Multi-talented and multi-award winner (MAC Best Male Vocalist 2008, MAC Hanson Award 2006, Jeff Matson Award 2008) Miles Phillips made his first appearance at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency to a near capacity crowd of cabaret royalty. Opening with a wildly exuberant number and joined by his talented Musical Director, Jason Wynn, Phillips, in a tasteful suit, entered from the back of the room and moved through the audience singing special lyrics to Stephen Sondheim’s "Invocation" from The Frogs. When Phillips reached stage center, Wynn joined him for some musical comic banter. Phillips silenced him by plunging into "If You Can Find Me I’m Here", another Sondheim song, (with new lyrics by Phillips) this one from Evening Primrose.

Without break or patter, Phillips reprised one of the high points from his Quiet Stars show, "Night Song" (Adams-Strouse) from Golden Boy. Against the golden canopy backdrop of the Park Avenue cabaret room, the lyrics of this song took on new meaning and Phillips’ performance was drenched with romantic longing and feeling. In fact, the entire show was extraordinarily romantic in nature and Phillips projected charm and warmth that cast a spell over his audience.

Phillips discussed how this evening would be a series of songs that he loved from his past cabaret acts, his past theatrical parts, and songs that he had recently discovered, thus the act title ...Reappearing in My Mind. Starting to sing, tenderly, "Where Is Love" (Bart) from Oliver, Phillips was distracted by the comic wildness of Wynn suddenly singing "Life Upon the Wicked Stage" without gender change. Building on that interruption, Phillips and Wynn sang against each other, alternating lines and choruses, with great harmony and counter melody. In this part and throughout the entire act, Wynn (whose own shows have been directed by Phillips) gave unique vocal, musical, and comic support.

Recalling his very first New York cabaret show many years ago, Phillips introduced special guest Julie Reyburn who was part of that act. They reprised a superb Mark Janas/Miles Phillips arrangement entitled "Another Hundred Eleanors," a mixture of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Another Hundred People" as an art song cycle. Phillips, Reyburn and Wynn astonished the crowd with this medley full of stunning emotional moments.

Among new song discoveries was "Same Moon" by Jeffrey Harris which Phillips blended romantically with William Finn’s "I’d Rather Be Sailing" from A New Brain. Phillips had appeared in a regional production of Romance/Romance and we were treated to two beautiful songs from that show, "Moonlight Passing Through a Window" and "Romantic Notions." Phillips played Bobby in Company and his recording of a cast album led him to be invited to the office of the music publishing company where they gave him several rare Sondheim and Kander & Ebb songs. There was not a sound in the room when Phillips debuted a song cut from Kander & Ebb’s The Happy Time, "If You Leave Me Now," about how desolate life would be for both of the lovers if they had to live their future alone without each other.

After Phillips’ soulful version of Blitzstein’s "I Wish It So" from Juno, Wynn criticized him for not letting his hair down and doing the things he liked to do most. Stunned, Phillips sat on the piano and they launched into what was titled the "V & V Medley" (Venom and Vitriol), a song cornucopia of one lyric line connected by the last word of the previous lyric line. The range covered rock and roll and contemporary pop tunes, everything from "Ticket to Ride" to "Enough Is Enough."

After that tour de force, the next resurrection was a quiet "Since You Stayed Here" from Brownstone by P. Larson and J. Rubins. There was a show tune medley that connected songs from West Side Story, Sweet Charity, The Sound of Music, and The King and I which included songs with the word "something" in the titles ending with a soaring "Something's Coming".

Phillips appropriately closed the show with the above mentioned "Romantic Notions." His encore, sung directly to the audience, was the cabaret staple "My Favorite Year" (M. Brourman & K. Gottlieb). No one has sung it better than Miles Phillips in this gorgeous room, proving once and for all that he is a major artist able to play the big rooms, and with his acting and musical talent project a romantic image that connects intimately with every single person in his audience.

Miles Phillips and Karen Oberlin repeat their show The Pleasure of Your Company at the Metropolitan Room Saturday, December 6th at 5 p.m.

Joe Regan, Jr.
Cabaret Scenes
November 17, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org