The promise is fulfilled. Since Sheera Ben-David made her cabaret debut several years ago, she’s been heralded as “up-and-coming.” Now, in her first engagement at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, presenting a new show, A Heart in New York, Sheera has up-and-come. At ease, in command of the stage, bubbling with good humor, and displaying a gentle, deeper vibrato, Sheera is performing better than ever.

Her show is a tribute to the Big Apple, offering many moods: sweet (with the song that titles the show); humor—Rodgers & Hart’s “Way Out West (on West End Avenue)”); yearning— Bernstein/Comden/Green’s “Some Other Time” and intensity—Souther’s “Prisoner in Disguise,” Sondheim’s “Another Hundred People,” Jason Robert Brown’s “King of the World.” A lovely musical tribute to Sheera’s heritage was the prayer-like “Al Kol Eilah” (“For All These Things”), by Naomi Shemer. Among other highlights: Carly Simon’s anthem-like “Let the River Run,” Irving Berlin’s setting of the Emma Lazarus poem “Give Me Your Tired,” and, as a finale, Julie Gold’s ever-moving “Good Night, New York.”

Large credit for the show’s quality goes to musical director Adam Ben-David, an in-demand Broadway conductor, the evening’s pianist, and, in off-stage moments, Sheera’s brother. The evening’s top-notch young band was made up of Mat Fieldes on bass, Matt Zebroski on drums, Jake Schwartz on guitar, and Robert Burkhart on cello, the latter performing a moving duet with Sheera on Lucy Simon/Marsha Norman’s gentle work, “Come to My Garden.”  For the show’s overall simplicity, honesty and neat pace, credit director Eric Michael Gillett. A tip-off to Sheera’s newest success: a standing ovation by the audience as she ended.

Sheera contnues at Feinstein's through April 3.

Peter Haas
Cabaret Scenes
March 31, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org