self; Angel, a sweet but not so angelic erotic dancer who longs to be Somebody; and the cynical Potemkin, who serves as narrator, commentator, and instigator. At the story's core is the primal, often comic struggle between youth and old age, innocence and corruption, love and ambition, poverty and wealth, as Angel tries to decide if she would be better served by her feelings for Orphan or Rich's willingness to fulfill all her material dreams." Performances take place at the Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive, three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. For more information, visit newlinetheatre.com or call 314-534-1111.

My take: Everybody knows Fantasticks, but other Jones/Schmidt shows like I Do, I Do and 110 in the Shade get less attention than they deserve, so it's good to see New Line take on this adventurous 1960s period piece. "Part fable, part love triangle, and part 1960s hippie/Brechtian/Fantasticks-style love-in," writes Richard Green at Talking Broadway, "this seldom-seen show succeeds brilliantly thanks to its post-Vietnam urgency, its post-Civil Rights egalitarianism, and perhaps even a soupçon of pre-Watergate naiveté—along with excellent leads and the sheer wit and exuberance of the whole ensemble."

Review: KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar pay tribute to Sondheim at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival, March 11 and 12, 2016

Written by Steve Callahan

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KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar

It was just over thirteen years ago that I was first enchanted by KT Sullivan in cabaret at the Grandel.  Now she’s back in a splendid evening at the Gaslight, a featured star in that theater’s cabaret festival.  This time she brings with her a most talented and charming partner, Jeff Harnar, in an evening of pure Stephen Sondheim.

Ms. Sullivan has long been a luminary in the world of cabaret, but she also has an impressive resume in musical theatre—on Broadway and elsewhere.  The lady retains her glamour and wit, and vocally though her vibrato is a tiny bit broader she’s certainly still in top form.  She can be warm and lush or bright and exciting.  She retains a purity of tone even when she sings in what seems to be a whisper (though it’s perfectly audible.) Her early training in opera has given her the technical skills that make her performance seem so effortless, but this—cabaret—is definitely her mètier.  She knows these songs, she loves them, and she makes that love contagious.

Jeff Harnar is a trim, dapper, personable youngish man.  His baritone voice is as smooth as supple chamois leather.  He makes a near-ideal partner for Ms. Sullivan as they lead us through a vast tapestry of Stephen Sondheim songs.

The tiny Gaslight Theater provides a wonderful intimacy.  Every syllable, every tiny graceful turn of Sondheim’s lyrics is clearly heard and understood;  this is so important with Sondheim, who showers us with wit and intellect and vocabulary, surprising little internal rhymes, and subtle, almost subliminal references. To cite just two examples: the lyric “Nature fashioned you,” occurring in a song from “Follies,” refers to “You Were Meant for Me” (1929). And “Every day a little death,” from “A Little Night Music” is perhaps only an unconscious reference to the French term for “orgasm”:  “la petite mort”.

Sullivan and Harnar treat us to some forty songs from fifteen different “pure Sondheim” shows—that is, shows in which he created both music and lyrics.  These range from the vastly popular “A Funny Thing Happened”, “Into the Woods”, “Company”, “Night Music”, “Sunday in the Park”, “Sweeney Todd” and “Follies” to far more obscure works.  Mr. Harnar does lovely work with “Live Alone and Like It” and “More” from the movie “Dick Tracy” and he introduces us to the gorgeous “Sand”, where love is ever-shifting;  it’s from the never-produced 1992 show “Singing Out Loud”.

Sullivan and Harnar give a lively vaudeville sense to “On My Left” and “Bounce” from “Road Show” which never made it to Broadway.  There’s a beautiful “Take Me to the World” from the 1966 TV film, “Evening Primrose” (based on the John Collier story story).  “The Girls of Summer” is a true gem, though it was only incidental music in a straight play.  We even get “So Many People” from 1954’s “Saturday Night”, which never opened because it’s lead died.  And as a final encore we get “How Do I Know?” which Sondheim wrote when he was fifteen!

Harnar shows himself a past master of the lightning-fast patter song, and Ms. Sullivan is a grand delight in a number from “Follies” where in portraying some Bronxy chorus girls she’s almost a ventriloquist to herself.  Together they finish “Who Wants to Live in New York” (from “Merrily We Roll Along”) by blending their voices into a most convincing train whistle.  And, tipsily sipping cocktails, they make “The Ladies Who Lunch” both funny and intensely poignant.

Throughout the evening Ms. Sullivan uses her beautiful large features—and her perceptive phrasing—to reveal the real drama in many songs.  “Send in the Clowns” was gorgeous.

Mr. Harnar gives us a skillful “Ballad of Sweeney Todd”, and “Careful the Things You Say” (from “Into the Woods);  with these I felt that a touch more rubato—placing certain words just a fraction off the beat as is commonly done—would have given more menace.

Several songs are sung by the not-expected gender:  for example Harnar sings Little Red’s “I Know Things Now” from “Into the Woods” and “Getting Married Today” from “Company”, and Sullivan sings “Pretty Women” from “Sweeney Todd”.  I know that everything is fair game in today’s gender-fluid world, but let’s face it:  a nervous groom is simply different from the cliché nervous bride, and male lustful musings are peculiarly male.

Sondheim is a very lyric-heavy songwriter.  He rarely gives us songs with what in more conventional works is called “the chorus”, where the familiar tune and words are repeated.  In this evening we utterly bathe in Sondheim—and it’s a little like an evening of beautiful, cleverly rhymed recitative.  This intimate venue and these articulate singers allow Sondheim’s lyrics to be every bit as important as his music.

As advertised it’s an evening of “pure” Sondheim—just his songs, not even the usual banter from the performers—just Sondheim.  The rule of the evening was:  “No talk!”  How refreshing!  Unlike so many cabaret singers these masters of the craft realize that the evening is not about them, it’s about the songs.

Cabaret Review: Soulful and intense, Emily West brings a country sensibility to the Gaslight Cabaret Festival March 3 and 4, 2016

emilywestofficial.com

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Whenever someone asks me to come up with a definition of "cabaret," I'm often at a loss. A cabaret performance can be many things and the music can some from many sources. As Emily West demonstrated this past weekend at the Gaslight Theatre, it can be a dimly lit evening of slash-your-wrists ballads delivered with smoky intensity by a powerful singer/songwriter who has combined her childhood country influences with an urban storyteller's sensibility, creating her own unique sound in the process.

Ms. West is hard to classify, both as a singer and songwriter. Either on her own or in collaboration with her music director Kevin Rhoads, Emily West the songwriter seems to favor stories of lost love and lost hope, often shot through with self-aware irony and the kind of surreal imagery that you find in the lyrics of (say) Tom Waits. Emily West the singer delivers those numbers with smoldering passion and a wide-ranging voice that, like the voices of so many country singers, always seems just on the verge of tears.

That performance approach worked best in the original numbers that made a little over half of her eighteen-song set Friday night, the essence of which was captured in the torch song trilogy that opened the show. "Fallin'," which West has described as "an old-school kind of song that dealt honestly about situations in life," is about a woman who has fallen in love and can't get up. "Monsters Under My Bed" suggests that love changes people in ways that are rarely good. And "Why Do Lovers Leave?" suggests that the answer to the question might lie, at least in part, in the narrator's anger and self-pity.

That might sound like the beginning of a long evening and, at around an hour and twenty minutes, it probably could have done with either a bit of trimming or a bit more variety. But Ms. West is a wonderfully charismatic singer with an ingratiating sense of self-aware humor. That takes the edge off an show that might otherwise be a bit hard to take.

Still, I wish she had shown us more of that droll humor that came out in (for example) "Games." Written in collaboration with Mr. Rhoads, it's a funny and very true he said/she said story about an intentional first and accidental second date that illustrates how men and women can be from different planets. Their whimsical "That's How the Boy Gets the Girl in the Movies" was a welcome change of pace, as was "Puppy Dog, "a clever gloss on Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog". "You ain't nothin' but a puppy dog," goes the refrain, "And I ain't nothin' but a home / You're just tired of bein' out in the rain / And you just want a place where you can bury your bone."

I also enjoyed her cover versions of well-known tunes like Roy Orbison's "You Got It" and the Moody Blues hit "Nights in White Satin." She gave both of them a kind of seething power that suggested a volcano just minutes from exploding.

Mr. Rhoads accompanied on piano and guitar and often sang backup vocals. His keyboard arrangements had a kind of clean, almost classical elegance that I found very appealing, and which made for a nice contrast with Ms. West soulful and emotionally searing vocals.

If you've gotten this far, you will have realized that I never actually gave a definition of "cabaret." My preference is for the one my friend and fellow cabaret artist Dr. Ken Haller ("As Seen on TV") came up with: cabaret is the art of telling stories in song. Emily West is, by that definition, a fully paid-up member of the Cabaret Club. Her appearance here as part of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was a reminder of just how much variety lurks behind that seven-letter word.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival runs through April 9th at the Gaslight Theater on North Boyle. For more information, check out the festival web site.

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Join me at the Fourth Annual Award Ceremony of the St. Louis Theatre Circle at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 21, at the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts at Chaminade. If you can't make it to the ceremony, you can watch HEC-TV's live stream of the event at www.hectv.org.

Cabaret Review: Storm Large kicks out the jams at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival Friday, November 6, 2015

stormlarge.com

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In cabaret's house (to paraphrase John 14:2) are many mansions. As anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing Portland, Oregon, based diva Storm Large and her band can attest, one of those mansions looks a lot like a West Coast rock club.

A one-woman entertainment conglomerate (rock star, author, actor, and songwriter) Ms. Large brought her latest show to the Gaslight Cabaret Festival this weekend, and there's no doubt that she kicked out the jams. Her performance was least as much rock as cabaret (especially in its attitude), but it was solidly theatrical as well.

Mostly, though, it was entertaining, raucously and bawdily funny, and entirely genuine. You can't hide in a cabaret show, even with a four-piece band behind you, so Ms. Large (to her credit) doesn't even try. Slinky sexy, and blessed with a powerful, seamless voice, she immediately grabbed the audience's attention with one of her own songs ("Call Me Crazy") followed by a wildly obsessive cover of "I've Got You Under My Skin" that sounded more like the sort of thing Lou Reed was writing during his "Rock and Roll Animal" period.

Which, as it turned out, pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening.

If you saw Ms. Large's last Gaslight show "Taken by Storm" back in April of 2014, you probably recognized some of the numbers in this latest outing. She reprised her just-this-side-of-creepy version of Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas," for example, as well as her psychotic dominatrix version of the sappy "Hopelessly Devoted to You" in which the song is yanked from the film version of "Grease" and dropped into one of the movie's multiple adaptations of Stephen King's "Carrie." Couldn't happen to a more deserving ditty.

Ms. Large's songwriting talents were also on display once again. Her next to closing song, "Angels in Gas Stations," was a beautiful little slice-of-romantic-life poem ("God is every damn where tonight," runs the refrain), while her "8 Miles Wide" was a cheerfully upbeat and totally outrageous declaration of female empowerment. "My vagina is eight miles wide," goes the refrain to that one. "Absolutely everyone can come inside / If you're ever frightened, just run and hide."

The most remarkable original number in the evening, though, was probably "Charity Lamb," inspired by the story of Portland's first convicted axe murderess. Originally composed in 2008 for a compilation CD honoring Portland's Lone Fir cemetery, the song focuses on Lamb's victimization by her brutal husband and her need to take her own life back, however violently. "I'm damned if I'll suffer / Another long summer / Alone with no lover / And your brutal hands" runs the lyric. It's potent and searing stuff.

All of which means that, once again, Storm Large's show did not fit into any easy niches and was not for the easily offended (devotees of the political right wing, in particular, might not feel very comfortable). But the cabaret tent is a big one (maybe even eight miles wide...), so there's plenty of room for high-energy hijinks by performers like Storm Large and her band.

That said, I have to admit that over ninety minutes, Ms. Large's show was a bit long for the one-act cabaret format. And some of her patter, entertaining as it was, tended to get a bit discursive. A monolog about Ben Carson's gaffes, for example, was funny stuff, but it could have been trimmed easily. Still, only a dedicated Puritan or some other variety of killjoy could have failed to have a good time there.

Accompanying Ms. Large were pianist and music director James Beaton, guitarist Matt Brown, bass guitarist Scott Weddle, and drummer Greg Eklund. They all rocked the house and have all performed with Ms. Large often enough to be very comfortable with both her and with each other.

Storm Large and her band appeared Friday and Saturday, November 6 and 7, at at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle in the Central West End. The Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues through November 21st; visit the web site for details.

Cabaret Review: The dyanmic duo of Rick Jensen and Lina Koutrakos entertain at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival October 25, 2015

Rick Jensen
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Lina Koutrakos and Rick Jensen have become familiar figures on the local cabaret scene over the years, first as regular faculty members in the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, and then as directors and advisers for many local performers. So their "Two for the Road" show last Sunday as part of the fall edition of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival was something of a homecoming.

And what a joyous homecoming it was! Ms. Koutrakos and Mr. Jensen have been performing as creative partners for decades, giving their work on stage the kind of easy camaraderie that comes only with experience. It makes for an evening that easily draws the audience into their musical conversation and quickly dissolves the fabled fourth wall. Together, they unfailingly deliver a mix of passion, wit, and polished musicianship that's just unbeatable.

The evening opened with a set of Mr. Jensen's original material that showed his versatility as a songwriter. Straightforward patter songs like "Hi Ho, That's the German Way" rubbed shoulders with introspective ballads like "Long Cold Fall" (with its Randy Newmanesque harmonies) and the inspiring "Go Ahead and Dream," from the 2011 film "That's What I Am."

I found "Amanda Sang," a little character study inspired by Mr. Jensen's youth in Minneapolis, particularly noteworthy, in part because of a lyric that could serve as a mini-lesson for cabaret singers: "She could never go wrong / Because her heart was in her song." And the ballad "In Passing Years" (part of the encore set), with its ruminations on the enduring value of friendship, remains one of my favorites.

Lina Koutrakos

Having worked with Mr. Jensen in St. Louis Cabaret Conference sessions in the past, I already knew about his skills as a songwriter and pianist. What I didn't realize was what an engaging and funny storyteller he was. The between-songs patter in his set was consistently entertaining and often hilarious.

Ms. Koutrakos brought her share of humor to the show as well, most notably with the Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh classic "When in Rome (I Do as the Romans Do)." But as anyone who has seen her perform would know, she was at her most formidable in torch songs like "What Are You Doing New Year's" and power ballads like "Life is What You Do" from Kander and Ebb's "Zorba."

Her medley of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" and Mr. Jensen's "New York City is My Home" was a remarkable combination of poignancy and affirmation. And her dark, smoky voice was an ideal match for the elusive tragedy that lurks just beneath the surface of Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe." When Ms. Koutrakos unleashes the smoldering passion that is her musical forte, she is without equal.

Lina Koutrakos and Rick Jensen will have moved on to their next projects by the time you read this, but their strong local connections pretty much guarantee that they'll come to St. Louis again. Don't miss them when they do.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues through November 21 at the Gaslight Theater on North Boyle in midtown. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

Cabaret Review: Meghan Kirk hits all the right notes at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival

Who: Meghan Kirk
What: The Story Goes On
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival at The Gaslight Theatre, St. Louis, MO
When: March 20, 2015

St. Louis' own Meghan Kirk has been appearing at the Cabaret Project's monthly open mic night (which I host) for around a year now. I've been impressed as hell with her work there, but haven't been able to get to one of her shows until this past Friday, when she presented a revised version of the show she premiered at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival last fall.

I'm glad I finally did; she's a tremendously talented and charismatic performer—a classic singing actress with solid vocal technique and the acting chops necessary to inhabit a lyric.

As Ms. Kirk said at the very beginning of her show—right after a charmingly flirty romp through Kander and Ebb's "Don't Tell Mama"—she's a dyed-in-the-sequins musical theatre geek. No surprise, then, that her song list is heavily weighted towards numbers originally written for the stage, from Kern and Hammerstein's "Bill" to Jeff Bowen's " A Way Back to Then" from that ultimate insider musical theatre send-up, "[title of show]" (2006). But she also made room for recent cabaret hits like Heisler and Goldrich's "Taylor the Latte Boy" and a clever Beatles medley that crams a surprising number of the Fab Four's hits into an remarkably short time span.

Ms. Kirk knitted all this together with memories of her life, family, and multiple careers as a performer and flight attendant on private jets. That "this is my life" approach can be risky—your audience might not find your personal story as interesting as you do, after all. But Ms. Kirk kept the anecdotes short, entertaining, and focused on the task of providing context for the songs, so her patter never degenerated into the kind of self-referential navel gazing that sometimes accompanies the approach.

Of particular importance were her memories of her grandfather, a former professional singer whose fondness for music of the stage and screen colored her childhood. Family Christmas gatherings, she recalls, were more not so much about carols as about selections from "Oklahoma." This sets up a touching moment towards the end of the show when she sings a duet version of Sondheim's "Love, I Hear" (from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum") with the digitally remastered voice of her late grandfather, culled from private recordings he made in the 1960s.

That's the sort of thing that could have been overly precious, but Ms. Kirk's good taste and professionalism kept it real and made it the emotional heart of the show.

Guest stars can also liven up an act, and Ms. Kirk had two very strong ones this time. Local singer and choreographer JT Ricroft joined her for an engaging run through Kern's "I Won't Dance" (with the Dorothy Fields lyrics) and guest pianist Dan Duffy took over the baby grand from Carol Schmidt for Jason Robert Brown's always welcome "Stars and the Moon" (from the under-rated "Songs for a New World").

Speaking of Ms. Schmidt, her arrangements fit Ms. Kirk's voice and persona as perfectly as the singer's shiny low-cut gown fit the rest of her, and her backup vocals added lovely touches, most notably in a medley that mixed "Leaving on a Jet Plane" with Joan Baez's highly personal "Speaking of Dreams." And Ms. Schmidt's pianism was impressive as always. Ben Wheeler provided a solid musical foundation on acoustic bass.

Meghan Kirk's skillfully crafted and thoroughly enjoyable show was part of the spring edition of The Presenters Dolan's Gaslight Cabaret Festival, which continues through April 11 at the Gaslight Theater in the Central West End. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

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.

Homecoming weekend with Steve Ross at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival

steveross.net / Stacy Sullivan

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Who: Steve Ross
What: An Evening With Steve Ross
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival at The Gaslight Theatre, St. Louis, MO
When: October 24 and 25, 2014

Mabel Mercer Award–winning cabaret artist Steve Ross has a long and happy relationship with St. Louis, going back to the early days of the Grandel Cabaret Series. He was one of the first performers to be featured by Jim Dolan's Presenters Dolan organization when it got off the ground many years ago, so his appearance last weekend at Jim's Gaslight Cabaret Festival had something of the feel of a homecoming.

Titled "An Evening With Steve Ross," the show was essentially a cavalcade of the singer/pianist's "greatest hits." That meant plenty of Noel Coward and Cole Porter (always a welcome combination) along with some Jerome Kern, a brace of Great American Songbook standards, and even a bit of operetta towards the end. There was also the return of his trademark Edith Piaf instrumental medley (including classics like "La Vie en Rose," "Milord," and "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rein," which I'm thinking of making my theme song) and a couple of tunes from Lehar's "The Merry Widow" with the lyrics Lorenz Hart wrote for the 1934 film version.

A veritable cornucopia, in short. Yes, it ran a bit long at around an hour and forty minutes, but the packed house didn't seem to mind. I think that's because Mr. Ross is an engaging, elegant, and charming performer in the mold of Noel Coward, whose green velvet smoking jacket (or, as he refers to it, his "non-smoking jacket") he now wears, courtesy of the Noel Coward society. It's axiomatic among cabaret performers that there's no place to hide in this field; the audience will invariably see who you truly are. Mr. Ross is truly a smart, generous, and generally nice guy, and that comes across on stage.

Those who have seen Mr. Ross during one of his dozen or so previous appearances in St. Louis know that he is not of the "this is my life" school of cabaret. For Mr. Ross, it's all about the music. He intertwines his singing with erudite and amusing commentary on the songs and their creators. Did you know, for example, that Noel Coward's wistful waltz ballad "Some Day I'll Find You" was the theme song for the long-running radio and early TV detective show "Mr. Keene, Tracer of Lost Persons?"* Or that the lyricists for that quintessential 1936 hymn to the City by the Bay, "San Francisco," were a pair of refugees from Nazi Germany?

An evening with Steve Ross, it seems, is not only entertaining, it's informative as well.

Steve Ross's appearances here are over, but the fall edition of the Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues through November 22 at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle. For more information, visit the web site. Note that parking around the theater is at a premium, so you might want to give serious thought to arriving early and having dinner or drinks at the West End Grill and Pub, which is attached to the theater.

*Or, for you Bob and Ray fans, "Mr. Trace, Keener Than Most Persons."

Karen Mason unearths secrets of the ancient divas at the Gaslight Cabaret Festival

Who: Karen Mason and James Followell
What: Secrets of the Ancient Divas
When: October 17 and 18, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival at the Gaslight Theater, St. Louis

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What's the essence of cabaret? Partly it's what my friend Ken Haller (no mean cabaret artist himself) calls the art of telling stories through song. But equally essential, as Karen Mason's show demonstrates, are the arrangements used to tell those stories.

As someone (I think it might have been Lina Koutrakos) once noted, a cabaret artist's arrangements are like custom-tailored suits of clothes. Sure, you can wear something off the rack and look OK, but something tailored to your physique shows you off best. A good arrangement makes the most of the singer's abilities and allows him or her to put a unique personal stamp on it.

Probably the best example of this in Ms. Mason's show is the arrangement of the Judy Garland classic "The Man That Got Away" (from "A Star is Born"). Beginning with little more than some delicate discords in the right hand, James Followell's piano part becomes progressively bigger as Ms. Mason builds the volume and intensity to the lyrical climax on "the livelong night and day," after which both retreat back to those opening chords, now sounding even more bleak than they did at first. It follows the same general arc as Garland's performance in the movie, but does so in a way that pays homage to the original without imitating it.

That, my friends, is an exceptional performance of an equally exceptional arrangement. I don't know whether it's the work of Mr. Followell or of Christopher Denney, with whom she first performed "Secrets of Ancient Divas" in Chicago. Whoever it was deserves applause.

That same artistic level was apparent in the rest of the show, which pays tribute to great divas as diverse as Peggy Lee, Barbara Streisand, and Shirley Bassey without ever becoming outright impersonation. The closest Ms. Mason gets to that is her version of Bassey's "Goldfinger" ("Gooold-fingahhhhh!"), and even that is done with a sly wink. I do think, though, that it might have been even better to segue from "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" to "Diamonds Are Forever" (a better song anyway, in my view).

James Followell
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Along the way she weaved an amusing mock history of divadom from Roman times ("Happiness is a thing called Jove") to the present. Granted, much of that was "inside baseball," but it was clever stuff.

There were too many great moments in this show to list them all here, so I'll settle for some that struck me forcefully enough to warrant a hastily scrawled note in the dark.

"He Touched Me," from the 1965 musical flop (11 previews and eight performances) "Drat! The Cat!", got a wonderfully torchy interpretation built on a rising tide of emotion. The transitions between comedy to wistful nostalgia in Kander and Ebb's "Colored Lights" (from "The Rink") were handled with consummate skill. The "bad girl" humor of "When in Rome" and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" came through loud and clear, but so did the longing in "Over the Rainbow."

Ms. Mason introduced her final song—"About Time," by her husband Paul Rolnick and Andrea Marcovicci's long-time music director Shelly Markham—by noting that since marriage equality has become a reality, she has become a wedding singer. It gave an added layer of meaning to the lyrics of the chorus: "It's about love. It's about life. It's about time."

It sure is. And it never hurts to remind us.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival runs through November 22nd at the Gaslight Theater in the Central West End.  For more information, visit the web site.

Review: Storm watch

Storm Large at the Aladdin Theatre
Portland, Oregon, 2012

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Who: Storm Large and her Four-Piece Band
What: Taken by Storm: Songs of Seduction and Obsession
When: Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival

Storm Large (yes, that's her real name) seems to be a one-woman entertainment conglomerate: rock star, author, actor, songwriter, and creator of the much-praised one-woman show "Crazy Enough" (based on her memoir of the same name).

No surprise, then, that her show " Taken by Storm: Songs of Seduction and Obsession" defied easy categorization. It was at least as much rock as cabaret (especially in its attitude), but it was solidly theatrical as well.

The important thing, though, is that it was entertaining as hell. The show Ms. Large and her four-piece band put on was a bit long by cabaret standards (over 90 minutes) but it felt shorter. That's because Ms. Large was such a hypnotic, compelling, and energetic performer. Statuesque, slinky (in a "poured into it" gold gown), and blessed with a powerful, seamless voice, she bounded on stage and immediately grabbed the audience's attention with a powerful rock anthem–styled version of Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" (which she describes as a classic song of obsession).

She kept that attention through an impressively varied mix of songs by everybody from Jacques Brel (a just-this-side-of-creepy "Ne Me Quitte Pas), to "Sacred Love" by the punk band Bad Brains (the original vocal track of which was recorded by lead singer Paul Hudson from jail), to James Shelton's rueful "Lilac Wine," about drowning feelings of lost love. She did Tom Waits's "Saving All My Love for You" with all the "looking up from the bottom of the barrel" poetry you could ask for. The sappy "Hopelessly Devoted to You" (from the film version of "Grease), on the other hand, was done from the POV of a borderline psychotic dominatrix ("I think that's a better message for our young people," Ms. Large observed). And there were even a couple of the singer's own compositions, including the ultimate break-up number "I Want You to Die."

And if that weren't enough, at about the point where I began thinking that Ms. Large's over-the-top, irresistibly dramatic stage persona might be a good fit for a Jim Steinman rock anthem, she gave us exactly that: the 1983 Bonnie Tyler hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (I had been hoping for "Nowhere Fast," but what the heck). And, since Ms. Large apparently can't do anything predictable, she turned it into an audience participation number. At one point she asked us all to sing "turn around, bright eyes" as though we were "little gay fairies" (the kind with wings) and darned if we didn't give it our best shot.

Ms. Large's songwriting talents, by the way, aren't limited to revenge numbers. Her next to closing song, "Angels in Gas Stations," was a beautiful little slice-of-romantic-life poem ("God is every damn where tonight," runs the refrain), while her "8 Miles Wide" was a cheerfully upbeat and totally outrageous declaration of female empowerment. "My vagina is eight miles wide," goes the refrain to that one. "Absolutely everyone can come inside / If you're ever frightened, just run and hide." OK, then.

Accompanying Ms. Large were pianist and (I assume) music director James Beaton, guitarist Matt Brown, bass guitarist Scott Weddle, and drummer Greg Eklund. They all rocked the house and (if YouTube is any indication) they have all performed with Ms. Large often enough to be very comfortable with both her and with each other.

So, yeah, Storm Large's show did not fit into any easy niches and was not for the easily offended. But the cabaret tent is a big one (maybe even eight miles wide…), so there's plenty of room for high-energy hijinks by performers like Storm Large and her band. And only a dedicated Puritan or some other variety of killjoy could have failed to have a good time there. Thanks to Jim Dolan for continuing to bring a great variety of cabaret talent to town.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival concludes April 25 and 26 with Lara Teeter's "Lucky to Be Me." For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com.

A new brain

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Who: Taylor Pietz with Justin Smolik
What: If I Only Had a Brain
When: April 10, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival at the Gaslight Theatre

The title of actor/singer Taylor Pietz's show "If I Only Had a Brain" is somewhat deceptive.  She not only clearly has a brain, she has put it to good use concocting a fresh, funny, and polished cabaret evening that gave the old "this is my life" school of cabaret a quirky, self-effacing spin. 

I'm not normally a big fan of the autobiographical approach, but she made it work well, providing a nice theatrical through line for her song choices.

I should point out that I have known Ms. Pietz professionally for over a decade now.  We first met during a production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" nearly eleven years ago when she was 17 and I was—well—eleven years less old than I am now.  I was playing Senator Wingwoah and she, appropriately, was playing Shy.  I say "appropriately" because she struck me than as a somewhat shy young lady—but with terrific pipes and impressive acting skills. 

The ensuing years have only sharpened those skills and developed that voice into a lovely precision musical instrument.  That old shyness seems to have morphed into a kind of pixyish, cheerfully ironic stage persona.  With her first song ("Put on a Happy Face" from "Bye Bye Birdie") she projected a combination of poise and vulnerability that immediately got (and kept) the audience on her side.

That opening number allowed her to talk about how being an actress involved putting on somebody else's happy (or sad) face and losing yourself in a role.  Her real life, she noted, was closer to the lyrics of her next song, Jamie Cullum's "Twentysomething."  And, in fact, the end of that song's refrain—"I'm still having fun and I guess that's the key / I'm a twentysomething and I'll keep being me"—was something of a recurring theme throughout the evening.  If this show had a message, it would probably be Polonius's admonition to Hamlet: "to thine own self be true."

For the rest of the show, Ms. Pietz touched on subjects such as her checkered academic career ("Don't Wanna Be Here" from Adam Gwon's "Ordinary Days" and "No Reason at All" from Jonathan Reid Gealt's "Thirteen Stories Down"), her questionable dating decisions ("Fuck Was I" by Jenny Owen Youngs), and her inability, as a freelancer, to turn down a project, no matter how insane ("I Cain't Say No," with clever new lyrics by Ms. Pietz).

As you might gather from that last paragraph, "If I Only Had a Brain" heavily favored newer singer/songwriters and the younger generation of theatre composers.  I'm happy to say there were a number of songs here I'd never heard before, which is something that happens all too rarely, at least in my experience.  When she did turn her attention to a classic, though (such as her title song), she made it entirely her own.

Of course, every cabaret show is a team effort, and Ms. Pietz had some pretty substantial talent to help shape this one.  Her music director and pianist, Justin Smolik, has been the resident music director of New Line Theatre (where Ms. Pietz and I first met) since 2010 and has worked with many local professional companies.  His arrangements fitted Ms. Pietz's voice and style like a well-tailored suit and delivered some surprises along the way.  I was especially taken with his semi-ragtime approach to the Beatles classic "Help."

Directing Ms. Pietz was local cabaret and theatre veteran Ken Haller, whose own shows have been big critical and commercial successes.  He and Ms. Pietz gave a nice shape to the show, with the kind of dramatic arc I associate with a well-planned cabaret evening. 

"If I Only Had a Brain" finished in appropriately upbeat style with "That's Life," after which Ms. Pietz came back to accompany herself on a number of her own.  It's still a work in progress, but her current title for it is "That's What My Daddy Said."  I won't tell you exactly what her daddy said, but I will note that 1) it was another "to thine own self be true" message and 2) it brought her show to a conclusion that was as unexpected as it was funny.

And the audience loved it.

It's the real thing

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Who: Emily Bergl
What: Until the Real Things Comes Along
When: Thursday through Saturday, March 13-15, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival

In an interview earlier this week, I asked Emily Bergl what it was about her approach to cabaret that set it apart from more traditional shows. "I'm presenting a complete evening of entertainment," she replied, "with a real narrative and lots of different characters. I don't assume that if I just sit on a stool and do a bunch of torch songs it's going to be fascinating. We like to entertain the folks!"

Now that I've seen the premiere of the show, I'd say she has achieved that particular goal. A few "new show" speed bumps not withstanding, "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" is a lively and entertaining evening that often goes in unexpected directions in clever and diverting ways.

An actress with substantial film, television, and theatre credits, Ms. Bergl inhabits a number of characters in the course of the performance, from the comically neglected girlfriend of a Russian oligarch in Cole Porter's "Down in the Depths (on the Ninetieth Floor)" (from "Red, Hot, and Blue, where it was sung by Ethel Merman) to a down-and-out druggie in Tom Waits's "Christmas Card from a Hooker." Mostly, though, she's just her cabaret self—a persona that's a mix of pixie and vixen, decked out in a sexy and sparkly black dress and determined (as she sings in a Trisha Yearwood song towards the end of the evening) to " just keep on falling in love / Till I get it right."

Yeah, I know: the difficulty of finding a good, lasting relationship is not exactly a new theme for cabaret. But Ms. Bergl makes the theme her own and explores it in a way that is uniquely hers. I can't imagine this particular set of songs with these particular arrangements working for anyone but her. And that, ultimately, is what cabaret is: a performance that fits the artist like a custom-tailored suit.

About those arrangements: music director and pianist Jonathan Mastro—to whom Ms. Bergl refers as "Johnny Piano" (presumably a joking reference to Joan Crawford's 1954 Western "Johnny Guitar")—has put together some that are exceptionally ingenious and often surprising. His mashup of Tracy Chapman's "For My Lover" with a tinkly, music-box version of Deborah Harry and Chris Stein's Blondie hit "Heart of Glass," for example, made me hear the latter song in a way I never had before—and I'm an old Blondie fan from way back. And his revisionist version of the 1928 Eddie Cantor hit "Makin' Whoopee!," which replaces some of Gus Kahn's original lyrics with contemporary female POV equivalents, presented the song in a smart new light.

Emily Bergl and Jonathan "Johnny Piano" Mastro

So, yeah, "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" is an enjoyable and creative look at a familiar topic that's a welcome addition to the Gaslight Cabaret Festival. That said, there were some minor issues of the sort that you might expect from a brand-new show.

Some of the transitions were not as smooth as they could be, for example, and I thought Ms. Bergl's flirtatious byplay with a male member of the audience went on a bit too long. The song list also felt a bit ballad heavy to me. Ms. Bergl is an accomplished comedienne, and I felt that aspect of her talent was a bit short-changed.

How important is any of that? Not very, in my view. The show's small weaknesses were effectively overwhelmed by its strengths and some of those problems, in any case, will likely have disappeared by the time you see it.

Emily Bergl's "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" has one more performances: Saturday night, March 15, at 8 PM. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.org. Note that the Gaslight has no parking lot, so you'll want to arrive early to grab a spot on the street. Fortunately the adjoining West End Grill has a nice assortment of food and drink to occupy you until show time.

Lifting Waits

Who: Marissa Mulder
What: The Songs of Tom Waits
When: February 27 - March 1, 2014
Where: The Gaslight Cabaret Festival

Marissa Mulder's "The Songs of Tom Waits," which had its premiere last March at New York's Metropolitan Room under the more accurately descriptive title "Tom…In His Words," comes to The Gaslight Cabaret Festival dripping with praise. In a profile of Ms. Mulder in the current issue (March/April 2014) of Cabaret Scenes, Stephen Hanks reports that the show "drew rave reviews from almost the entire New York Cabaret press, including Stephen Holden of the New York Times who called it 'Far and away the season's best cabaret show'." Mr. Hanks himself calls it "surprisingly stunning."

It's not hard to see why. Ms. Mulder's remarkable evening of the words and songs of Tom Waits is a startling act of theatrical legerdemain in which the young and ethereally pretty singer magically metamorphoses into the battered, world-weary, ironic narrator who lurks in all of Waits's lyrics. Songs written for the singer/songwriter's gravely, growly, rusty chain link fence of a voice ought to sound wildly inappropriate sung in Ms. Mulder's light, clear mezzo—but they don't. Even when she's singing songs obviously written for a male narrator like "Jersey Girl" or "(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night," Ms. Mulder's understanding of and respect for the lyric makes her performance utterly credible.

Much of that comes from the way Ms. Mulder has thoroughly internalized the meaning of Waits's words—spoken or sung—and made them her own. But no small part of the show's success also comes from her expert use of what is known in the cabaret world as "focus"—clearly communicating the object of each song's lyric to the audience. There's a great example of that in "Downtown Train" in which she clearly and consistently places the object of the narrator's existential longing up and to her right. When she sings "I know your window and I know it’s late / I know your stairs and your doorway / I walk down your street and past your gate / I stand by the light of the four way" you can almost see that window and that deserted midnight street. The song isn't just sung, it's acted. And damned convincingly.

Perhaps the most powerful moment of the show, at least for me, was the poignant anti-war protest song "The Day After Tomorrow." Mr. Hanks tells us she "stunned the audience at the Lincoln Center Rose Theater" when she performed this at the Mabel Mercer Foundation's annual Cabaret Convention last October.  She introduces the song with the songwriter's own words about both the futility and importance of writing protest songs when the nation is clearly hurtling "at 90 miles per hour down a dead-end street" and then delivers it with a stillness that emphasizes the heartbreaking reality faced by soldiers serving in a pointless and unnecessary war. This should be mandatory listening for what Al Franken calls the "chicken hawks" in congress and their media enablers.

Backing up all this, both instrumentally and vocally, are Ms. Mulder's New York compatriots Jon Weber (piano and music director), Mike Rosengarten (guitar), and Ritt Henn (electric stand-up bass). All three have chances to strut their stuff. Mr. Rosengarten had a fierce solo in the chilling, Raymond Chandlereque " A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun," for example, while Mr. Henn impressed me in "Jersey Girl." Mr. Weber's bluesy piano opens and closes the show, and in between his arrangements display many of the songs in a new light. Until I heard it here, for example, I never realized how much "Broken Bicycles" sounds like a gloss on Ivanovici's "Danube Waves"—better known as "The Anniversary Song." I have no idea whether that was intentional on Waits's part or not, but the irony is certainly rich in any case.

That said, there were some aspects of the evening that didn't entirely work for me. Nearly every song was taken at a tempo somewhere down around Larghissimo which, while it helped maintain the world-weary mood, did sometimes become a bit of a drag. Waits's own performances of his songs often have more of a rhythmic pulse, as I recall. The lighting was also nearly uniformly dark, which sometimes obscured Ms. Mulder's features too much.

Still, that's minor stuff, the equivalent of 37 cents in pocket change in a cinder block bar at closing time. Granted, the show's relentless evocation of Waits's bleak, film noir psychological landscape probably isn't for everyone. But if you're a fan of the songwriter's work or someone who (like me) admires his contributions to the canon of American song without ever rising to fanhood, you won't want to miss this show. Even if you're just willing to explore the territory outside the core of the Great American Songbook, I'd say Marissa Mulder's "The Songs of Tom Waits" is worth your attention. It's a solid piece of musical theatre and a worthy addition to the Gaslight Cabaret Festival lineup.

The Gaslight Cabaret Festival continues through April 25 at The Gaslight Theatre, 358 North Boyle in the Central West End. For more information: gaslightcabaretfestival.com. Note that the Gaslight has no parking lot, so you'll want to arrive early to grab a spot on the street when you attend a show. Fortunately the adjoining West End Grill has a nice assortment of food and drink to occupy you until show time.

Song Llst:
Emotional Weather Report
Better Off Without A Wife
Ol '55
Jersey Girl
Downtown Train
A Sweet Little Bullet From A Pretty Blue Gun
Rainbow Sleeves
Broken Bicycles
Day After Tomorrow
Alice
I'm Still Here
Encore: Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night / Ol '55 / Anywhere I Lay My Head

TPTBT (The Place to Be Tonight): Saturday, April 6

Who: Keith Jozsef
What: Intimate Illusions
Where: The Gaslight Theatre
When: Tonight at 8
Why: "Prepare to be more than a spectator. With less than 100 seats in The Gaslight Theater, you'll become an integral part of Keith Jozsef's illusion cabaret. Sleight-of-hand, interactive mentalism and even a couple of grand illusions will dazzle the eyes, confound the mind and stir the soul! Leave your skepticism at the door, for nothing will be pre-arranged." As someone who got his start in showbiz as a magician, I have never lost my fondness for a good magic show. Alas, they're few and far between these days. I've never seen Mr. Jozsef in action, but the show description looks interesting. Look for my review at the KDHX web site on Sunday.

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Will it go round in circles

By now you've probably heard about The St. Louis Theater Circle (of which yours truly is a member) and our Louie Awards for outstanding work by local professional theatre companies.  If not, here's the official press release.  As you can see, our aims are modest: celebrate local theatre and have a party in the process.  Come one down and join us.  The Gaslight Theater is cozy and I think you'll find the food and drink at the West End Grill and Pub most agreeable.

No, we don't have a web site just yet.  But we do have a Facebook page where you can "like" us.  Because we're performing arts types and we're needy.

Anyway, congratulations to all the nominees.  As you can see, we collectively liked a lot of what we saw in 2012.  We have a rockin' theatre scene here in St. Louis; here's a toast to everyone who makes it that way.

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For more information contact:

Mark Bretz, Bretz Public Relations

314-838-9371 or mark at bretzpr.com For Immediate Release:

NOMINATIONS ARE ANNOUNCED FOR INAUGURAL LOUIE AWARDS TO HONOR OUTSTANDING WORK IN LOCAL PROFESSIONAL THEATER

ST. LOUIS, January 18, 2013 -- Performances by local professional theater companies, ranging in size from The Muny and its productions in the 11,000-seat Forest Park amphitheater to small companies performing in modest spaces throughout the area, will be recognized at the inaugural Louie Awards.

The first Louie Awards presentation, to be held March 11, 2013 at the Gaslight Theater in the Central West End, will celebrate theatrical achievements in the year 2012 in local professional theater as recognized by the St. Louis Theater Circle, a new organization of area reviewers. Tickets will be $10 apiece, payable in cash only at the door on the night of the event, and can be reserved by contacting stltheatercircle at sbcglobal.net. Additional seating will be available at the West End Grill & Pub, which adjoins the Gaslight Theater, where food and drinks can be purchased throughout the evening.

The mission of the St. Louis Theater Circle is simple: To honor St. Louis professional theater. While various reviewers may also cover touring shows at The Fox and the Peabody Opera House as well as selected community and college productions, The Louies are designed to focus attention on dozens of area theater companies which showcase the artistic efforts of actors, directors and technical artists in the metropolitan area. Other cities around the country, such as Phoenix, San Diego, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., honor their own local theatrical productions with similar awards programs.

Nominations for The Louies are divided into categories for musicals, dramas and comedies. Approximately 100 local professional theatrical productions were presented in the St. Louis area in 2012.

The nominees for the 2012 Louie Awards are:

NOMINEES FOR MUSICALS

Outstanding Production

• Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages St. Louis
• Chicago, The Muny
• Spring Awakening, Stray Dog Theatre
• Sunday in the Park with George, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
• Sweeney Todd, Opera Theatre Saint Louis

Outstanding Director

• Justin Been, Spring Awakening, Stray Dog
• Michael Hamilton, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages
• Denis Jones, Chicago, The Muny
• Scott Miller, High Fidelity, New Line Theatre
• Rob Ruggiero, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep

Outstanding Actor

• Ron Bohmer, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep
• Ryan Foizey, Cry-Baby, New Line
• Rod Gilfry, Sweeney Todd, Opera Theatre
• Antonio Rodriguez, Urinetown, Stray Dog
• John Sparger, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, New Line

Outstanding Actress

• Erin Davie, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep
• Natascia Diaz, Chicago, The Muny
• Tari Kelly, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Muny
• Jennifer Theby, Urinetown, Stray Dog
• Karen Ziemba, Sweeney Todd, Opera Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor

• Dean Christopher, Chicago, The Muny
• Mike Dowdy, Cry-Baby, New Line
• Zachary Allen Farmer, High Fidelity, New Line
• Ryan Foizey, Spring Awakening, Stray Dog
• Steve Isom, My One and Only, Stages

Outstanding Supporting Actress

• Terrie Carolan, Cry-Baby, New Line
• Beth Leavel, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Muny
• Susanne Menzer, Sweeney Todd, Opera Theatre
• Deborah Sharn, Urinetown, Stray Dog
• Anna Skidis, Spring Awakening, Stray Dog

Outstanding Acting Ensemble

• Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages
• Chicago, The Muny
• High Fidelity, New Line Theatre
• Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep
• Urinetown, Stray Dog

Outstanding Set Design

• David Blake, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Stray Dog
• Adrian Jones, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep
• Scott L. Schoonover, High Fidelity, New Line
• Michael Schweikardt, The King and I, The Muny
• James Wolk, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages

Outstanding Costume Design

• Lou Bird, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages
• Brad Musgrove, My One and Only, Stages
• Alexandra Scibetta Quigley, Spring Awakening, Stray Dog
• Alejo Vietti, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep

Outstanding Lighting Design

• Tyler Duenow, Spring Awakening, Stray Dog
• Seth Jackson, Chicago, The Muny
• John Lasiter, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep
• Matthew McCarthy, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages

Outstanding Choreography

• Robin Michelle Berger, Cry-Baby, New Line
• Denis Jones, Chicago, The Muny
• Dana Lewis, My One and Only, Stages
• Lara Teeter, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Muny
• Chris Bailey, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Muny

Outstanding Musical Direction

• Lisa Campbell Albert, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Stages
• Stephen Lord, Sweeney Todd, Opera Theatre
• Chris Petersen, Spring Awakening, Stray Dog
• Justin Smolik, High Fidelity, New Line
• F. Wade Russo, Sunday in the Park with George, The Rep

NOMINEES FOR DRAMAS

Outstanding Production

• Angels in America, Stray Dog Theatre
• Clybourne Park, The Rep
• Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, St. Louis Black Repertory Company
• The Hairy Ape, Upstream Theater

Outstanding Director

• Gary Bell, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Deanna Jent, Going to See the Elephant, Mustard Seed Theatre
• Timothy Near, Clybourne Park, The Rep
• Ed Smith, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Black Rep
• Milton Zoth, Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio

Outstanding Actor

• John Hickok, The Invisible Hand, The Rep
• Michael Scott Rash, 9 Circles, R-S Theatrics
• Michael James Reed, A Steady Rain, The Rep
• Ben Watts, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• B Weller, Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio

Outstanding Actress

• Nancy Bell, Clybourne Park, The Rep
• Rachel Fenton, Oleanna, HotCity Theatre
• Rachel Hanks, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Patrese McClain, No Child, The Black Rep
• Kirsten Wylder, Bug, Muddy Waters Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor

• Larry Dell, Killer Joe, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Greg Fenner, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Terry Meddows, Way to Heaven, New Jewish Theatre
• Joshua Thomas, Othello, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
• David Wassilak, Angels in America, Stray Dog

Outstanding Supporting Actress

• Teresa Doggett, Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Rachel Fenton, Killer Joe, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Laura Kyro, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Elizabeth Ann Townsend, The Maids, Upstream Theater
• Kelley Weber, Lost in Yonkers, New Jewish Theatre

Outstanding Acting Ensemble

• Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Clybourne Park, The Rep
• Going to See the Elephant, Mustard Seed Theatre
• Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• The Hairy Ape, Upstream Theater

NOMINEES FOR COMEDIES

Outstanding Production

• Jacob and Jack, New Jewish Theatre
• The Comedy of Errors, The Rep
• The Divine Sister, HotCity Theatre
• The Foreigner, The Rep
• The Violet Hour, Max & Louie Productions

Outstanding Director

• Paul Mason Barnes, The Comedy of Errors, The Rep
• Edward Coffield, Jacob and Jack, New Jewish Theatre
• Suki Peters, The Compleat Wks of Wm Shkspr (Abridged), St. Louis Shakespeare
• Marty Stanberry, The Divine Sister, HotCity
• Edward Stern, The Foreigner, The Rep

Outstanding Actor

• Ryan DeLuca, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Rep
• Greg Fenner, Fully Committed, Stray Dog
• John Flack, The Divine Sister, HotCity
• Bobby Miller, Jacob and Jack, New Jewish Theatre
• John Scherer, The Foreigner, The Rep

Outstanding Actress

• Emily Baker, Season’s Greetings, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Sarah Cannon, Dinner with Friends, Dramatic License Productions
• Tarah Flanagan, The Comedy of Errors, The Rep
• Meghan Maguire, Talley’s Folly, New Jewish Theatre
• Carol Schultz, The Foreigner, The Rep

Outstanding Supporting Actor

• Matthew Galbreath, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Black Rep
• Chopper Leifheit, The Divine Sister, HotCity
• Casey Predovic, The Foreigner, The Rep
• Antonio Rodriguez, The Violet Hour, Max & Louie Productions
• Lenny Wolpe, The Comedy of Errors, The Rep

Outstanding Supporting Actress

• Sarajane Alverson, Wake Up, Cameron Dobbs, West End Players Guild
• Lavonne Byers, The Divine Sister, HotCity Theatre
• Teresa Doggett, Season’s Greetings, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Shanara Gabrielle, The Comedy of Errors, The Rep
• Kirsten Wylder, The Divine Sister, HotCity Theatre

Outstanding Acting Ensemble

• Jacob and Jack, New Jewish Theatre
• The Comedy of Errors, The Rep
• The Divine Sister, HotCity Theatre
• The Foreigner, The Rep
• The Violet Hour, Max & Louie Productions

COMEDIES and DRAMAS

Outstanding Set Design

• Jason Coale, The Maids, Upstream Theater
• Dunsi Dai, Imaginary Jesus, Mustard Seed Theatre
• Scott Neale, Clybourne Park, The Rep
• Erik Paulson, The Comedy of Errors, The Rep
• John Stark, Way to Heaven, New Jewish Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design

• Felia Katherine Davenport, Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Sarita Fellows, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Black Rep
• Daryl Harris, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Black Rep
• Alexandra Scibetta Quigley, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Margaret E. Weedon, The Comedy of Errors, The Rep

Outstanding Lighting Design

• Steve Carmichael, The Hairy Ape, Upstream Theater
• Tyler Duenow, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Phil Monat, Brighton Beach Memoirs, The Rep
• Nathan Schroeder, Talley’s Folly, New Jewish Theatre
• Michael Sullivan, Way to Heaven, New Jewish Theatre

Outstanding Sound Design

• Justin Been, Angels in America, Stray Dog
• Zoe Sullivan, Going to See the Elephant, Mustard Seed
• Rusty Wandall, A Steady Rain, The Rep
• Robin Weatherall, Good, St. Louis Actors’ Studio
• Robin Weatherall, Way to Heaven, New Jewish Theatre

Outstanding New Play

• Imaginary Jesus, Deanna Jent, Mustard Seed Theatre
• Stupefy! The 90-Minute Harry Potter Live!, Jaysen Cryer, Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre
• The Invisible Hand, Ayad Akhtar, The Rep
• The New World, Nancy Bell, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
• Wake Up, Cameron Dobbs, Stephen Peirick, West End Players Guild.

Founding members of the St. Louis Theater Circle include Steve Allen, Stagedoorstl.com; Andrea Braun, The Vital Voice and Playback; Mark Bretz, Ladue News; Bob Cohn, St. Louis Jewish Light; Chris Gibson, Broadwayworld.com; Harry Hamm, KMOX; Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle; Chuck Lavazzi, KDHX; Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Andrea Torrence, Stlouistheatresnob.com; Lynn Venhaus, Belleville News-Democrat; and Bob Wilcox, Two on the Aisle and Town & Style.

For more information, contact stltheatercircle at sbcglobal.net or 314-838-9371.