Sue Mathys is both a singer whose glorious voice fills a stage, and an actress whose in-depth interpretation of a song brings its character and meaning alive. Already a critical and popular success in Europe, Mathys came to the U.S. recently and has played leading roles across the country in Sunset Boulevard, Gypsy, Cabaret, Candide and as Maria Callas in Master Class. Returning to the Urban Stages Theatre for its second year of Holiday Cabaret Nights, Mathys took control of the intimate hall, weaving the story of her own career into her show. Her performances of “Some People,” from Styne/Sondheim’s Gypsy, and “I Got Lost in His Arms,” from Irving Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun, were no Merman sound-alikes, but all Sue’s and all varied – the first, mature and defiant, the second, ingénue-like and romantic. Similarly, her singing of “Non, je ne regrette rien” and “Hymne à l’amour,” songs made famous by Edith Piaf, were not copies but, movingly, Sue’s own. Even Sondheim’s “Can That Boy Foxtrot” (cut from Follies), popularized in cabaret by the great Julie Wilson, enjoyed the benefit of Sue’s individual interpretation, complete with all the double-entendres.

Sue has had international success paying the role of Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond, and no wonder: it takes a powerhouse actress to play and sing the part of another, mad actress. Sue’s closing numbers at Urban Stages – the Desmond character’s As If We Never Said Goodbye and With One Look – created a thrilling finale. Sue’s fine music director: John Bell.

Peter Haas
Cabaret Scenes
December 14, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org