Dominic Alldis has been entertaining people at Pizza on the Park since 1984.  He was their resident pianist for 2 years, playing with the likes of Blossom Dearie and Dave Frishberg. Because of that, I was hoping for more than I got in his Pheasantry debut.

Dominic is an accomplished, skilled  keyboard player.  His voice, even with its limited range, can add atmosphere, particularly on songs of French origin. Still, the show left me a bit cold.  It’s not that Dominic isn’t a good musician; he is. It’s not that there was anything objectionable on stage. It’s just that the show lacked any sort of oomph. Everything seemed unremarkable and “safe.” His musicians were good, but, again, so sombre-faced that it didn’t appear they were having any fun.

The truth is, I felt as if I were in a hotel bar, listening to music, to which one isn’t expected to pay full attention. This was only exacerbated by the sporadic conversation and texting going on at the table next to me throughout the first set.

Dominic considers himself a cabaret performer, but I would disagree. I would classify him as a jazz musician. Cabaret requires more than simply speaking to your audience—you need a strong personality and a story to tell. As a musician, Dominic favours jazz arrangements over storytelling, but cabaret requires a real command of lyrics outside the bounds of the music.

Not a bad night out—more of a lacklustre one.

Harold Sanditen
Cabaret Scenes
December 3, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org