Gina Santare
Optioning Up
The Green Room 42, NYC, December 5, 2018
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Somewhere within this show at The Green Room 42 was a very talented young singer—Gina Santare—making her solo debut in cabaret. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find her among six backup singers, four musicians, four more young musicians (more about them in a bit), and a far too intrusive music director.
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Every so often, when things quieted down, we could spot a fine young singer/actress with a remarkable range from a too infrequently-used lower register to a belting top.
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There were certainly moments of magic.
Gentle, sweet versions of “A Quiet Thing” and the rarely heard and appropriately titled “Something Beautiful” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty) showed a real musical theater artist at work.
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And her next-to-closing rendition of “The Story Goes On” was fresh and thrilling in a way that evoked, but was totally different, from Liz Callaway’s—the special talent of reinventing a song that certain performers’ have.
However, on other high-energy, contemporary numbers, such as “Queen Bee” from Streisand’s A Star Is Born and a Sia medley, the emphasis was on belted high notes that tended to obliterate both lyrics and interpretation. Santare’s rendition of “Rainbow High” seems to be a tribute to both Patti LuPone’s legendary vocal pyrotechnics and her notorious lack of enunciation.
The bigger problem with the show was music director Trapper Felides. It’s not because he lacked musical abilities—his talent was impressive—but because he insistently drew focus away from the singer with personal comments, fussing around the stage as he shifted microphone stands and a stool, and at one point, intruding by apologizing for a trio on “Three Friends” (Richard Maltby, Jr./David Shire) that was a bit of a train wreck that might have worked better at a slightly slower pace.
Others participating in the show were singers Hillary Fisher, Daisy Carnelia, Katharine Brunner, Aury Krebs, Casey Wenger-Schumann, and Sarah Cetrulo, as well as musicians Stefano Di Blasio (guitar), Tim Lappin (bass), Derek Stoltenberg (drums), and Jessie Reagan Mann (cello).
A special treat was a second group of young musicians who both backed up several numbers and provided a joyful improvisational pre-show of a mix of rock, jazz, and standards.
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These high schoolers whose talents belie their ages were Ethan Khusidman, Cormac Cullinane, Adam Dorfman, and Nicky Torchia, all of whom showed their versatility by jumping from instrument to instrument.
