Jody Mullen
A Thing Called Hope
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, November 12, 2017
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Jody Mullen is a self-described “old-fashioned girl.” She possesses a beautifully controlled soprano that recalls the glory days of Broadway ingénues such as Barbara Cook and Florence Henderson, and she gravitates toward the same musical catalogue. With her lovely appearance and warm and slightly wicked personality, she seems born to play a Rodgers and Hammerstein heroine, and indeed she features four of their songs within her new show. A Thing Called Hope is intended as a response to the cynicism of today, designed to be an escape for an hour into kinder worlds.
Not that Mullen is totally unaware of the darker side of life. A reference to the Kardashians led in to the delightfully skeptical “How Can Love Survive?” and an introduction to bittersweet goodbye songs is the set-up for a deliciously over-the-top delivery of “If You Hadn’t, But You Did,” complete with water pistol aimed at audience members.
But it is the tender choices that enchant: “It Only Takes a Moment” was transformed from a romance to the celebration of the love between a parent and a child, based on her young son’s passion for the film Wall-E. And a medley of “People Will Say We’re in Love” and “If I Loved You” brought the hesitant discovery of love inherent in both lyrics. This medley and all the musical numbers were arranged by Eddie Schnecker, who also provided expert piano and occasionally comic support.
The fly in the ointment: Mullen seemed attached to her microphone stand.
She needs to free herself from a center-stage position maintained throughout the show.
Learning to vary the visual picture, and having more fun in inhabiting the space, will help her to leap forward in her cabaret career.
