Zachary Clause
Sherry Takes a Holiday
Pangea, NYC, June 13, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Sherry Duvall-Covington is a brassy lady of a certain age who dresses loudly, speaks loudly, and lives loudly. She’s open to adventures—romantic, sexual, and otherwise—and her heart definitely leads her rather than her brain. The creation of performer Zachary Clause and director (and husband) Reed Whitney, Sherry has already had a series of hazardous but life-affirming adventures. This time she responded to an internet appeal from a young woman who claimed that she was Sherry’s long-forgotten daughter. (Sherry acknowledges that she doesn’t recall giving birth, but there is a decade of her life that was kind of fuzzy.) She took off on a Caribbean cruise that would hopefully lead to a reconciliation. Of course, things didn’t go smoothly.
There was more storytelling than music, perhaps a bit too much so, with long nonmusical sections that might have been trimmed. The music that was there was brightly presented under the musical direction of Chris Blacker with Alex Kerckhoff on bass and jojo SOUL on drums. The songs were drawn from the pop world, and there wasn’t a single number from Broadway—certainly a novelty in a cabaret/jazz room—but the selections fit the story well, and the songwriters ranged from Madonna to Stevie Wonder to Joni Mitchell.
Also joining Sherry on stage were two talented vocalists with comic flair: Megan Bowers and Brandi Knox. They began the show as back-up vocalists, but eventually they became embroiled in the story as well. Bowers duetted with Sherry on “Help Me” (Joni Mitchell), and Knox soloed on “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”; they used their moments in the spotlight to show off their talents. But it was the title character who dominated the evening with such well-chosen numbers as “La Isla Bonita” (Madonna), “All Night Long” (Lionel Ritchie), and “Red, Red Wine” (Neil Diamond). She also had a great time interacting with the audience, flirting here, gossiping there, and even incorporating a photo request—”No flash!”—into the middle of a selection without losing the beat. The over-amplified sound did not do any favor to her top notes, but her energy never flagged. The trip with Sherry may not have been entirely without its bumps, but it was worth taking and it will be interesting to see where Clause and Whitney take her next.
