Chicago Cabaret Professionals: Musical Mondays: Feeling Groovy—Songs of a New Generation

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Chicago Cabaret Professionals

Musical Mondays: Feeling Groovy—Songs of a New Generation

Victory Gardens Theater, Chcaig, IL, September 22, 2014

Reviewed by Carla Gordon for Cabaret Scenes

 

Chicago-Cabaret-Professoinals-Musical-Mondays-Feelin'-Groovy-Victory-Gardens-Theatre-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212Given the SRO crowd, Chicago’s cabaret fans seem delighted with the return of Chicago Cabaret Professionals’ Musical Mondays. After successfully saluting Broadway in July, this second show in the series features pop songs of the sixties. While the show was well received throughout (standing ovation), certain performances stood out. A grounded, vocally solid Melissa Young delivered “To Sir with Love,” with much heart, looking ageless in the boat-necked black dress with the flowered skirt. Beckie Menzie’s “Me and Bobby McGee” grew from reflection to an unbridled confession of passion with her piano matching each moment of insight and heat from Janis Joplin’s classic. A student at Chicago’s High School for the Arts, Feinstein Award winner Milla Guerra landed “Easy to Be Hard“(Hair) with aplomb. In a program featuring complex arrangements and harmonics, several simple performances shone. One was Marianne Murphy-Orland’s unadorned delivery of the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home“ with simple guitar accompaniment by husband Tom Orland. His leading the sing-along to Cat Stevens’s “Moonshadow” was inclusive and fun. Musical Mondays continues in January with Words and Music.

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Carla Gordon

Carla Gordon is a singer/songwriter, director, and producer. The Chicago Tribune cited her among “Chicago’s most accomplished cabaret performers….a major player in Chicago cabaret.” Reviewer Pam Peterson called her “Honey-voiced wisecracker!” Ageless Magazine called her performance as Sophie tucker, “A gem!” Gordon writes custom material for singers nationwide. Her flagship show, "Blacklisted," featuring songs made famous by artists blacklisted under McCarthyism, has toured to critical acclaim. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Cabaret Professionals and on the Advisory Board of the Skokie Theater. Her songs air on WFMT’s Midnight Special and are being performed performed by cabaret artists nationwide. carlacabaret@aol.com