Don’tcha love that moment in a cabaret with that first magic “click”? In Hilary Ann Feldman’s Hollywood and Broadway: A Fine Romance, it’s Frank Loesser’s “Adelaide’s Lament.” Feldman doesn’t push the comedy, which enables her to reveal the delicious layers of Adelaide’s journey. What makes ”Lament” such a gift to performers it that Miss Adelaide, besides being funny, is sad and sweet and plenty ticked off. Feldman gets it. She might consider adding more comedy numbers. One important reason why “Lament” lands well is that it is the least “sung” number of the evening. Feldman boasts a powerful soprano instrument, but offers the sweetest moments when she relies upon it least. In “She’s Got a Way,” her delivery is simple and linear. We savor Billy Joel’s joyful reflection that encompasses both the prosaic and the sensual. Another delicious moment comes with “When She Loved Me” (Randy Newman from Toy Story). Sung by real life (rather than cartoon) grown-up Feldman, the song becomes intriguing: Is it being sung to a daughter or a partner? Feldman offers it from the heart. In cabaret, it is those open-hearted moments that bring us folks in the chairs our best rewards. Feldman can pursue this further: we want to know more about her personal connections to certain songs. She may want to revisit the closing mega-medley of Disney film songs carrying the challenge of creating contrast within a group of songs having similar tempi and emotional pull.
Carla Gordon
Cabaret Scenes
February 26, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org
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