Terri White is truly a force of nature — an utterly fabulous singer, with a deep, powerful voice, flawless delivery, seemingly effortless projection and an emotional commitment to her material that is evident in every note she sings. In an evening in which one solid performance followed another, there were several moments when the audience applause continued past the point of politeness into ovation territory — perhaps none more deservedly than when White spoke about her marriage to Donna Barnett, citing as her wedding vows the lyrics to “More Than You Know” (Vincent Youmans/Billy Rose/Edward Eliscu), which she sang tenderly, lovingly and, by song’s end, with tears streaming down her face.  It was spine-tinglingly beautiful. Two other moments that resulted in prolonged ovations were “Everything Must Change” (Bernard Ighner), a glorious, reflective ballad White performed in memory of a mentor who lost the ability to sing due to a stroke, and White’s own original song, “I Remember When,” accompanying herself on the piano.

The show’s lighter moments included White talking about being the understudy for Nell Carter in Ain’t Misbehavin’, followed by a devastatingly funny impression of Carter singing “Mean to Me” (Thomas “Fats” Waller) — with White standing absolutely still, hands at her side, singing a series of squeaks and grunts in place of lyrics.

One of the evening’s sweetest moments came when White did “Me and My Shadow” (Billy Rose/Dave Dreyer) after talking about tap-dancing on stage, at an early age, with her father, Bill White. Other highlights included: an effortless “Teach Me Tonight” (Gene DePaul/Sammy Cahn) that White made her own; a seductive “When You’re Good to Mama” (Kander and Ebb, Chicago); a soaring “Here’s to Life” (Artie Butler/Phyllis Molinary); and a stirring “God Bless the Child” (Billie Holiday/Arthur Herzog Jr.)

Throughout the evening, White got smooth piano support from her Musical Director, Bryan Miller.

Terri White is Terri-fic, and her move to the West Coast augurs well for cabaret and theater here.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
July 15, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org