Dana DiAngelo and Valerie Cirillo
A View from the Stage
The Duplex, NYC, April 21, 2018
Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes
Dana DiAngelo and Valerie Cirillo combined to bring an extraordinarily dynamic show to their friends and loved ones in a celebration of both birthdays and a friendship that has extended two decades and counting. Their sassy chemistry worked wonders as they performed difficult duets and an especially magnificent medley that, in Cirillo’s words, blended Whose Line Is It Anyway? with Pitch Perfect.
DiAngelo’s voice pleasantly surprised, alongside her willingness to play part showstopper, part show-stealer. In a game that involved each starting a new song during her co-performer’s song, inspired by a word in the latter, she chimed in whenever a word struck her fancy, often overpowering a competent counterpart in Cirillo to keep singing her song choice.
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And following this madness from song to song as each stole the other’s thunder was Justin Ward Weber on the piano. What an accompanist: jumping from unexpected song to unexpected song without missing a beat. Whether they had a script or not, the show flowed so smoothly and naturally that it appeared as if they bounced ideas off each other, showcasing some of their favorite numbers. Often, it brought out uncontrollable fits of laughter from the crowd.
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Every selection could deserve mention, but they started off well with Cirillo performing a clean “As If We Never Said Goodbye” (Don Black/Christopher Hampton/Andrew Lloyd Webber), followed by DiAngelo’s fun, amped-up “Do What I Do.” They chose each song to relate their own stories about performing.
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Cirillo took an extended break from the stage lights during their friendship, returning to the stage with a resounding, “I don’t know why I’m frightened/I know my way around here.” In turn, DiAngelo rang out strongly about making life and art in New York City work, in both the comedic and very real sense, “So I do what I don’t really do, so that I can do what I do do.”
Ultimately, this show proved to me what her friends probably already know, that DiAngelo should do a solo show as soon as possible! She’s fun, confident and, when performing material that she loves, like Green Day’s “21 Guns,” can touch the heart strings of a crowd.
