Louise Pitre: Crest Theatre

  • Post author:
  • Reading time:2 mins read

Louise Pitre

Crest Theatre, Delray Beach, FL, March 2, 2015

Reviewed by Jeffrey Bruce for Cabaret Scenes

Louise-Pitre-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212Yes, she was the star of Broadway’s Mamma Mia!, but last night, Louise Pitre was so much more. In essence, she gave a master class in what a cabaret performer should be. Blessed with a sexy, clarion alto, she is a superb actress who can interpret even the most hackneyed songs (Do we really need another “If He Walked Into My Life” or “Some People”?) that makes us happy to hear them yet again.

Brel, Piaf, Comden & Green, Lloyd Webber, Kander & Ebb—Pitre sang ’em all for a thrilling 90-minute show. Ably assisted by Diane Leah on piano, each song was a story of multiple layers. Best, hands down, were her songs in French (she is French-Canadian). To introduce each, she explained, thoroughly, what they meant. This woman sings from visceral, raw emotions, and those emotions were clear. Everyone knows “La vie en rose,” but do you know what it means? She broke our hearts with it.

Was anything missing? I kept wanting to hear any Weill. (What a Pirate Jenny she would make!) Rest assured that she was a presence sent by the music gods: An interpreter par excellence, and we in the theater her privileged audience. What a night!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeffrey Bruce

Originally from Fresh Meadows, Queens, Jeffrey has been in nine national tours, including How to Succeed… (Finch), Camelot (Mordred) and Peter Pan (Hook). He has also had the pleasure to play leads in the entire Neil Simon catalogue. On television, he was the permanent guest host, for 21 years, on the #1 local talk show in the country Kelly & Company on WXYZ-TV, Detroit. He teaches a weekly Master Class in Drama in Boca Raton, Florida. His theater reviews are on talkinbroadway.com. Writing for Cabaret Scenes has enabled him to educate the public as to the superb cabaret resources that South Florida has to offer.