Mimi Bessette: Lullabies of Broadway Act II

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Mimi Bessette

Lullabies of Broadway Act II

The Green Room 42, NYC, October 29, 2023

Review by Bart Greenberg

Mimi Bessette

Mimi Bessette gives off warm maternal vibes so easily that it is hardly surprising that she has been consistently cast as mothers in her long career in musical theater: Bonnie Parker’s mom, Jack’s mom in Into the Woods, the mother in Bright Sky, and more. Her dedication to lullabies from Broadway shows and songwriters seemed a natural outcome of both her career and her personality. Based on her second CD of this material, Lullabies of Broadway, Act II, her program was sweet without being saccharine and warm without being smothering. It was filled with standards but also with surprises.

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With fine support from music director/pianist Michael Hicks, guitarist/accordion player (yes, a surprising combination) Morgan Morse, and special guest David Hancock Turner on harmonica, the afternoon provided a varied feast.

Bessette took her time with such tunes as “Lullaby of Broadway” and “Come Down from the Tree,” both of which showed off her wonderful enunciation.

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She also demonstrated a powerful attack on gems like “Morning Glow.” Her high notes were well displayed in the title song of Beauty and the Beast, and there was some assured theatricality in her haunting delivery of “Hushabye Mountain” in a brilliant arrangement that included the accordion’s melancholy sound. Other numbers that showed off the musician’s and their instruments included Turner’s musical fireworks on “Moonshine Lullaby” and a gorgeous duet for voice and guitar on “Till There Was You.”

But it was Bessette, with her warmth and her golden voice, who was at the center of the show. Her choice of material, such as “Everything Changes” (Waitress), “The Colors of My Life” (Barnum), and “Sylvia’s Lullaby” (Neverland) demonstrated her taste and her desire to find interesting material. The purity of her voice and her approach was fully on display in her delivery of “No One Is Alone” and “More I Cannot Wish You.” It all made for a glittering afternoon.

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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 & Nobel, 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."