Tom Reardon: Both Sides Now: The Songs of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell

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Tom Reardon

Both Sides Now: The Songs of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, March 18, 2016

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes

Tom-Reardon-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212Singing the material of either one of these songwriting legends is a daunting task, but attempting both in the same show might be exponentially difficult for an entire set. Reardon’s background in musical theater won’t help him much here—these two provide some of the most complex social commentaries of our time, not exactly Rodgers and Hart or Cole Porter material.

Reardon is a Barnum-and-Bailey-type entertainer; more is more.
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He included three backup vocalists, slick choreography, slide show projections and two special guests.
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The combination of all this often muddled the intent of the evening—to highlight some incredible lyric material, especially Mitchell’s very nuanced personal observations. Her “Help Me” and “My Old Man” were overdone. Two ballads, with piano accompaniment only, met with mixed results: “The Last Time I Saw Richard” was a difficult and odd choice, while “A Case of You” was warm, subtle and heartfelt.

Local singer Melissa O’Keefe joined Reardon on Dylan’s “You’re a Big Girl Now,” and she shines brightly. Reardon tore it up on Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm” and the gospel-like “I Shall Be Released,” while his beautiful song of survival, “Most of the Time,” was the set highlight.

Reardon is always himself, affable and charming. He had a ball serving up his interpretations of these two idols from his youth to the delight of the sold-out audience.

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Steve Murray

Always interested in the arts, Steve was encouraged to begin producing and, in 1998, staged four, one-man vehicles starring San Francisco's most gifted performers. In 1999, he began the Viva Variety series, a live stage show with a threefold mission to highlight, support, and encourage gay and gay-friendly art in all the performance forms, to entertain and document the shows, and to contribute to the community by donating proceeds to local non-profits. The shows utilized the old variety show style popularized by his childhood idol Ed Sullivan. He’s produced over 150 successful shows, including parodies of Bette Davis’s gothic melodramedy Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Joan Crawford’s very awful Trog. He joined Cabaret Scenes 2007 and enjoys the writing and relationships he’s built with very talented performers.