If one is considering doing a cabaret show highlighting musical theater love songs, it's a good thing there's an almost unlimited selection to choose from the past 70+ years. I'd conservatively estimate that greater than 90 percent of ALL musical theater songs might be classified as overtly or obliquely love songs. Local theatre artists Pamela Reckamp and John Flack took advantage of that largess in constructing their Spotlight Theatre Cabaret Series offering, Love Songs from American Musical Theater.

The performance took place in lounge area of the Kranzberg Arts Center, the new performance development on the site of the former Woolworth's Department Store at Olive and Grand (501 N. Grand), just south of the Fox Theatre. The venue of 16 tables is intimate and comfortably appointed and decorated. A raised stage held two stools, microphone stands, and a grand piano.

The one-hour performance (no intermission) included nearly two dozen songs, highlighting the work of composing teams such as Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart ("Thou Swell") Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II (Oklahoma! Medley, "Wonderful Guy"), classic composer/lyricists such as George Gershwin ("They All Laughed"), Cole Porter ("Let's Fall In Love"), Stephen Sondheim ("Losing My Mind"), and new artists such as Jason Robert Brown ("The Stars and the Moon"). Many were musical standards ("I Have a Love"/"One Hand, One Heart" from West Side Story), while others I'd never heard of before (such as "Folks Who Live on the Hill" by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern). Indeed, the only complaint I have on the night is that I would have liked to have heard more of the provenance of all songs they sang, as I had no idea where some of them came from.

Expertly accompanied by artist Al Fisher on the grand piano, Pamela is a light soprano, and John a smooth baritone. Both showed their mainly musical theatre backgrounds by infusing several songs with emotion and depth (especially Pamela's "Losing My Mind" and John's "I'd Rather Be Sailing"). Songs were connected with pleasant and comfortable banter (let's just not mention a silly mock argument at one point) between two actors that have been performing together for many years. Indeed, two of their songs came from the musical I Do, I Do, in which they had appeared together in the 1990s. Both appeared comfortable on stage, although this is John Flack's first cabaret outing.

Kudos must be tendered as well to John Taylor, on lights and sound. His command of the room's adequate lighting setup was subtle, deft, and attentive, supporting the singers and enhancing the mood of several songs.

More information on Spotlight Theatre may be obtained by calling 314-421-6848, or accessing their website at spotlighttheatrestlonline.org.

Laura Kyro
Cabaret Scenes
November 20, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org