A dynamo named Alexandra Billings blew into Feinstein’s at Loews Regency energizing a hot, humid night. It’s been five years since Ms. Billings appeared in New York and that’s five years too long. She is a bundle of energy, using the skills she has honed over her many years as a performer to great effect, whether in her comic turns, full-out show-stopping belting or inward, reflective reading of ballads. She wears her heart on her sleeve as comfortably as she wears her sleeveless gown.

Ms. Billings possesses the tug-on-your-heartstrings power of Garland, the emotional impact of Streisand and the brassiness and bawdiness of Midler—and yet, it’s all Alexandra all the time and you’d be hard-pressed not to fall under her spell.

Vocally, she can go from a whisper, which at times, especially at the top of the show, needed more support, to the all-out belt of an eleven o’clock number. She’s an actress who tells the story, pulling from deep within for the sometimes very raw emotions required to make the song personal.

Singing a medley of “You Are Not Alone” (Robert Kelly) and Sondheim’s “No One Is Alone” may seem an odd choice as an opener, but it’s her statement that we are in this together, and together we can get through anything. It works because we believe her. And we believe her not only because she invests truth into the lyrics but she takes the time to look at us, drawing us in. Her eye contact with the audience is some of the most straightforward and honest I’ve seen in cabaret.  She may be “Everybody’s Girl,” but she makes you feel that it’s just the two of you.

“Just in Time,” with terrific bass work by Saadi Zain, is bright and driving, the energy expressing her joy in her good fortune. David Friedman’s “My Simple Christmas Wish” displays Alexandra’s natural comic ability, as does her between-song patter. Some of it may be scripted, but most seems off the cuff. She spends time talking to individuals in the audience, some of whom relish it and others…well, not so much.  She’s self-deprecating at times—sometimes it works; at other times, it’s not necessary.

When she connects the songs to her personal life, they take on a fullness and emotion that are hard to turn away from. Her relationship with Wally Harper prompted him to send her the arrangement of “Come Rain or Come Shine” that he told her he and Mort Lindsey wrote for Judy Garland. It’s a difficult arrangement, with key and tempo changes, which Alexandra handles well.

She tells of her sometime tumultuous relationship with her father, Robert, the Musical Director for the L.A. Civic Light Opera. His advice, “Don’t get it right, just do it” and eventually you will get it right. This led to a quiet, restrained, reflective “The Music That Makes Me Dance,” turning the usual lover’s song into one about a daughter and father. It worked, especially the section before the instrumental break. No bombast. No belting. Just the simple truth. It’s a moving interpretation. And although the repeat after the instrumental break became the eleven o’clock number the song was originally intended to be, singing it full out but in total control, I can’t help but wonder if a once-through approach, with the quiet intensity with which she began, might not make this song her own.

But the moment that combined all her talents as an actress, singer and comic came with “Angels, Punks and Raging Queens” (Bill Russell/Janet Hood). It is as though everything that Alexandra has been through, all the joys and sorrows, were necessary so that she could sing this song. In an evening of pure entertainment, with moments of out-and-out laughter and quiet smiles, this moment would prove to be the essence of Alexandra Billings. There wasn’t a wasted emotion, gesture or note in this flawless rendering. It was made even more poignant by her introduction in which she recollected her time as a performer at Chicago’s Club Victoria, making a “family she chose,” who “brought her back to life,” many of whom are no longer with us. All that makes cabaret unique is distilled in this moment.

Robert Ollis, Music Director, could provide more musical support. Although their working relatonship is fairly new, he needs to be more in synch with her so that they have the same sort of connection she has with Mr. Zain, who is working with her after only one rehearsal.

With a few tweaks, this gem of a show can shine even brighter. There is a tendency to rush to comedy after a song, especially those few moving moments mentioned above. She can allow herself, and the audience, the time to savor these moments for a few beats longer. What a tremendous exclamation point that would be to an already remarkable experience. Occasionally, she will say, “Thank you for letting me do that” after a song that obviously means much to her. Again, that takes us out of the moment. It’s completely unnecessary and adds a touch of the amateur to a performer who is otherwise anything but.

Alexandra Billings is the real thing. She’s the hostess with the mostess. I urge you not to miss the experience of seeing her do what many strive to do, and only very few can do as well as she.

Arthur Frank
Cabaret Scenes
August 21, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org