Deborah Voigt, one of opera's most dramatic Wagnerian divas, opened Lincoln Center's tenth anniversary season of the American Songbook series by saluting her idols from musical theatre. These influences included Julie Andrew, Barbara Cook, Mary Martin and Nanette Fabray.

The major nod went to Barbara Cook, who was in the audience. Voigt opened with "The Ingénue," written for Cook by Wally Harper and David Zippel, a humorous lament of a theatre ingénue, with observations like, "Movie roles you live to play/They give to Shirley Jones to play."

Marian the Librarian (76 Trombones) was one of those movie roles that went from Cook to Jones. Voigt delivered, "Goodnight My Someone" and "My White Knight" with lovely tenderness, but unfortunately, she brought nothing new to the pairing. More affecting was the conundrum of love, questioned through Kurt Weill's "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" (Weill/Nash), introduced by Mary Martin. Voigt followed this by combining Weill and Alan Jay Lerner's brooding, "Is It Him or Is It Me?" and the fantasy of "Mr. Right," both from Love Life, with Nanette Fabray. Wryly, Voigt admitted that after those songs, the next step had to be Stephen Sondheim's "Losing My Mind," which she delivered with contained yet palpable depth and emotion.

Decorous and confident, occasionally giving a sly nod or a wink to the audience, Voigt displayed a vibrant vocal tone with warmth, authority, and secure breath control. Her storytelling showed savvy and focus. She enjoyed light moments reprising her high school performance as Agnes Gooch in Mame (Jerry Herman), and she was rhythmically effective with the blues ballad, "Can’t Help Lovin’ dat Man" (Kern and Hammerstein). For one of her encores, "I Love a Piano," Voigt perched on the piano bench next to Sperling for a ragtime duet.

Except for some personal anecdotes, Voigt left much of the theatre patter to her musical director and pianist, Ted Sperling. He led a vibrant support quintet with Antoine Silverman on violin, celloist Peter Sachon, Mark Vanderpoel playing bass and Billy Miller on drums and percussion.

Deborah Voigt showed a comfortable elegance on the cabaret stage, and delivered her music with grace, depth, and that exquisite voice.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
Janaury 23, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org