Playing to well-deserved packed houses at Davenport’s in Broadway—Our Way, duo Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael again demonstrate why they set the bar in Chicago cabaret. Their promise to provide “innovative twists” on Broadway favorites is fulfilled from start to finish. For example, singing a few bars of “My Favorite Things” with a slight dissonance, yet within the chord, gives the tune edge—ultimately framing well its better recognized sweetness. Menzie’s “Show Off” from Thoroughly Modern Millie takes us on a building comic odyssey weaving between perceived self-importance and phony humility. The “Broadway Our Way Nightmare Medley” is a hilarious, well-delivered series of parodized snippets on current topics with the laughter following the Bernie Madoff segment stopping the show. In “Your’re a Flop,” parodizing Cole Porter’s “You’re The Top,” we learn how initial impressions of each other were tepid, but ultimately grew into this remarkable partnership. Michael delivered the tender “Who Will Buy?” and later captured both visual and vocal elements of “All That Jazz” with grace. Michael is more animated than ever, giving the show extra spark. Broadway—Our Way is not only grand to hear, it’s grand to see.

Carla Gordon
Cabaret Scenes
April 11, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org