More than just working a theme, Thomas Honeck's Dreaming Wide Awake at The Duplex pursued a well-developed plot with astutely crafted scripting and effective delivery. Presenting a baritone and dramatic renditions that periodically could send shivers down a spine, Honeck created a theater piece as much as a cabaret show - a tale of pilgrimage and its culmination. It followed a journey from a belated spiritual awakening through a years-long quest (yes, Man of La Mancha was on the song list), to the impact of his search on himself and others.

That description notwithstanding, the show never became obsessively serious, mystical or cerebral. Honeck's humor was manifest throughout the evening as he bantered with the audience and addressed it conversationally. It was skillful, funny, and tied in songs as spirited as Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields' "The Rhythm of Life," Lerner and Loewe's "C'est Moi," and Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's "Ac-ent-tchu-ate The Positive."

For the past couple of years, Honeck most frequently has been cited for the excellence of his technical direction at The Duplex or, more recently, as the rooms dedicated new manager and booker. Those kudos are certainly deserved, but they obscure his noteworthy talents as a writer, actor and singer. This show set the record straight: at all of the above, Thomas Honeck was top-drawer.

The show was directed by Lisa Moss, with musical direction by Ray Fellman.

Peter Leavy
Cabaret Scenes
April 7, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org