After being entertained by Denise Tomasello, one wonders little as to why she has been the queen of Chicago’s club corridor for decades. Tomasello can move, she can perform shtick, and looks great in gowns. Vocally, she is better than ever; her chops have more meat than before. Her signature pantomime about putting on make-up—open mouthed as mascara is applied—remains timeless and funny. Her show has a good mix of tunes and her chemistry with musical director Beckie Menzie is palpable. “Peel Me a Grape” takes on new shape as she sings it to her husband—well-known about town for pampering his chanteuse. Most shows in which the performer tells her own story seem self-indulgent, but Tomasello kvells from the get-go that the show is about “me.” She pokes fun at herself in hilarious ways, and works the crowd so we all feel part of her story. What made this recent show better than other good predecessors is as much credited to well-delivered ballads as to Tomasello’s trademark comedy. There is an open-spaced timing that applies to effective comedy that also makes ballads more emotionally resonant. She owns that timing. In “I Don’t Remember Christmas,” she finds the tension between sorrow and anger, building the song to a perfect emotional crescendo. In “At the Ballet” from A Chorus Line, she plumbs a journey encompassing disappointing parenting, then self-esteem, in an ultimately powerful, positive story. Not bad for a very funny lady…not bad at all.

Carla Gordon
Cabaret Scenes
May 1, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org