Alyssa Chiarello
Yours Truly
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale, AZ, August 6, 2022
Reviewed by Nathaniel Jones
This event was the opening evening performance of Alyssa Chiarello’s first solo cabaret. Brought to Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Stage 2 theater by United Colours of Arizona Theatre (UCAT), Yours Truly was a beautifully written love letter to the art form that Chiarello says changed her life. Her performance, with accompaniment by Mark Foreman on piano, was magnificent; the pair presented a roller coaster of emotions through the lens of Chiarello’s awe-inspiring life. The audience entered Stage 2 to a dimly lit stage, dressed in the glow of candles. When the lights came up, the crowed erupted as Alyssa Chiarello took the stage, clad in sparkling silver heels. It was easy to feel the love in this intimate theater space and to sense the vibe of a crowd of mostly family and friends.
Alyssa Chiarello is a marvelous singer and actor, having been featured on stage with The Phoenix Theatre Company and Brock Pro Entertainment. Among her most notable shows were her tour with The Alexander Project: A Tribute to the Music of Hamilton, and her regional-theater credits—The Rocky Horror Show (Janet) and Evita (Evita). Chiarello’s accolades do not do justice to this prolific performer. A dynamic presence to behold, she brings her story of self-love and journey through theater.
“Raise the Roof” from The Wild Party sets the tone with energy and immediately showed her prowess as a dynamic performer, thereby captivating her audience. She followed this with beautiful renditions of “Home” from The Wiz and “Hold On” from The Secret Garden. However, it was her performance of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from Evita that seemed to suck the air out of the room. Her goosebump-inducing performance sent chills through the crowd as silence held until Chiarello’s final note. After the audience’s roaring died down, she followed with “It Won’t Be Long Now” from In the Heights, lifting the crowd with the song’s lilt. She told a heart-warming and wrenching story about her father, and then the we got misty with her wonderfully performed “Disneyland” from Smile and her tear-inducing “Where Are You Christmas?” from Unwrapped: How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Later, Chiarello showed unmatched power with “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl, and again created a frenzy in her uproarious audience.
To close, Chiarello sang “Over the Rainbow”/“Detras del Arco Iris,” receiving a well-deserved standing ovation, especially after the excitement of her footwear change from silver to ruby; this brought the show full circle from her opening with The Wiz.
Alyssa Chiarello is a spectacular show woman because of her flawless performance andbecause she is a fantastic storyteller. Throughout the show, Chiarello shared stories about her journey as a performer and her family life. Her ability to tell her story of going through her life of becoming is terrific. It was easy for the audience to find relatable moments in her life of growth and endurance. These are stories that stick with you—about evading teenaged boys in New York, her first audition, coming home to be with her father, among other moments that were awe inspiring. Chiarello is more than deserving of every moment of applause her audience gave her and then some. In this intimate setting, she presented a show that compelled us to wish for more, and this reviewer would gladly sit through an entire run without a second thought. Hopefully, we will see more cabaret from her.
There is only one remaining performance. Yours Truly: A Cabaret Featuring Alyssa Chiarello closes on Sunday, August 14.
