Lina Koutrakos
Crazy Aunt Helen’s, Washington, DC, March 25, 2023
Reviewed by Michael Miyazaki
Cabaret can encompass so many moods and styles, and Lina Koutrakos seemed determined not just to cover them but to conquer them all when she appeared as the closing act of the National Cabaret Festival at D.C.’s Crazy Aunt Helen’s.
What do you want in your cabaret? A great opening number? Then try the contained excitement of Koutrakos’ “The Heart of Saturday Night.” If you’re looking for musical storytelling, look no further than her version of “Ode to Billy Joe.” If a modern take on the American Songbook is more your style, you get fresh approaches to “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)”, “Lazy Afternoon,” “That’s All,” and others. If you want those songs you’ll hear only in a cabaret room, she delivered “Small Day Tomorrow” and “When in Rome (I Do as the Romans Do).” If you need some singer/songwriter action – she performed an original tune, the wry, bluesy “Mess Outta Love.” Were you longing for some Sondheim? She delivered “I Remember.”
Of course, Koutrakos commanded the stage with her presence throughout; she engaged the audience brilliantly and provided terrific connective material with her patter. She was ably supported by Jon Weber at the keys who rocked out or provided quiet nuance as needed.
