Alyssa Digges & Rose M. Kory
You & Me
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, May 24, 2019
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg for Cabaret Scenes
Alyssa Digees and Rose M. Kory, two friends who have known each other since high school, have instant chemistry and know each other so well. Their private jokes others may not understand, but they still charm just because the two of them find them funny. They were eager to show off each other’s talents with rare generosity. With Rachel Dean at the piano, they offered a selection of mostly contemporary musical theater songs with, happily, an emphasis on humor.
They launched their show with The Book of Mormon’s “You and Me,” a perfect comic encapsulation of their relationship, with Digges the leader and Kory her faithful second. In fact, Kory summed it up in “Right Hand Man,” which she dispatched with a keen ability for dealing with a multitude of lyrics. Digges offered up a surprisingly delicate version of “I Miss the Mountains,” leading into a recounting of the two women’s emotional health efforts, including the amusing tale of sharing a psychiatrist who struggled to keep their treatments separate. Throughout, there was a casual mockery of cabaret conventions (“we’re going to banter now”) that was both refreshing and charming.
They also demonstrated an ear for fresh material such as Drew Gasparini’s “The Song About Ordering Furniture,” about a battle with Ikea, and their closer, “29/31” (Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci), a hysterical number contrasting the thoughts of the same woman two years apart. Their taste and talent made for a delightful afternoon.
