Jan Abrams keeps it simple.

She sings from the heart and shares what she’s feeling clearly and directly with her audience rather than exhausting it with a surfeit of energy and ego. She sings each song like she means it, with a genuine sincerity that is quickly obvious to her listeners.

In an autobiographical show entitled On My Way to You, Abrams relived her life — from songs of reassurance sung to her by her father (the Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me”); to her desire to move from the Bronx to the bright lights of Broadway (“Downtown” by Tony Hatch); to asking her cousin for help finding Mr. Right (“Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick); to finding the right man (a warm, deep rendering of “Secret Love,” by Sammy Fain and Francis Webster) and moving from New York to the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City (Theme from “Arthur,” by Bacharach, Sager, Cross and Allen, otherwise known — in Abrams’ version — as “Caught between the Moon and Culver City”) to marriage (“A Beautiful Friendship,” by Donald Kahn and Stanley Styne, in a medley with Kander and Ebb’s “A Quiet Thing”) to achieving ultimate happiness (“Make Me a Kite,” by Michele Brourman and Amanda McBroom — a song of inspiration that was Abrams’ strongest, most passionate performance of the night).

Along the way Abrams included a two-song tribute to her uncle, Vic Abrams, a songwriter who never quite made it big, including “When You’re With the One You Love,” a cute patter song, and “The Melody Followed Me Home,” which should have become a standard.

When Abrams sings, there’s no attempt to play with the notes to show off her vocal abilities — she just sings the words as written and lets them blend with the melodies in a sweet, straightforward, unaffected style. Combine that with her warm smile, bubbly personality and strong audience rapport, and it’s obvious she’s got the goods.

Abrams was accompanied on piano by John Randall, who provided vocal harmony on a couple of songs; the show was directed by Bruce Kimmel.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
November 1, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org