Cabaret Scenes Review

If the opening night crowd for Linda Purl’s Come Rain or Come Shine was not quite as large as Cabaret St. Louis would have liked, it might have been due to some lukewarm reviews the show got earlier this year in New York. Local audiences had no reason for concern, though. Come Rain or Come Shine was not a flawless show, but it was a polished and entertaining one with solid musical and theatrical values which got the fall Cabaret St. Louis season off to a fine start.

Although this was her first visit to St. Louis, Ms. Purl’s face was familiar to many from her long career in films, stage and—especially—television. A co-star on Matlock and The Office (among others), she has also appeared in over forty made-for-TV movies. Her career in the contemporary version of the B-movie industry served as the basis for one of the comic highlights of the evening, Ron Abel and Kirby Tepper’s “Movie of the Week.” I don’t know whether the number was written specifically for her, but, like her slinky, blue beaded dress (“never sit on a stool when you’re wearing one,” she advised at one point), it was a perfect fit.

A charismatic and engaging performer with a flexible and attractive voice, Ms. Purl presented a show which, while relying heavily on standards such as “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (one of many familiar songs given stunning new arrangements by pianist and Musical Director Scott Woolley), also included some newer material. Examples of the latter included the moving Maury Yeston “New Words” and the charming “This Time Tomorrow” from the 2001 Broadway flop The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in which Ms. Purl appeared.

Of course, even a hoary standard like “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)” can sound brand new given an inventive arrangement and a performer with clear intent and solid focus. Mr. Woolley and Ms. Purl provided both. Her reading of the song’s final phrase—“that long, long road”—left little doubt about how long and dark that road would be, while his arrangement was appropriately moody and dramatic. Indeed, Mr. Woolley was almost as compelling a performer as Ms. Purl. One of the pleasures of the evening was watching him throw himself into the music.

Other highlights of the evening included a medley of big band era tunes, introduced by Ms. Purl telling us that her parents recently observed their 70th wedding anniversary—because they never stopped dancing together—and a duet with St. Louis native Kevin Spirtas. The latter combined a pair of Ira Gershwin trifles—“Oh Me! Oh My! Oh You!” (music by Vincent Youmans) and “Cheerful Little Earful” (music by Harry Warren)—with some solid scat singing. Better yet, Mr. Spirtas took the stage afterwards for a beautiful rendition of the Peter Allen/Michael Callen/Marsha Malamet “Love Don’t Need a Reason” that was an ideal example of how to clearly convey the meaning of a lyric.

That said, the evening was not without its lowlights—most of which, I think, could have been avoided had Ms. Purl and Mr. Woolley engaged the services of a director. Cabaret is, after all, a form of theater and a good director is essential for good theater. A director, for example, might have pointed out that the evening was just a song or two too long and that, at times, Ms. Purl didn’t seem to be fully invested in the lyrics, or relied too heavily on stock theatrical gestures. He or she might also have suggested that the medley of some of the favorite oddball country songs of Ms. Purl’s Matlock co-star Andy Griffith did not need to be delivered in cheesy “hick” accents. On Minnie Pearl, that sort of thing sounded authentic; on Linda Purl it just sounded condescending. Besides, a song like David Frizzel’s Grammy-nominated “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home” is pretty caustically funny on its own; it doesn’t need shtick.

These are, however, minor complaints. The bottom line is that Come Rain or Come Shine presented a trio of talented performers at, for the most part, their best. It was a great beginning for what promises to be a very interesting fall season at Cabaret St. Louis. For more information, call 314-534-1111 or visit the web site: cabaretstl.org.

Chuck Lavazzi
Cabaret Scenes
September 8, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Linda Purl Come Rain or Come Shine The Kranzberg Center St. Louis, MO
If the opening night crowd for Linda Purl’s Come Rain or Come Shine was not quite as large as Cabaret St. Louis would have liked, it might have been due to some lukewarm reviews the show got earlier this year in New York. Local audiences had no reason for concern, though. Come Rain or Come Shine was not a flawless show, but it was a polished and entertaining one with solid musical and theatrical values which got the fall Cabaret St. Louis season off to a fine start. Although this was her first visit to St. Louis, Ms. Purl’s face was familiar to many from her long career in films, stage and—especially—television. A co-star on Matlock and The Office (among others), she has also appeared in over forty made-for-TV movies. Her career in the contemporary version of the B-movie industry served as the basis for one of the comic highlights of the evening, Ron Abel and Kirby Tepper’s “Movie of the Week.” I don’t know whether the number was written specifically for her, but, like her slinky, blue beaded dress (“never sit on a stool when you’re wearing one,” she advised at one point), it was a perfect fit. A charismatic and engaging performer with a flexible and attractive voice, Ms. Purl presented a show which, while relying heavily on standards such as “The Best Is Yet to Come” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (one of many familiar songs given stunning new arrangements by pianist and Musical Director Scott Woolley), also included some newer material. Examples of the latter included the moving Maury Yeston “New Words” and the charming “This Time Tomorrow” from the 2001 Broadway flop The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, in which Ms. Purl appeared. Of course, even a hoary standard like “One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)” can sound brand new given an inventive arrangement and a performer with clear intent and solid focus. Mr. Woolley and Ms. Purl provided both. Her reading of the song’s final phrase—“that long, long road”—left little doubt about how long and dark that road would be, while his arrangement was appropriately moody and dramatic. Indeed, Mr. Woolley was almost as compelling a performer as Ms. Purl. One of the pleasures of the evening was watching him throw himself into the music. Other highlights of the evening included a medley of big band era tunes, introduced by Ms. Purl telling us that her parents recently observed their 70th wedding anniversary—because they never stopped dancing together—and a duet with St. Louis native Kevin Spirtas. The latter combined a pair of Ira Gershwin trifles—“Oh Me! Oh My! Oh You!” (music by Vincent Youmans) and “Cheerful Little Earful” (music by Harry Warren)—with some solid scat singing. Better yet, Mr. Spirtas took the stage afterwards for a beautiful rendition of the Peter Allen/Michael Callen/Marsha Malamet “Love Don’t Need a Reason” that was an ideal example of how to clearly convey the meaning of a lyric. That said, the evening was not without its lowlights—most of which, I think, could have been avoided had Ms. Purl and Mr. Woolley engaged the services of a director. Cabaret is, after all, a form of theater and a good director is essential for good theater. A director, for example, might have pointed out that the evening was just a song or two too long and that, at times, Ms. Purl didn’t seem to be fully invested in the lyrics, or relied too heavily on stock theatrical gestures. He or she might also have suggested that the medley of some of the favorite oddball country songs of Ms. Purl’s Matlock co-star Andy Griffith did not need to be delivered in cheesy “hick” accents. On Minnie Pearl, that sort of thing sounded authentic; on Linda Purl it just sounded condescending. Besides, a song like David Frizzel’s Grammy-nominated “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home” is pretty caustically funny on its own; it doesn’t need shtick. These are, however, minor complaints. The bottom line is that Come Rain or Come Shine presented a trio of talented performers at, for the most part, their best. It was a great beginning for what promises to be a very interesting fall season at Cabaret St. Louis. For more information, call 314-534-1111 or visit the web site: cabaretstl.org. Chuck Lavazzi Cabaret Scenes September 8, 2010 www.cabaretscenes.org

Linda Purl

Come Rain or Come Shine

The Kranzberg Center St. Louis, MO

The Kranzberg Center
St. Louis, MO