Roslyn Kind
54 Below, NYC, May 2, 2015
By Candace Leeds for Cabaret Scenes
“Don’t eat the daisies,” said Roslyn Kind, as she waltzed through the cheering audience giving out flowers, making her grand entrance at Studio 54. From the moment she got on stage and began to sing, one couldn’t help but be aware of her familial relationship with the grand diva, Barbra Streisand, her half-sister. Kind has much of the beautiful vocal quality and elegant phrasing and diction we revere in her famous sister, and a strong physical resemblance as well.
Introducing the song, “The Fool on the Hill” (Paul McCartney), Kind explained that it was a track on her very first album, on RCA, recorded when she was 17 (she showed the cover). She gave us some of her history, talking about her first nightclub appearance at the Persian Room at the Plaza Hotel.
Throughout the show she wove in historical tidbits about her career, explaining that she was introduced to the song “Perfect” by its writer, singer Ann Hampton Callaway, whom she met when they both performed on a gay cruise in 1987. “Who knew? You took all the jobs then!” Kind exclaimed. She wowed us with powerful versions of “All That Jazz” (Kander & Ebb) and “It Only Takes a Moment” (Jerry Herman). Her final number, “What the World Needs Now Is Love” and the encore, “Can You Read My Mind?” (Leslie Bricusse/John Williams), were among the most expressive offerings of the evening.