In just a few years, Alex Gemignani has almost become a theater veteran. He performed on Broadway stages in the revivals of Les Miserables, Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George. He appeared as John Hinckley in Stephen Sondheim's Assassins, and in concert versions of South Pacific and Passion.

Gemignani recently moved into small stages like Birdland, playing himself in a show called Getting Gone, a carefully formed, well-delivered cabaret performance. His voice is a robust baritone that supports long lines and understands about phrasing. He brings his Jean Valjean voice to cabaret down-low.

Wearing jeans and a cotton shirt, the casual Gemignani chose songs that link together, aiming to relate a tale through music with little patter. But why not be a little more chatty? He has an easy stage manner, a sense of humor. He made a concerted effort to move around the stage, looking at, and responding to the audience. Perhaps he feels that the songs alone can tell the story effectively. Effective they are, but the connection with the audience might be enhanced with a little more talk.

In one standout segment, he performed a monologue about a struggling young New York actor auditioning in Hollywood. Between anecdotes, he interspersed Billy Joel's "Los Angelenos," forming a touching and funny portrait.

"This is the best imitation of myself," he quipped.

Most of the songs, however, formed a love story. Gemignani opened with the need for love, or at least companionship, with Billy Joel's "I Don't Want to Be Alone" and he followed with the vulnerability of "My Foolish Heart" (Ned Washington-Victor Young). He broke into giddy mode with "I'm Digging Me, Digging You," but then the besotted guy had to deliver one of the best obsessed songs, Cole Porter's "So in Love." As the romance unraveled, Gemignani punctuated the despair with Paul McCartney's "Yesterday," ("All my troubles seemed so far away") and followed it with Sara Barellies' "City," ("There's nothing here to hold on to"). A final deathblow came with "Wee Small Hours."

Gemignani's story ended optimistically. Revealing that he had recently gotten married, he concluded his show with one more story-song, "The Folks Who Live on the Hill."

By the way, is there a more versatile accompanist than pianist/arranger Tedd Firth? Firth's chords and ripples filled the spaces, accompanied by Matt Aronoff on bass, Larry Lelli on drums and guitarist Tony Romano. They helped Alex Gemignani prove that with his talent, all the world is a stage.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
September 29, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org