Julie Reyburn: Anywhere We Are

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Julie Reyburn

Anywhere We Are

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, November 7, 2019

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes

Julie Reyburn
Photo: Matt Baker

It’s been eight years since Julie Reyburn last created a cabaret show. She has spent that time exploring the many aspects of her life as mother, wife, singer, and political activist. The performer sums it all up in her opening number, “Putting It Together,” using some reworked lyrics to capture all of her facets: “the art of cabaret is putting it together!” In the steady build of this single selection, formed as a three-act play, she makes it abundantly clear that neither her voice nor her acting talents have dimmed one iota. It would seem a challenge to top this beginning, but top it she does with a steady arc as she salutes those strong women who have formed who she is now.

Her political point of view is expressed by bringing Noël Coward’s “Twentieth Century Blues” into the 21st century, interspersed with the sardonic delivery of Donald Trump quotes. Coward also provides Reyburn with a chance to pay tribute to strong, independent women with the tale of that infernal woman who refused to dance, “Nina.” For this wonderfully loopy version, her band joins in the fun with mariachi hats and unique instruments and vocals. The trio, which provided excellent and varied support throughout, consisted of music director Mark Janas on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and David Ballard on flute—an intriguing mix of instruments as unique as the singer they were backing up.

Her loving commitment to her children (this reviewer once saw her perform a show with her infant daughter on her hip) was expressed from the point of view of a child (the film version of “The Glamorous Life”) and of a parent (an incredibly moving delivery of “Stop Time”). More political reflection led to a stunning version of “Blackbird” that in turn led to the greatest compliment that can be paid to a performer: absolute silence for a moment at the end of the song as the audience can’t quite break the spell. Reyburn built even higher with “Back to Before” and then “Move On,” both presented with a mix of freshness and dramatic honesty.

Such emotionally thrilling shows do not come along very often.
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Reyburn will hopefully continue with more such personal work, the absolute core of what cabaret is. With the skillful guidance of director Billie Roe, she has indeed “put it together.
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Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Nobel, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."