She wears neither the cape, nor the magical bracelets, nor the trademark red, white, and blue Wonder Woman costume, but Lynda Carter looks wonderful. Chic rather than theatrical in a white shirt and long black skirt, Carter saves her flash for the tunes, and there she let loose. Debuting at Feinstein's at Loews Regency, she delivers a bright compelling swing to Walter Hirsch's "Deed I Do," proving this lady can belt right out to Park Avenue. Her voice is strong and secure in the middle and lower ranges, and she is trained enough to stay in pitch.

Carter is an upbeat personality who brings out the charm and fun in tunes like "Put the Blame on Mame" from the film, Gilda, and Cole Porter's sexy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."

Obviously a jazz fan, she is effective with Duke Ellington's "Hit Me With A Hot Note," although taking on the Hendricks, Lambert, and Ross vocalese standard, "Cloudburst," her hold on the quicksilver lyric is threatened by the aggressive, overwhelming swing of the five-piece pop/rock band behind her, led by pianist/music director, Sam Kriger. She throws out some scat and delivers three pop songs with blues tinges -- Arlen and Mercer's "Blues in the Night" is not technically a blues song but feels like one, and she pairs Arlen and Mercer's "Come Rain Or Come Shine" with "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (Kern/ Hammerstein). This, like her other medley of three ballads, does not bring out a special element in any of the tunes, nor a reason for combining them.

Where this actress/singer falls short is in the actress part. There is little interpretation to any of her material; the melody is sure, notes are hit, but the lyrics and emotions are incidental. She imbues the Billie Holiday classic, "God Bless the Child," with a can-do punch of optimism, diluting its soulful poignancy. James Taylor's "The Secret O' Life," a song that puts everything in perspective, suffers from a get-on-with-it push.

Carter is comfortable with the country beat of Willie Nelson's "Crazy" and with Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover," which she introduces as a song of seduction. She connects most compellingly with "Where've You Been," (Henry and Vezner), a lifelong love story that ends with the cruelty of Alzheimer's disease. Carter dedicates the song to her recently deceased aunt.

Lynda Carter has vocal chops, glamour, personality, and a built-in audience. As enchanting as her comic book icon was, her cabaret show would have benefited from interpretations as basic and honest as her white shirt and black skirt.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
October 31, 2007
www.cabaretscenes.org