Minda Larsen
Ladies of Cabaret
Metropolitan Room, NYC, August 15, 2017
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Photo: Kevin Alvey
Dazzling to look at and delightful to hear, Minda Larsen returned to the Metropolitan Room for an evening of songs that she made very personal to herself and to the audience. Showing professionalism (what’s a malfunctioning microphone? Just keep singing out!) and immaculate enunciation, each number was a playlet in itself.
Dedicated to her beloved grandmother, Sondheim’s “I Remember” was reinvented by the singer as a reflection by an elderly person lost in her memories.
And an unusual combination of “The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze” and “Fly Me to the Moon” served as a tribute to her Russian acrobat husband, who was providing enthusiastic support from the audience. She followed that with a her celebration of her marriage with a medley of “Simple Little Things” and “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.”
Another aspect of her life is her career as a vocal teacher. She obviously approaches this with passion, and she invited four of her students to share the stage.
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They all reflect her performance technique of enunciation, personalization, and dressing to dazzle. Ranging in age from 9 to 16, each had his/her own personality. The youngest, Julian Lerner, possesses a fearless confidence and excellent vocal control for one so young. Nyla Robotham took on two Gershwin standards with an Ella-inspired swing. Violet Reimer brought the perfect naïve angst to “The Boy from Ipanema.” And Joie Bianco offered up a clever pairing of “Too Young” and “Young and Foolish,” suiting her lyrical power and shy personality.
Larsen brought the evening to a close with “Too Marvelous for Words” and, indeed, the whole program was.
