This Is Your Night!
James Gavin
Metropolitan Room, NYC, May 17, 2016
Review by Marilyn Lester for Cabaret Scenes
James Gavin, biographer and much-published freelance writer and journalist, has been a prolific and dynamic force in the world of music and cabaret—so much so that Metropolitan Room managing partner/owner/host Bernie Furshpan deemed him worthy of a This Is Your Night! celebration. In addition to the honor and a keepsake award, Gavin got to choose the roster of entertainers charged with fêting him. Because he adores the female voice, which he says has influenced and informed his career greatly, Gavin selected 12 women who, from the sublime to the exceedingly eccentric, each provided a genuinely heartfelt tribute to the man of the hour.
The eclectic taste of the honoree proved both delightful and challenging. In the former category, Karen Wyman beautifully sang a hidden Paul McCartney gem called “Junk,” with the precise diction, phrasing and sensitive interpretive ability she’s known for. Likewise divine was the more operatically inclined Christine Andreas with a lyrical and emotive rendition of “My Ship.
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” Carol Lipnik, with pianist Matt Kanelos, sang “Life Line;” it’s a strange song, but Lipnik has a presence and a beautifully controlled voice. In very sharp contrast, vying for the “I Can Be More Strident Than You” award were Molly Pope braying “I Kissed a Girl,” Barb Jungr with a weirdly dramatic quasi rock/quasi jazz/quasi rap version of “Blowin’ in the Wind,” and Baby Jane Dexter grating with an almost unrecognizable “More (Than the Greatest Love)” (Theme from Mondo Cane).” Two specialty acts by downtown performance artists Penny Arcade and Poor Baby Bree (with pianist Franklin Bruno) were clearly for a rarefied audience who lean toward the unconventional, if not far out.
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Performance artist Tammy Faye Starlite proved potty-mouthed and mildly amusing, but not enough to redeem her.
Are we having fun yet?
Fortunately, there was also Barbara Fasano, who was in fine voice with “Time Flies,” and the energetic chanteuse and Francophile Gay Marshall who sang – in English and French, along with illustrated oak-tag posters – “Carousel.” Seasoned jazz singer Carol Fredette was also on hand with a fierce rendition of “I’m a Woman.” That one-man orchestra, the very talented pianist and musical director Ross Patterson, was inspiring to watch and hear, flawlessly accommodating this disparate range of talent.
Jon Burr on the double bass also proved a wiz at adding timekeeping with flair. At the end of it all, a clearly delighted Gavin acknowledged the dramatically eclectic nature of the evening with a wry grin. But heck, it was the man’s night – he was entitled to it in all of its colorful variety.
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