Review: I believe in yesterday

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

Barb Jungr and John McDaniel
Photo by Rick Stockwell

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It has been a while since I have seen either Award-winning pianist and songwriter John McDaniel and cabaret star Barb Jungr on stage (2007 and 2010, respectively). And I had never seen them together until last Saturday (January 27, 2018), when they brought their Beatles cabaret Come Together to the Kranzberg Center. It was worth the wait.

Although they're both strong performers I have, in the past, been somewhat critical of Mr. McDaniel's range as a singer and of Ms. Jungr's outsized, rock star stage presence. Now I take it all back. Working largely in his falsetto register, Mr. McDaniel sang very effective close harmony with his co-star on nearly every song, and Ms. Jungr didn't uncork her inner rocker until her powerful medley of "Something" and "The Long and Winding Road" near the end of the show, when it was a perfect fit.

The McDaniel/Jungr duo is an ideal team, and the obvious joy they take in working with each other is infectious.

It helps, of course, that they're working with a lot of grade A material. Drenched in the influences of rock, rhythm and blues, and (yes) the Great American Songbook, the songs of the Fab Four have inspired albums as varied as classical pianist and conductor Joshua Rifkin's Baroque Beatles Book and jazz legend George Benson's The Other Side of Abbey Road. That's because they're exceptionally well-crafted tunes, as Mr. McDaniel's exceptionally well-crafted arrangements repeatedly demonstrate.

His take on "Eleanor Rigby," for example, used big, open chords to establish a dramatic backdrop for the vocals, while his solo take on "Mother Nature's Son" seemed to invoke the spirit of the late John Denver. His piano provided a solid foundation for Ms. Jungr's vocals throughout the evening and was a driving, propulsive force in more rock-oriented numbers like George Harrison's "My Guitar Gently Weeps" (another of Mr. McDaniel's solos).

Ms. Jungr, for her part, showed plenty of vocal variety, including a jazzy "Got to Get You Into My Life," a raunchy blues-flavored "Come Together," and that big, passionate "Something" medley. As someone who (like many of us Of a Certain Age) grew up with the Beatles, she also had some interesting insights on the songs and the times in which they were written.

I was particularly struck by how much the Beatles meant to her as a young woman in the north of England. She noted that for her and her friends, seeing guys who looked and, more importantly, sounded like them achieving worldwide fame felt empowering. Until then, you didn't seen kids from Liverpool filling stadiums and cruising with the "jet set." John, Paul, George, and Ringo changed all that.

There were also some surprises in the song selection, like the medley of two McCartney/Lennon collaborations, "It's for You" and "Step Inside Love," which were first recorded not by the Beatles but by the English singer and TV star Cilla Black. I thought I knew the Beatles, but I had never heard either of those.

Come Together played one night only at the Kranzberg, but the 2016 album on which the show is based is available as both a CD and download at Amazon and other on-line sources. Let's hope we get to see Ms. Jungr and Mr. McDaniel here again soon. It really has been too long.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of January 9, 2015

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:

Tim Schall

The Kranzberg Arts Center presents A Cabaret Showcase Evening on Saturday, January 10, at 7 p.m. "Eight talented singers take the stage to perform individual cabaret sets created specifically for this evening! Starring Shirley Aschinger, Kevin Cherry, Elizabeth DeVoto, Linda Kennedy, Dan McGee, Charlene Reimann, Annie Sauerburger and Ben Watts. Tim Schall is the director and Carol Schmidt is the Music Director and pianist. For more information: kranzbergartscenter.org.

My take: This singers in this showcase are the students in Tim Schall's cabaret performance class. All of them have performance experience, some of it quite substantial. I have worked with most of them before, in a cabaret and theatre settings, and know them to be solid performers. I'll be there and I hope you will as well.

Leigha Stockton and Brock Birkner
in Urinetown

Next Generation Theatre Company presents the musical Urinetown Friday and Saturday, January 9 and 10. " Winner of three TONY Awards, three Outer Critic's Circle Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, and two Obie Awards, Urinetown is a hilarious musical satire of the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, municipal politics and musical theatre itself! Hilariously funny and touchingly honest, Urinetown provides a fresh perspective of one of America's greatest art forms. In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs. Amid the people, a hero decides he's had enough, and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom!" Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theater at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information: florissantmo.thundertix.com

My take: Next Generation is a new group in town that describes itself as "a theatre company created specifically for young adults, providing the opportunity to perform, direct, choreograph and produce their own shows." Urinetown has the kind of energy and satirical edge that should work well for a young cast, and it takes on a serious subject—water and the way we take it for granted—in an entertaining way.

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of November 24, 2014

Jitro

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis presents a holiday concert with Jitro, the Czech Girls Choir, on Monday, November 24, at 8 PM.  "Jitro, meaning “daybreak” in Czech, and based in Hradec Kralove, a town in the Czech Republic, is an organization of 500 girls in seven preparatory ensembles, of which only the best 25-50 qualify to tour. For 35 years they have been admired all over the world for their tone, intonation, and rich blend of sound and energetic vitality. Jitro performs in over 100 concerts annually in the world’s most prestigious concert halls and are committed to inspiring audiences with music performed at the highest level. Jitro has become a new favorite of St. Louis audiences, making their third appearance at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis but their first holiday performance."  The Cathedral is at 4431 Lindell in the Central West End.  For more information: cathedralconcerts.org.

The Confluence Chamber Orchestra presents a free Holiday Concert on Saturday, November 29, at noon at the Old Courthouse at 4th and Market on the riverfront. " Under the direction of William Bauer, the 21-piece orchestra’s mission is to encourage lifetime enjoyment of playing string instruments and sharing it with others. The group’s players range in age from 18 to 94."  For more information: confluencechamberorchestra.org.

The 442s

The Kranzberg Arts Center presents The 442s on Wednesday, November 26, at 7:00 p.m.  "What happens when you combine two outstanding members of the world-class St. Louis Symphony with two of the city’s finest jazz musicians from the Erin Bode Group? You get The 442′s, an exciting new acoustic instrumental quartet named for the modern standard tuning of 442 Hz! Brought together by the innovative and inspired compositions of Adam Maness, who also plays guitar, accordion, melodica and glockenspiel in the group, The 442′s features Shawn Weil on violin, Bjorn Ranheim on cello and Sydney Rodway on bass. This unique collaboration, formed in the spring of 2012 by a tight-knit group whose love of good food and fine beer makes rehearsals feel like dinner parties, combines outstanding musicianship, group singing, inventive improvisation, whistle solos and special guest appearances by famed jazz vocalist, Erin Bode."  The Kranzberg Center is at the corner of Grand and Olive in Grand Center.  For more information: www.the442s.com.

David Robertson

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra along with Kirill Gerstein, piano; bassoonists Andrew Cuneo, Andrew Gott, and Felicia Foland; and Gregg Henegar, contrabassonon; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m., November 28-30.  "Since its debut in the Roaring Twenties, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue has thrilled audiences with its reflection of the excitement and energy of New York City.  Kirill Gerstein and the STL Symphony will take you on a ride from its lively opening through the romantic dance of the work’s main theme.  With additional toe-tapping music from Bernstein, David Robertson conducts this American program enhanced by innovative lighting projection by renowned artist S. Katy Tucker. This production features video and lighting elements by S. Katy Tucker, a reknowned artist known for her design work at Carnegie Hall, the San Francisco Opera, Sydney Symphony and more." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center.  For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Society for Creative Survival presents Triple Threat, a concert by The Vernacular String Quartet, Nexus, and Creative Delusions, on Tuesday, November 25, at 7:30 p.m.. The performances takes place at  Tavern of Fine Arts, 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood.  For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com

St. Louis classical calendar for the week of September 22, 2014

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The Artist Presentation Society presents violinist Qian Yin and pianist Po-Chuan Chiang on Sunday, September 28, at 3:00 p.m. in a program of music by Handel, Chausson, Bartok, and Franck. The performance takes at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road. For more information: www.apsmusic.org.

Alice Conway

Eliot Unitarian Chapel presents a Friends of Music concert on Sunday, September 28, at 3 PM. 'Alice Conway, mezzo-soprano and Nancy Mayo, piano, performing "Frauen Liebe und Leben" by Robert Schumann; and two Italian arias: "Di tanti palpiti" from Gioachino Rossini's "Tancredi"; and "All'afflitto è dolce il pianto" from Gaetano Donizetti's "Robert Devereux". James Nacy and Daniel Henderson, cellos, performing Jean Barriere, "Sonata no. 10 in G major for Two Cellos"; David Popper, "Suite for Two Cellos," Op. 16; and Paul Tortelier, "Siamois".' Eliot Unitarian Chapel is at 100 South Argonne in Kirkwood. For more information: fomcstl.org

The Kranzberg Arts Center presents The Matthew Munses Quartet on Monday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. "Drawing upon a breadth of musical styles, the Matthew Muneses Quintet seeks to express the collective voice of its members. Presenting primarily original music, this group is dedicated to reaching new audiences through its eclectic blend of jazz, rock, classical and multi-cultural folkloric musics." The Kranzberg Center is at the corner of Grand and Olive in Grand Center. For more information: www.matthewmunesesmusic.com.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis, in collaboration with a coalition of area arts and community organizations, presents #WithNormandy: A Concert for Peace and Unity, a free ninety-minute program focusing on spirituals and American songs, on Sunday, September 28, at 4:30 p.m. “A powerhouse collection of singers who believe that the performing arts can play an important role in cultivating an environment of hope and support for the young people in north St. Louis County, including jazz artists, blues musicians, choirs, cabaret singers, and classically trained musicians.” Performers include opera singers Denyce Graves and Christine Brewer; nationally acclaimed St. Louis performers Derrell Acon, The Gene Dobbs Bradford Blues Experience, Julia Bullock, Duane Foster, Erika Johnson, and Jermaine Smith; as well as The Normandy High School Choir, the Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Men’s Choir, and the Shalom Church. The concert takes place at Normandy High School’s Viking Hall 6701 St Charles Rock Rd. For more information: experienceopera.org/withnormandy.

St. Louis Cathedral Concerts presents members of the St. Louis Symphony in a program of chamber music by Vaughan Williams, Ravel, and Brahms, on Friday, September 26, at 7:30 p.m and again on Sunday, September 28, at 7 p.m. “Cathedral Concerts continues it's series of FREE concerts that brings the great music to you. The featured players in each concert are St. Louis Symphony members Kristin Ahlstrom, violin and Bjorn Ranheim, cello, joined by Matthew Mazzoni, piano and Scott Kennebeck, tenor.” The performance takes place at St. Anselm Catholic Church in Creve Coeur on Friday and at St. Margaret of Scotland Catholic Church in the Shaw Neighborhood of the City of St. Louis on Sunday. For more information: www.cathedralconcerts.org

Douglas Neidt

The St. Louis Guitar Society's Great Artist Guitar Series presents Douglas Niedt on Saturday, September 27, at 8 p.m. "A St. Louis favorite son, Douglas gained instant fame at age seventeen upon winning the Chet Atkins International Guitar Competition among 300 applicants. He has studied at the Segovia Master Classes, the Juilliard School and with Christopher Parkening, Narcisco Yepes & Jorge Morel. Recognized for his excellence in teaching, he is head of the guitar program at the Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri at Kansas City. His programming includes music of Latin America, as well as American popular composers such as Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers, and Dave Brubeck." The performance takes at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road. For more information: ethicalstl.org.

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and oboe soloist Cally Banham in Sibelius's "Swan of Tuonela," John Adams's "My Father Knew Charles Ives," and Prokofiev's "Symphony No. 5" Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., September 27 and 28. "The STL Symphony is known for its outstanding performance of Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony garnering a Grammy® Award for their recording of the popular work in 1985. Prokofiev's work dazzles with brilliant percussion and majestic woodwinds while one of John Adams' pieces is brought to life with the orchestra performing the autobiographical and vibrant piece, My Father Knew Charles Ives." The concerts take place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents cellists James Nacy and Daniel Henderson on Friday, September 26, at 8 p.m. "Cellists James Nacy and Daniel Henderson perform a program of duos by cellists who were composers. Or . . . is that composers who were cellists? In any case, they are playing music of Barriere, Boccherini, Offenbach, Popper, Klengel and Tortelier." The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

The Tavern of Fine Arts presents pianist Jon Garrett on Saturday, September 28, at 8 p.m. The Tavern of Fine Arts is at 313 Belt in the Debaliviere Place neighborhood. For more information: tavern-of-fine-arts.blogspot.com.

Third Baptist Church presents an organ concert by Scott Montgomery, Director of Music Ministries at Holy Cross Church, Champaign, Illinois on Friday, September 26, at 12:30 PM as part of its free Friday Pipes series. "Join us on Fridays at Third Baptist Church for Friday Pipes, the free organ recital series celebrating the restoration of the church's 72-rank Kilgen/Möller pipe organ. Each week a different performer will be presenting a program of classical, church, and theatre organ music in the beautiful sanctuary of Third Baptist. This season's performers come from across the USA, and even from around the world. Free parking is available in the church lots on Washington Avenue." Third Baptist Church is at 620 N Grand. For more information: www.third-baptist.org

Winter Opera presents its Winter Fall Opera Gala on Friday, September 26, at 6:30 p.m. "Winter Opera's top artists will be there to perform while you enjoy an amazing dinner at Dominic's Trattoria in Clayton. Help us celebrate the opening of our Eighth Season in style! Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m. The ticket prices includes a four-course dinner, wine and entertainment." The event takes place at Dominic's Trattoria, 200 South Brentwood in Clayton. For more information: www.winteroperastl.org

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.

Southern exposure

Jeffrey M. Wright: Southern Roots
The Presenters Dolan at The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis
April 13 and 14, 2012

[Full disclosure: I have worked on stage with Jeffrey M. Wright, Carol Schmitt, and Tim Schall in the past.]

Call it nostalgia or simple habituation, but the fact is most of us have strong emotional attachment to the music with which we grew up. It’s no surprise, then, that those of us who are cabaret performers often return to the soundtrack of our childhood when we think of material for a show.

St. Louis actor and singer Jeffrey M. Wright’s Arkansas childhood was filled with the sounds of Nashville country and crossover music, as well as Southern rock. His Southern Roots show was a celebration of that heritage, with songs ranging from mainstream hits like “Wichita Lineman” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” to country rock classics like Elvis Presley’s 1969 hit “Rubbernecking” and newer songs like Sara Evans’s “Suds in the Bucket” from 2004. It was a tremendously enjoyable evening of material not often heard in a cabaret context and a reminder, once again, that the cabaret tent is large enough to encompass a range of music styles that goes well beyond the Great American Songbook.

Mr. Wright is a very engaging and polished performer with a fine light baritone voice. He was at his best in songs like “Southern State of Mind” and “I’m Still a Guy” where he could bring the full force of his charm to bear, but that didn’t stop him from capturing the rueful subtext of Trisha Yearwood’s “The Song Remembers When” or finding a somewhat surprising angry edge to a countrified voice and guitar arrangement of “One For My Baby”. Overall I’d say the choice of material in Southern Roots gave Mr. Wright a chance to expand his dramatic range that he probably doesn’t get that often in his theatrical work. Which is, of course, one of the reasons some actors enjoy cabaret so much in the first place.

Carol Schmitt’s inventive arrangements, stylish piano work, and backup vocals demonstrated once again why she has become such a popular music director for local singers. Guitarist Steve Schenkel added just the right amount of country seasoning to the mix, along with some impressive solo breaks. And director Tim Schall’s hand could be seen in the show’s pacing and dramatic shape.

Web of Relationships

Who: Jimmy Webb
Where: The Presenters Dolan at the Kranzberg Center
When: March 17 - 19, 2011

If you were to look at the song list from Jimmy Webb’s show – eleven numbers, including the encore – you might be surprised to learn that the evening runs an uninterrupted an hour and fifty minutes. You might then wonder if that was because (a) Mr. Webb’s arrangements of his own material tend to be a bit post-Wagnerian or (b) he talks quite a bit between numbers. The correct answer, as it turns out, would be (c) – a little of both, but mostly the latter.

Mr. Webb’s show might best be described as a series of anecdotes drawn from his illustrious and celebrity-strewn career and punctuated by a brace of his popular and highly regarded songs. For Jimmy Webb fans – and there were quite a few in the house the night we saw him – I expect that this was a major treat, judging by the standing ovation he received. For me, however, it was all a bit much. Yes, I’ve always admired Mr. Webb’s work, and there’s no denying that he’s one of the major songwriters of the last fifty years. I clearly don’t love his work the way most of his audience did, however, and after a while I was tempted, like his preacher father in one of those anecdotes, to start looking at my watch.

For the Webbophile, though, the evening offered many of his biggest hits, including “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Up Up and Away”, “Galveston” (an indirect but still poignant anti-war song) and, one of my favorites, the romantically pantheistic “Highwayman”. There were also some that were less familiar (at least to me), including the droll “Campo de Encino” (which gently parodies 1970s California dreaming), “What Does A Woman See In a Man” (in which the man and woman are not so much from different planets as alternate universes) and the lovely “No Signs of Age”, which was preceded by an affectionate reminiscence of the late Richard Harris.

And, yes, he did give the fans an encore: a high-volume, passionate “McArthur Park” – a song which I once admired but now find oddly dated.

Mr. Webb delivered nearly all of his songs in more or less the same manner, with his head back, eyes closed and fingers pounding the piano into submission. I realize I’m in the minority on this one, but for me Mr. Webb’s vocal limitations and the lack of variety in his approach were major drawbacks. I’ve heard other artists do his complex melodies and literate lyrics far more justice. For me, the closest Mr. Webb got to giving his songs their due was his take on “Wichita Lineman” with its strong sense of lonely, wide-open spaces and a slow fade-out at the upper end of the piano, suggesting a solitary telegraph operator sending his Morse code over the wires. The Glenn Campbell original got the same effect with strings, as I recall, but this seemed more magical.

Mr. Webb tied all the songs together with generally entertaining but sometimes lengthy and discursive stories about the various entertainment legends he has known – and he has known plenty. There were also a few about his own life and how it shaped his music. I would have preferred more of the latter (especially about his rarely mentioned family) and less of the former. In particular, I could have done without his nostalgia for Sinatra, the singer’s friends in “The Family” and the days when they ruled Las Vegas. No doubt The Mob did make Vegas classy in the same way that the Fascists made the trains run on time, but in both cases the price was a bit high.

But again, this is all written from the perspective of a contemporary of Mr. Webb who liked but never loved his work. For me, the evening would have been more enjoyable if he had trimmed it by around 30 minutes and indulged both his admirers and himself a bit less. As it was, I had the sense that he assumed he’d be among fans from the beginning – and I don’t think any performer, no matter how justly celebrated, should take that for granted.

Homecoming King

Who: Craig Pomranz with Stephen Bocchino
Where: The Presenters Dolan at the Kranzberg Center
When: February 18 and 19, 2011

Before he even sang a note, it was already clear from Craig Pomranz’s publicity material that he had both a reputation as a technically strong singer and a self-deprecating sense of humor. Anybody who sells t-shirts with the phrase “I Spent the Night With Craig” can’t be too stuffy, after all.

Throw in Mr. Pomranz’s ebullient stage persona and easy give and take with pianist and music director Stephen Bocchino and the result was a charming and entertaining evening, marred only by the singer’s apparent reluctance to fully engage with the core emotions of some of the more heart-wrenching ballads in his list. As a result, I felt that we got to see only one side of Mr. Pomranz’s musical personality.

Mind you, that one side was very strong. Mr. Pomranz has impressive vocal technique with an enviable head voice, easy falsetto, and solid breath control – all of which allowed him to neatly manage that pianissimo diminuendo trick that eludes so many singers. He also has (to use his droll phrase) the “thespic skills” necessary to convincingly act a song. I just felt that if he’d shown me more heart to go with that great technique, the show would have been more engaging.

That said, there’s no question that the evening was a success overall. There was the musical variety, for one thing. Based on the annual Valentine’s Day show Mr. Pomranz and Mr. Bocchino present at the Metropolitan Room, the show emphasized love songs, but in this case the genre was stretched to include some pleasant surprises. Among my favorites were “I’m in Love With Miss Logan” (a winsome portrayal of puppy love from New Faces of 1952), “The Brain” (from Young Frankenstein – possibly a Cabaret First), and Murray Grand’s outrageous “Doris Was Nice”, about a gent who falls on his face and in love with a gorilla.

There were some unexpected numbers of a less silly nature as well, including “The Guilty Ones” from Spring Awakening – as mordant a view of young love as one is likely to find – and a Broadway Belter version of “I’ve Never Been in Love Before” from Guys and Dolls. Mr. Pomranz and Mr. Bocchino clearly have wide-ranging musical tastes, and the evening benefited as a result.

That’s not to say they didn’t do well by the American Songbook. Standards included “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”, Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love?”, Martin and Blaine’s “Love”, and the Styne/Comden and Green favorite “Make Someone Happy” (from Do Re Mi, a 1960 Phil Silvers vehicle about the jukebox business). The Damn Yankees classic “Heart” became a delightful duet and "They Say It's Wonderful" got a somewhat rueful treatment that, while fully justified by the lyric, isn’t often seen in performance.

Not everything worked for me. A medley of early 20th century numbers culminating in a sing-along of “Meet Me in St. Louis”, for example, seemed a bit under-rehearsed - which may be why we got only a rough approximation of both the melody and lyrics of the verse of that World’s Fair classic. There were also minor lyric changes in other well-known tunes, presumably intended to make them more inclusive. It’s an admirable idea, but I don’t think that always worked, especially when (as in “My Funny Valentine”) it killed a rhyme.

Still, these are relatively minor complaints, which is why they’re at the bottom of this review. In the final analysis, Mr. Pomranz, Mr. Bocchino and their director, former Mound City resident Ron Cohen, put together a likable and diverting evening of cabaret. It was a fine homecoming for a local guy who has made good in the city that never sleeps.

The art of rock and roll

Who: Barb Jungr and Simon Wallace
What: The Men I Love: the New American Songbook
Where: Cabaret St. Louis at the Kranzberg Center
When: December 1 through 4, 2010

In cabaret's house (to paraphrase John 14:2) are many mansions. If the show British singer Barb Jungr and her gifted pianist and music director Simon Wallace chose for their first St. Louis appearance is any indication, one of those mansions bears a strong resemblance to Graceland. Ms. Jungr brings a classic rocker sensibility to the art of cabaret, complete with grand gestures, heart-on-the sleeve sentiment, and a sense of humor as earthy as it is genuine.

A multitalented performer and songwriter with a raft of CDs to her credit (including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Nina Simone tributes), Ms. Jungr's approach to cabaret is miles away from that of more traditional artists. It is, however, no less appealing for all that. If her presence on the stage was an indication that Cabaret St. Louis is wiling to venture outside of the tried and true, that can only be a good thing in my book.

Speaking of books, Ms. Jungr's new American songbook picks up, chronologically, about where the Great American Songbook leaves off: in the 1960s. It includes hit makers like Todd Rundgren, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Diamond, as well as lesser lights such as Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. The subject matter ranges from mournful country ballads like Hank Williams's "Lost on the River" to "Lust for Life", Iggy Pop's raunchy celebration of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. And it was all arranged and performed in a way that was often unexpected and even revelatory.

Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", for example, was given a bluesy boogie treatment. Rundgren's pop hit "The Light in Your Eyes" was turned into a ballad—as was Diamond's Monkees monster "I'm a Believer", with a bit of soul tossed into the mix for good measure. Ms. Jungr even managed to make the David Byrne/Brian Eno hit "Once in a Lifetime" sound like it was actually about something other than clever wordplay which, in my view, is more than Talking Heads ever did.

With its pop trappings removed and tempo slowed down, Paul Simon's "My Little Town" was revealed as a bleak little memento mori. Ditto Bruce Springsteen's "The River", particularly in Ms. Jungr's painfully and appropriately direct performance. Fortunately for everyone's mental health, she followed that up with an engaging sing-along version of the Andy Williams hit "Can't Get Used to Losing You" and a raucous rendition of another Neal Diamond classic, "Red Red Wine".

Throughout the evening, Mr. Wallace was a sympathetic and smart presence at the piano. A composer in his own right with many film and TV scores to his credit (to say nothing of over 350 songs written with St. Louis's own Fran Landesman), Mr. Wallace was not so much Ms. Jungr's accompanist as her partner. A good music director is always a collaborator, of course, but the collaboration is not always as apparent as it was here.

All that being said, I did have a few reservations about the show. The evening was a bit ballad heavy, for one thing – not surprising, given Ms. Jungr's admission early on that she's known as someone who sings sad songs slowly. Her genuinely funny patter acted as a mitigating factor, though, so there was no danger that we would weep into our wine. Her big rock star stage presence also took a bit of getting used to, as did the fact that she often needed to consult her notes. Still, when all was said and done, she made it work - and that's really the bottom line.

For information on upcoming cabaret shows at the Kranzberg Center, visit the Cabaret St. Louis site at cabaretstl.org and the Presenters Dolan site at presentersdolan.com. To find out where Ms. Jungr's travels will take her next, visit barbjungr.co.uk.

Isn't it romantic?

Who: Steve Ross
What: Rhythm and Romance
Where: The Kranzberg Center, St. Louis
When: November 26 and 27, 2010

Renowned 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 several years ago, and he even made a special trip to Mound City this past February to participate in a tribute cabaret for the late Chris Jackson. It's only appropriate, then, that he chose our fair city for a trial run of his latest show, Rhythm and Romance, which opens a three-week run at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room in January. Judging from the audience response, it was a good choice.

If you've seen Mr. Ross before, you already know that he's the very personification of savoir faire: a graceful, 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. Even when Mr. Ross made the occasional musical misstep (perhaps inevitable with a new show), his love of the material and his ability to connect with the audience carried him through and earned him a standing ovation at the end.

The evening opened with a lively medley combining the title song with Jimmy McHugh and Ted Koehler's "Spreadin' Rhythm Around" (both introduced in 1935 by Ella Fitzgerald and "Fats" Waller, respectively) and bits of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" and "Fascinatin' Rhythm". Mr. Ross followed that up with a set about seduction (Flanders and Swann's droll "Have Some Madeira, M'Dear") and marriage both sentimental (Kander and Ebb's "Married" and Kern and Hammerstein's "The Folks Who Live on the Hill") and sarcastic (Rodgers and Sondheim's "We're Gonna Be All Right", from Do I Hear a Waltz?).

The rest of the show continued in a similar vein, examining the varieties of romance, both comic and tragic. There was, as you might expect, plenty of Porter and Coward, but there was also Jacques Brel's dark "Fanette and I" and Ivor Novello's "And Her Mother Came Too", a comic look at a true "helicopter parent". There was even a set on the romance of travel, with Bob Merrill's rarely-heard "Mira" (from Carnival!) and a pair of Coward gems: "Sail Away" (from the 1960 flop of the same name) and, from 1955, the rudely hilarious "A Bar on the Piccola Marina", about the sexual awakening of the formerly staid Mrs. Wentworth Brewster.

As always, Mr. Ross intertwined the music 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 Mr. Coward (who was a close friend of Cole Porter) responded to questions about a 1962 trip to a clinic for "rejuvenation shots" of sheep hormones by quipping "I've got ewe under my skin"?

Well, now you do.

If there's one lyricist who understood both the rhapsody and rue of romance, that would surely be the late Lorenz Hart, so it's only appropriate that Mr. Ross's show featured a generous helping of Rodgers and Hart numbers, including "My Romance" (from Jumbo, 1935) and "Glad to Be Unhappy" (On Your Toes, 1936). The set was punctuated by some dry-eyed looks at romance form Dorothy Parker – also very appropriate in a show destined for the Algonquin, where Ms. Parker was a regular guest at the fabled literary Round Table.

The show concluded with Mr. Ross's trademark Edith Piaf instrumental medley, followed by an encore that briefly recapped "Rhythm and Romance" and then segued into an affecting rendition of the 1934 classic "For All We Know". And a splendid time was had by all.

For more information on the peripatetic Mr. Ross, visit his web site at steveross.net. For more information on upcoming cabaret shows at the Kranzberg Center, visit The Presenters Dolan at presentersdolan.com and the Cabaret St. Louis site at cabaretstl.org.

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