Diane D’Angelo: Destination Moon

  • Post author:
  • Reading time:3 mins read

Diane D’Angelo

Destination Moon

Laurie Beechman Theatre, NYC, March 22, 2023

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Doane D’Angelo
Photo: Helane Blumfield

During her new show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Diane D’Angelo mentioned that she likes confidence. That is one attribute that she clearly has in abundance. She took the stage and took the audience on a voyage to places that figure importantly in her life and are even more importantly to her emotional landscape. Under the invaluable assistance of tour guide/director Lina Koutrakos, it was a journey worth taking. She started with a surprisingly soft and dreamy version of “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” sung in her pure soprano. What followed was a stream of standards often presented in unique arrangements created by some of the best in the business: Christopher Denny, Beckie Menzie, Tedd Firth, and her music director/pianist Gregory Toroian.

D’Angelo delivered the title number with just a hint of Peggy Lee, not in Lee’s voice but in her style as she played with the melody. She is aware that she has no need to push; she’s got it the chops and she showed that she knows it, which helps the audience to relax and enjoy the show. Her delivery of “Rules of the Road” was rueful, reflecting the point of view of a lady who has done it all and has kept on going. She followed that with a witty “When in Rome (I Do as the Romans Do),” and she found all the healthy sexuality in the lyrics. After that came a devastating “Love for Sale,” in which she seemingly channeled her inner Marilyn Monroe as she created a complete one-act play about a lost soul. The teasing romance of the Gershwins’ “Isn’t It a Pity,” presented in a light and lively manner, gave the diva a way to share another view of love.

In addition to Toroian, D’Angelo received excellent support throughout from Skip Ward on bass and David Silliman on drums. Numbers such as “Detour Ahead” and “It Isn’t So Good It Couldn’t Be Better (It Isn’t So Bad It Couldn’t Be Worse)” gave them opportunities to show their skills. But it was the diva herself who dominated the show with her wit in “If I Were a Bell” and her passion in “Live for Life.” All in all, it was a splendid evening at the cabaret.

Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Noble, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."