Among the wonderful things about being new to the cabaret scene in general, and to reviewing cabaret in particular, is the exposure to songs, songwriters, and performing talent you’ve never seen or heard before. Corinna Sowers-Adler’s show at the Metropolitan Room afforded the opportunity to experience all three in one fell swoop and provided many revelations, not the least of which was Corinna herself.

During her tight and well-crafted performance built around a story-song theme, Corinna not only exhibited a lovely and powerful soprano voice—which can turn almost operatic on a dime—but a burgeoning sassy-blonde comedic ability reminiscent of Jane Krakowski. From her solid opening number, “Pearl’s a Singer” (Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller) until the set’s seventh song “The Girl in 14G” (Jeanine Tesori/Dick Scanlan), Corinna wasn’t just telling musical anecdotes; she was letting the audience know that she identified deeply with the song’s characters. In between, songs such as “Diary of a Homecoming Queen” (Craig Carnelia) and “Last One Picked” (Dick Gallagher/Mark Waldrop) revealed the frustration of a woman who isn’t necessarily the most beautiful or athletic, and Corinna delivered them with the right mix of humor and pathos. With the songs providing so many stories, Corinna kept the patter to a minimum, but when she did interact with the audience, she was comfortable and personable.

After busting out on Bette Midler’s hilarious hit “Otto Titsling,” Corinna pulled back nicely on the classic ballads “Love ,You Didn’t Do Right by Me” and “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning.” Though she was solid throughout—especially on Lennon and McCartney’s “In My Life”—the second half of the show wasn’t nearly as compelling, and one was left wondering if Corinna has decided what her cabaret persona will be. Is she a glamorous, big ballad singer or an actress who’s great at quirky character songs with a comedic edge a la Lorinda Lisitza? We should all find out soon because Corinna Sowers-Adler is clearly a big talent on her way to becoming a force on the New York cabaret scene.

Stephen Hanks
Cabaret Scenes
January 22, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org