“Welcome to the party!!” cries Pamela Lewis, who calls herself “Champagne Pam” (granted, she’s undeniably “bubbly” and drinks champagne on stage. Note to star: the two-drink minimum doesn’t apply to you and the band.) Frequently addressing many friends and family in the audience by name, kidding them, saying things like, “Most of you know my Aunt Marilyn,”—all misguided, I think. Such “inside” stuff distances outsiders, making the advertised show with $25 cover charge seem less professional. Playful interaction with skillful guitarist John Hurley added to the “private party” feel because he happens to be her husband, as we were reminded. A photographer prowling around, taking shots at the tables with an annoyingly blinding flash during the long pre-show wait made the cabaret feel like a wedding banquet hall.

The good news is pretty major: Pam has a solid, vibrant voice. That’ll save the day when she gets out of her own way, dropping mannerisms and melisma, over-doing gestures — and gets deeper into lyrics instead. We don’t need the classic “My Funny Valentine” lyric “Don’t change a hair for me” to be changed to “Baby, don’t you change your hair for me.” With a flexible vocal instrument, Pam shows an affinity for rangy Joni Mitchell songs (“Conversation”). Three (!) numbers written for Sondheim’s Company were heard, along with some tedious pop with repetitious, repetitious, repetitious lyrics. But when things clicked (besides the camera), it was like “Night and Day” (an included standard, just one enhanced by world-class jazz pianist John Colianni of the Les Paul Trio).

Rob Lester
Cabaret Scenes
April 30, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org