Heather Villaescusa
What I Did for Love
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, November 14, 2015
Reviewed by Rob Lester for Cabaret Scenes
Risky business, this warts-and-all cabaret theme scheme. Especially as a not-so-familiar face (first show in 10 years), ya gotta be ultra-likeable not to risk burdening/turning off audiences with too much/too soon information about coping with very personal problems. So, was it a case of in-your-face T.M.I.—“cabaret as catharsis therapy”—when Heather Villaescusa told of her mother’s longterm alcoholism making her feel she never had a true mom and fueled her own predilection for overindulging in sweets (“Addiction runs in my family”), leading to weight gain and an emotionally abusive, bad-news boyfriend teasing her about it mercilessly? But she put up with him.
Then there’s the frequently-heard cabaret patter lament about the woes of making the rounds of time-consuming auditioning for theater and finding little success. Surprisingly, we aren’t alienated captive guests at a pity party disguised as entertainment; instead, we care! Why? Good question. Because, as directed sensitively by master show-shaper Lennie Watts, it works as refreshingly bone-honest. We root for her. We see weepiness is in the PAST and she has triumphed.
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So, instead, it’s about HOW. We sense that it’s not sympathy-seeking, but maybe she’s learned something she can pass on. Cabaret can do that, too.
Frankly, we also like heroic Heather simply because the personality and voice (strong and clear) are appealing, and she communicates. We believe her proclaiming “I Believe in Love” (as another Don’t Tell Mama performer, Dorian Woodruff, coincidentally, did the same week). Sondheim’s “Live Alone and Like It” is a victorious declaration of independence. A medley about candy shows a sense of humor about the sweet tooth—with real candy madly flying in the air. Lingering longer in the air is Carole King’s advice to “show the world all the love in your heart” (in the song “Beautiful” used as the title of her Broadway bio-musical). And, awwww, when husband Jay from the happily-ever-after chapter appears suddenly from the audience to duet on “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” beautiful hope for all is celebrated.
Quibbles Department: Patter that mentions a boyfriend’s love for the genre of death metal music should be dropped. Heard the day after the Paris shootings at the concert by a band called Eagles of Death Metal was unsettling and touched a raw nerve. Two back-up singers were employed too little to justify being present onstage full-time, even though Rachel Hanser and Christina Doikos stoically did their best to not distract (albeit with different energy levels in calm attentiveness). When all three were singing, having Heather stand center stage blocked some of us from really seeing one of them. “On Broadway” is arguably an overused song choice about determination to succeed you-know-where, and it didn’t get a unique musical/interpretive coloring. But following it with the harrowing “Broadway, Here I Come” by Joe Iconis about literally leaping to one’s death was involving, sad, and bold. It just needed a little more post-song pause before shrugging off the drama of desperation before disowning it.
The trio (Steven Ray Watkins/piano and musical director; Tim Lykin/drums; Daniel Fabricatore/bass) provided drive. Heroic Heather provided the guts to survive.
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