Rediscovering Dusty Springfield isn't exactly a shock in a town that thrives on an adrenaline rush. It's like she never left us – thanks to Kirsten Holly Smith. Oddly, for a legendary pop star, who died in 1999 of breast cancer, her legend has never really been too far from the pop music spotlight. That's how strong her impact was.Some artists are too good to be forgotten.

Dusty Springfield's brand of soul was unlike anyone else's. Her untimely passing left a void in the pop music world that is mourned to this day by her peers. She defined a style that has influenced many forces in pop music including Sir Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, Elvis Costello, Joan Osbourne, Sinead O'Connor, Bette Midler, Sting and Annie Lennox. When she was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ten days after her death, Sir Elton said of the late legend, “I think she is one of the greatest white singers there ever has been.”

In her new series of shows at The Duplex Cabaret Theater, actress/singer Kirsten Holly Smith pays loving and respectful tribute to that legend in her acclaimed show, Kirsten Holly Smith Sings Dusty Springfield. The show is a scaled down, more intimate version of the hit musical/bio, Stay Forever: The Life & Music of Dusty Springfield that ran in Los Angeles at The LA Gay & Lesbian's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center to rave reviews.

Performing vocal highlights from the show, dressed as Springfield replete with a beehive hairdo and some serious eyeliner, Smith is always affable, sexy and brimming with knowledge. She is also an accomplished actress and one terrific singer. Performing snippets of any theatrical show in a cabaret setting is risky at best. Some shows play better than others out of context. The reviews in Los Angeles were hugely enthusiastic and the full production sounds like it has the potential to reach a larger audience wherever it winds up. Springfield has always had a strong fan base in the gay community and, nine years after her death, fan clubs still exist and the Internet is filled with blogs and tributes to the lady with the soulful wailing voice.

In this Duplex show, the trademark gestures are all there. The wildly flailing hand gestures, the quirky body language, etc. All Springfield's nervous tics are on display throughout. Clearly, Smith has done her homework. And, she captures so many vocal inflections that solidified Dusty's place in pop history as a unique singer, it becomes almost uncanny in spots. This was especially so when she belted two of Springfield's strongest rafter raisers, “Son of a Preacher Man” and “I Found My Way.” She plunged into the material and opened up in a richer, throatier voice that showed the powerful emotion and the soul that made any Dusty performance so memorable.

Kirsten Holly Smith's voice is a bit lighter and higher than Dusty's deeper husky tones. She doesn't have that throbbing vibrato that Dusty was famous for. However, and it's a big however, she is such a fine actress and so in sync with the material on every musical level that it ultimately takes the observer on a light journey to another era where female soul vocalists ruled the airwaves and anything released by Springfield was an “event.” And, that may be Smith's smartest move; turning her show into an event that has the audience involved and cheering. She is in total control and seduces her audience through her impressive acting skills and musical savvy fused by an intelligently paced delivery. In other words, it works. And that's no easy feat considering the fact that Dusty's singing style was so recognizable, that unique and not easy to replicate.

After a tremulous start (opening night jitters), Smith fell into her stride by the time she got to “You Don't Have to Say You Love Me” which surprisingly came very early in the show. Typically, the biggest hits in a tribute show are saved for the end. But Smith pulled it off with strong, effective vocals and every nuance was on target. The audience went wild and responded in kind. Other high spots included a powerhouse medley of “People Get Ready” with “Willie and Laura Jones.” This gospel-esque roundelay turned into a crowd pleasing hand clapper. Smith dug deep on this and channeled Dusty Springfield full throttle to the SRO crowd's delight. A more serious reading of “The Windmills of Your Mind” by the Bergmans and Michel Legrand created a restrained, more sensitive moment. A lively “I Found My Way” was one of the hour's strongest entries sung with unleashed passion and verve. Smith closed the set with “Don' Forget about Me,” a terrific song appropriate for a tribute to a legend who will never be forgotten.

Kirsten Holly Smith and her team paid classy homage to one of the greats from rock and roll. And, throughout the show, she was polished and peppered the act with abundant humor and minimal pathos. After all, there are few pop singers that can match Dusty Springfield who sang with a passion and a voice certainly rarely heard from pop singers today.

The multi-talented Michael Thomas Murray did an excellent job as musical director leading the dynamic trio.

The show moves to The Zipper Factory Jan. 31 and Feb. 1

John Hoglund
Cabaret Scenes
November 25, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org