Cabaret Scenes Review

There’s nothing wrong with people living out their fantasies, pursuing their passions or generally following their bliss in life. In fact, those things should be championed and, in the world of cabaret, they usually are. The scene is filled with people seeking to find their voices, yearning to express themselves through music and, hopefully, pleasing an audience in the process.

But in the world of cabaret, there can also be a “vanity” aspect to this burning desire to perform and entertain. Just because you can or want to produce your own show doesn’t always mean you should, especially if you want yourself—and cabaret as an entertainment art form—to be taken seriously. We see tens of thousands of these somewhat delusional and misguided would-be entertainers every year. They’re called American Idol contestants.

As a person and potential cabaret performer, you have to be strong enough to understand your talent level so that you don’t overreach. You have to be strong enough not to let a healthy ego—which all entertainers have—cross the line into self-indulgence. You have to be strong enough to know whether you’re really ready to drive a solid cabaret show that can take your audience on the ride with you.

Because she apparently is none of the above, Sunny Leigh’s recent show at The Triad, Strong Enough, was neither aptly named nor well executed. While Leigh obviously worked her very cute and tight butt off to produce this show, and in the writing of ten mostly undistinguished original songs designed to “express empowerment,” that energy did not translate into a successful performance. She might have been able to awkwardly navigate The Triad stage in her skin-tight black leather pants and 6-inch stilettos, but her show fell flat in almost every way.

Clearly a cutie with a nicely-toned body (her promotional photos had her showing off her well-defined arms), on stage Leigh comes across as hot, yet not sensuous or seductive, which prevented an otherwise okay song called “Super Sexy” from succeeding. Her between-songs patter attempting to link 1980s to ’90s-style pop-rock songs into a coherent theme lacked conviction or humor and didn’t engage the audience. Her voice—while fine in the lower register—couldn’t consistently carry the melodies written for her by Musical Director Barry Levitt. Of her other original songs, “The Power of Your Love” is a solid pop/rock ballad, and there is a germ of a good tune in the sweetly melodic (if tritely named) “I Love You,” which would have been even more effective in a folksier style.

Levitt and director Peter Napolitano should have talked Leigh into scaling back on a five-piece band, which was overkill in a smallish space like The Triad, and only served to overpower the delivery of most of her lyrics. And while the band was pretty tight under Levitt’s direction, especially on the calypso-sounding “Greatest Lover,” the chemistry between the musicians and their front singer was non-existent.

This probably speaks to the over-arching problem with Leigh’s whole stage persona. If you’re going to produce a cabaret show built around the strength it takes to win a personal struggle for love, admiration and respect—even power—you need to come across as sensitive and soulful, not self-absorbed. There are hundreds of would-be New York cabaret entertainers taking workshops through organizations like the 92nd Street Y, Collette Black’s Manhattan Cabaret Arts and Linda Amiel Burns’s Singing Experience, who are living out their performing fantasies in front of friends and family (this reviewer has been one of them) and, frankly, some are already ahead of Ms. Leigh as the total package. They just may not have the desire or the bucks to pay the freight on their own shows.

If Leigh truly aspires to be a successful cabaret artist—which she may have the potential to be—she needs to really listen to some wise hands in and outside of the business who can help her figure out how to maximize what talent she does have. Until that happens, she’ll never be strong enough.

Stephen Hanks
Cabaret Scenes
February 18, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Sunny Leigh Strong Enough The Triad New York, NY
There’s nothing wrong with people living out their fantasies, pursuing their passions or generally following their bliss in life. In fact, those things should be championed and, in the world of cabaret, they usually are. The scene is filled with people seeking to find their voices, yearning to express themselves through music and, hopefully, pleasing an audience in the process. But in the world of cabaret, there can also be a “vanity” aspect to this burning desire to perform and entertain. Just because you can or want to produce your own show doesn’t always mean you should, especially if you want yourself—and cabaret as an entertainment art form—to be taken seriously. We see tens of thousands of these somewhat delusional and misguided would-be entertainers every year. They’re called American Idol contestants. As a person and potential cabaret performer, you have to be strong enough to understand your talent level so that you don’t overreach. You have to be strong enough not to let a healthy ego—which all entertainers have—cross the line into self-indulgence. You have to be strong enough to know whether you’re really ready to drive a solid cabaret show that can take your audience on the ride with you. Because she apparently is none of the above, Sunny Leigh’s recent show at The Triad, Strong Enough, was neither aptly named nor well executed. While Leigh obviously worked her very cute and tight butt off to produce this show, and in the writing of ten mostly undistinguished original songs designed to “express empowerment,” that energy did not translate into a successful performance. She might have been able to awkwardly navigate The Triad stage in her skin-tight black leather pants and 6-inch stilettos, but her show fell flat in almost every way. Clearly a cutie with a nicely-toned body (her promotional photos had her showing off her well-defined arms), on stage Leigh comes across as hot, yet not sensuous or seductive, which prevented an otherwise okay song called “Super Sexy” from succeeding. Her between-songs patter attempting to link 1980s to ’90s-style pop-rock songs into a coherent theme lacked conviction or humor and didn’t engage the audience. Her voice—while fine in the lower register—couldn’t consistently carry the melodies written for her by Musical Director Barry Levitt. Of her other original songs, “The Power of Your Love” is a solid pop/rock ballad, and there is a germ of a good tune in the sweetly melodic (if tritely named) “I Love You,” which would have been even more effective in a folksier style. Levitt and director Peter Napolitano should have talked Leigh into scaling back on a five-piece band, which was overkill in a smallish space like The Triad, and only served to overpower the delivery of most of her lyrics. And while the band was pretty tight under Levitt’s direction, especially on the calypso-sounding “Greatest Lover,” the chemistry between the musicians and their front singer was non-existent. This probably speaks to the over-arching problem with Leigh’s whole stage persona. If you’re going to produce a cabaret show built around the strength it takes to win a personal struggle for love, admiration and respect—even power—you need to come across as sensitive and soulful, not self-absorbed. There are hundreds of would-be New York cabaret entertainers taking workshops through organizations like the 92nd Street Y, Collette Black’s Manhattan Cabaret Arts and Linda Amiel Burns’s Singing Experience, who are living out their performing fantasies in front of friends and family (this reviewer has been one of them) and, frankly, some are already ahead of Ms. Leigh as the total package. They just may not have the desire or the bucks to pay the freight on their own shows. If Leigh truly aspires to be a successful cabaret artist—which she may have the potential to be—she needs to really listen to some wise hands in and outside of the business who can help her figure out how to maximize what talent she does have. Until that happens, she’ll never be strong enough. Stephen Hanks Cabaret Scenes February 18, 2011 www.cabaretscenes.org

Sunny Leigh

Strong Enough

The Triad New York, NY

The Triad
New York, NY