Wendy Tuttle is a hoot-and-a-half — an utterly charming bundle of talent with a powerful voice and a winning stage presence.

Leaving the role of backup singer behind, Tuttle stepped into the cabaret spotlight to entertain with a vocal power that was gritty and gutteral one moment, sweet and demure the next, but consistently on the mark, with the singer in full control of her material.

Tuttle scored right off the bat with “I Got Trouble” (Christina Aguilera and Linda Perry), singing the bluesy arrangement with verve and energy that showed instantly how completely relaxed she was center-stage.

She tore the house down with a rousing, down-and-dirty version of “Sunday Kind of Love” (Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes and Louis Prima) just moments after a tender, sensuous “Unconditionally,” a song she wrote with Kevin Fisher. She also crooned a slow, jazzy version of Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” ratcheting her performance up gradually to full vocal power— with a few sly exit notes from “I’m in the Mood for Love” from accompanist and musical director Todd Schroeder.

Schroeder got more directly into the act in a duet on “Lucky” (Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz and Timothy Fagen) —  with effective harmonies about a girl lucky to be in love with her best friend, which reflects the two performers’ own relationship, Tuttle explained. Joining Schroeder were Kevin Fisher on guitar and Tom Christensen on bass, with the strings playing especially prominent roles during “If You and the Moon Don’t Mind,” another song she wrote with Fisher.

Also powerful was Schroeder’s duet arrangement of “Kansas City,” the Lieber and Stoller classic — a very up-tempo version that paused in key spots  (“Might take a train …” – pause – “Might take a plane” – pause) as the singers contemplated the possibilities.

The show was built around Tuttle’s commentary on her life — to introduce herself to her audience “as cabaret singers are supposed to do,” she explained.  The show got an extra dose of reality when Tuttle contemplated “what am I bad at?”  — a question that caused her mother in the audience to shout out, “Calling your mother,” a spontaneous moment that brought down the house.

Her finale, “Let Me Sing” — also written with Fisher — was especially moving when the music stopped for several bars as Tuttle’s voice rose to declare, “Let me sing and spread my wings.”

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
June 24, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org