Madelaine Warren
Mad for Romance
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, October 22, 2018
Reviewed by Randolph B. Eigenbrode for Cabaret Scenes
https://www.parkviewortho.com/wp-content/languages/new/grifulvin.htmljpg” alt=”” width=”212″ height=”212″ /> Madelaine Warren
Photo: Michael Bernhaut
Madelaine Warren entered meekly, but her ensemble twinkled with gusto, shining like a polished tea set. Composing herself in her first piece, “Out of This World” (Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer), it quickly became apparent that the evening would be a love letter to, well, love. Warren is simply Mad for Romance.
It’s a cliched theme, indeed, but her song choices were the shining gems of this showcase. A maudlin “Laugh, Clown, Laugh” (Ted Fiorito/Sam Lewis/Joe Young) and a bossa nova “So Many Stars” (Sergio Mendes/Alan & Marilyn Bergman) recalled simpler days when melodies were grand and lyrics were simple. Similarly, her wistful “Stardust” (Hoagy Carmichael/Mitchell Parish), in a fabulous arrangement by Dan Wohlgemuth, elicited a nostalgic grin from both Warren and the audience.
In fact, Warren is reminiscent one of those old-time vocalists from the 1930s and ’40s. Her tone is pleasant and her delivery is sincere.
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Yet she illuminates very little in these pieces, seemingly restrained in the kinetic movement of their possible journeys.
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It’s the impressionistic treatment of goldmines like “All of Me” (Gerald Marks/Seymour Simon) and “Just Let Me Look at You” (Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields) that deflate what could have been Great American Songbook bliss.
Still, Warren delivered on occasion, particularly with a confident “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” (Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner) that highlighted a healthy and ample soprano. And capitalizing on some humor, she let loose on “Vodka” (George Gershwin/Herbert Stothart/Otto Harbach/Oscar Hammerstein II), providing a much-welcomed palate-cleanser.
But, it was an unlikely pairing of “Lonely Town” (Leonard Bernstein/Betty Comden/Adolph Green) and “Another Hundred People” (Stephen Sondheim) that captured the best of Warren.
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The striking arrangement, courtesy of MD Christopher Denny, synced the dissonance of opposing ideas into a cohesive musical motif. And Warren, ping-ponging between distress and distraction, deftly rode the ebb and flow, finally landing on forlorn resignation.
Moments like that reveal Warren’s potential. But, otherwise, this show was more so-so than so-in-love.
