Had Kristen French traveled to Paris in an earlier life, she might have met Cole Porter and become his muse. Born too late, she’s had to settle for only singing his songs. After moving to New York to try her hand at cabaret, she decided to focus on the music of Porter for her debut. Happily for the audience, French chose her songs well.

With direction from Amy Coady and musical direction by Gerald Stockstill, she performed many of Porter’s familiar numbers and a few of the lesser-knowns. Right from the opener, “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)”/”Let’s Misbehave,” it was obvious that fun and romance were in the air. French is fresh-eyed and bursting with enthusiasm. She has stage presence and a brilliant smile which engaged the audience immediately.

Their were several medleys in the program including “Love For Sale”/”My Heart Belongs to Daddy,” which featured funny patter between French and Stockstill, and a terrific duet in “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” from the film High Society. Especially effective were “I Loved Him (But He Didn’t Love Me)” and “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” from The Seven Lively Arts, both sung with deep sensitivity.

Kristen French has a particularly strong middle range, which served her well—as did Stockstill, her excellent accompanist—in the poignant ballads. Her sense of comedy also brought out much of the humor in Cole Porter’s songs.

Jerry Osterberg
Cabaret Scenes
February 21, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org