Julia Migenes’s pedigree includes performances with Placido Domingo, Samuel Ramey and Mandy Patinkin, a Gram-my for the recording of her film role in Carmen, and international fame as a highly regarded mezzo soprano actress. So I was naturally intrigued at the prospect of what she would present in an intimate cabaret setting. Opening with “Piensa en Mi” (“Think of Me”) from the soundtrack to Pedro Almodovar’s High Heels, Migenes overpowered this sweet ballad and the Rrazz Room with her great vocal power. Her next offering was Manuel de Fallas’s “Nana,” a dirge-like lullaby handled with superbly controlled emotion in the voice and beautiful accompaniment by musical director Ron Abel.

Another opera recital? Far from it, for with Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin’s “My Ship” and the Weill/Ogden Nash “Speak Low,” the show took off in a decidedly more lusty, bawdy and even comic performance. Lowering her soprano to an alto range and riding Abel’s wonderful arrangements, Migenes allowed her playful side to emerge with Sondheim’s “I Never Do Anything Twice” and “Folies Bergère” from Nine. She absolutely nailed Damien Rice’s hauntingly sparse song “The Blower’s Daughter,” exhibiting the raw dramatic desire of obsession to great effect. Migenes included three French numbers: Poulenc’s “Le chemins de l’amour,” “La valse des lilas” and Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Michel Legrand’s “Les moulins de mon coeur” (“The Windmills of Your Mind.”) All three were captivating in their expressiveness and charm. “Here’s to Life” summed up Migenes’s spirit and her natural encore of Carmen’s “Habanera” brought the show full circle. Migenes confirmed she is much more than an opera diva and can easily command the cabaret stage as well.

(Photo by Pat Johnson)

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
May 4, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org