Anna Besserud: Powerful Women

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Anna Besserud

Powerful Women

Davenport’s, Chicago, IL, September 10, 2016

Reviewed by Carla Gordon for Cabaret Scenes

Photo: Brian McConkey
Photo: Brian McConkey

Looking poured into the gold lamé sheath, Anna Besserud earned her place at the big kids’ cabaret table in a breakthrough show. That she has decided to favor the conversational keys that foster the storytelling that become cabaret is an important part of the leap forward.  Make no mistake, though: Besserud still brings the chops. This was quite evident in the smart opening number—“Hit Me with a Hot Note (and Watch Me Bounce)” (Duke Ellington/Don George). Besserud’s belt slides gracefully between chest and head voice, delivering top notes powerful, sweet and clean, as well as supported bottom notes. 

Powerful Women is consistently true to its theme exploring “What makes a woman powerful?” Its mission is to salute powerful women ranging from Tina Turner to Sarah Jessica Parker to Barbra Streisand. Besserud is clearly poised and confident.  She is having a grand time and so are we. Jason Robert Brown’s “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” sets the tone of overcoming fear that characterizes powerful women (and men). Besserud honors Turner, recognizing her sexiness through the bitterly edgy pairing of “Private Dancer” (Mark Knopfler) and “Big Spender” (Dorothy Fields/Cy Coleman).  (The only miss in Powerful Women was an aside intended to be funny about hitting and Tina/Ike that didn’t land.)

Besserud does land the jokes just fine, thank you, with “In These Shoes?” (Pete Glenister/Kirsty MacColl/William Correa/Melvin Lastio) as homage to Parker AKA Carrie Bradshaw. Big laughs also came as “I Feel Pretty” (Stephen Sondheim/Leonard Bernstein) morphed into a smartly written original parody: “I Feel Silly.” Paying homage to Streisand is particularly effective.  It makes the point that powerful women often feel that they have more to prove than their male counterparts. Besserud captures Streisand’s boundless determination in “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Bob Merrill/Jule Styne) and delivers the underlying insecurity of many powerful women in the thoughtfully interpreted “Being Good Isn’t Good Enough” (Comden & Green/Styne). Closing with “Fight Song” (David Basset/Rachel Platten) effectively reiterated the theme of power and confidence that made Powerful Women both thought provoking and entertaining.

Carla Gordon

Carla Gordon is a singer/songwriter, director, and producer. The Chicago Tribune cited her among “Chicago’s most accomplished cabaret performers….a major player in Chicago cabaret.” Reviewer Pam Peterson called her “Honey-voiced wisecracker!” Ageless Magazine called her performance as Sophie tucker, “A gem!” Gordon writes custom material for singers nationwide. Her flagship show, "Blacklisted," featuring songs made famous by artists blacklisted under McCarthyism, has toured to critical acclaim. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Cabaret Professionals and on the Advisory Board of the Skokie Theater. Her songs air on WFMT’s Midnight Special and are being performed performed by cabaret artists nationwide. carlacabaret@aol.com