Never underestimate the power of an opening number to grab and win over an audience. Teresa Fischer’s coup was, in the first four minutes, showing she is smart, sassy and savvy. Choosing to show the ability to comically present incompatibility, she sang the jazzer’s cool statement “I’m Hip” in the character of a decidedly dizzy dork: giggling, grinning goofily, clueness. Hilarious! Throughout the act, she demonstrated her own loopy sense of humor (she apologetically acknowledges we’ve probably heard “Swinging on a Star” numerous times, but maybe not “with puppets!!!!”). Speaking of puppets, the score of the puppet-populated musical Avenue Q brought a couple of numbers, with “Schadenfreude” sung with lively human co-stars Frank Calo and nimbly pianist/Musical Director — and occasional foil — Paul Chamlin.

Though comedy is a strong suit, Teresa was strong in well-suited ballads, too, ardently crooning “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for Your Eyes” (Kristin Andreassen). In this and “Poor You” (Burton Lane/E.Y. Harburg), she revealed a softer, vulnerable side with a clean, appealing vocal sound, notably on the open vowels. The show’s title and title song refer to a beauty contest experience where her not-so-prized prize was some soap. Soap?!?!? The cute lyric fumed, “Better prizes come in packs of Crackerjacks.” Teresa Fischer is refreshingly down to earth, smart, sings with an open-hearted manner and knows who she is on stage. Bobby Kneeland’s lights and sound were expert. So was the comic timing.

Rob Lester
Cabaret Scenes
May 9, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org