Amelia Meena

Tin Roof…Rusted

The Duplex, NYC, May 13, 2018

Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes

Amelia Meena brought a few of the best aspects of the cabaret world together with her show Tin Roof…Rusted (which she informed us means “knocked up”). She sang about everyday struggles with their New York twist, she shared her personal story of finding love and being eight months pregnant (and still performing!), and she accomplished both of those with a “how can you not notice this?” voice. While most of the show followed the theme of pregnancy and Mother’s Day, Meena easily found the next level in the opera verses of “They Don’t Let You in the Opera (If You’re a Country Star)” (Dan Lipton/David Rossmer). A song that nearly mirrored her own life from Kentucky to Tennessee to good old New York City, my heart fluttered each time the line, “I sang country songs for them, but my heart sang La Bohème,” came.

Of course, a cabaret show is all about the performer, and Meena remained an expert in displaying that every coin has two sides. She displayed her talents and remained self-deprecating. She mentioned she could not take the endless cattle calls, but that she made it to Broadway on occasion. She bemoaned New York’s many travails with the Sam Carner & Derek Gregor ephemeral classic, “New York, Do You Even Care?” Yet, she also remained humble and steadfast in her appreciation of what the city has given her, including her husband, an Englishman, whom she serenaded with a mashup of “Englishman in New York” (Sting) and “American Boy” (Estelle & Kanye West/will.i.am/John Legend/Josh Lopez/Caleb Speir/Keith Harris).

There was a bittersweet ending to the story, despite being surrounded by friends and applause. Meena informed those who didn’t already know that this tribute to New York came at a time when she was preparing to leave. A voice fit for a chance at lighting up the biggest rooms will certainly be missed, but talented friends Sarajean Davenport (with two dolls representing her babies at home) and Maria Messer (also pregnant) joined her on stage to keep things on the level. The trio sang the comedic “Pregnant Women Are Smug” (Garfunkel & Oates). Also joining as music director and pianist was William Demaniow, who set a strong tone, and percussionist Cody Rahn, who followed nicely.

A good look for a Mother’s Day cabaret. We need more people like Amelia Meena in NYC.