Sandwiched between the opening magic of timeless classics “Where or When”/“Isn’t It Romantic?” and the encore of “Without a Song,” Maude Maggart, a chanteuse wiser than her young age, weaved an enchanting spell in a show highlighting great lyricists and the ethereal realism of sentimental dreams. Singing in a sensuous, almost fairy-like lilting vibrato, Maggart, like her mentor Andrea Marcovicci, acts out her numbers with delicate hand gestures and fluid body movements. She knows her material well and her talent in connecting seamlessly with material drawn from the 1920s and ‘30s is surprising and her languid deliveries entrancing.

Maggart is not all delicious timeless standards. Joseph Thalken and Marshall Barer’s humorous “Billions of Beautiful Boys” and Sondheim’s witty ”On the Steps of the Palace” are delightful creations in Maggart’s skillful hands. She has great vocal control evidenced in the quick-time “Lost in Wonderland” set to the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s tune “Antigua.” Another medley, “My Father”/“Speaking of Dreams” by Judy Collins and Joan Baez respectively, were deeply sincere and heartfelt. Maggart is maturely wise and refreshingly modern in the same moment. She draws you in with her performance and strikes a deep resonance between the music and the listener that is a delight to observe.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
March 23, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org