Alissa Finn
Aphrodite: Legend of the Sea
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, August 22, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
The lovely Alissa Finn made her New York City cabaret debut with a show built around the legends and myths about the goddess Aphrodite. This turned out to be a suitable theme for a program which included a wide range in material from Brahams, Arlen and Mercer, Kate Bush, and Stephen Sondheim (a lot of Sondheim). Working with music director/pianist Brad Garside, saxophonist M. Alex Ramirez (who represented Apollo), and singer Ian Brodsky (Aries) who also demonstrated his proficiency on several instruments, Finn wove an intoxicating spell all her own.
Finn possesses an incredible voice that can go from the classical tones of Brahms’ “Meine Liebe Ist Grün” to the bluesy “A Sunday Kind of Love” (Barbara Belle/Anita Leonard/Stan Rhodes & Louis Prima) to the tongue-twisting complexities of “Getting Married Today” (Sondheim) to the demanding drama of “How Glory Goes” (Adam Guettel). All of these and more cleverly linked into the stories of the goddess of love and romance in her many personas, from the “sexpot on Valentine cards” to the muse of great artists. The latter was highlighted in her perfect rendition of “Sunday in the Park with George” (Sondheim), that captured the humor and the sexuality within the song, and it was performed with perfect enunciation.
Ramirez brought fine musicianship to the stage, and his playing expressed passion and sensitivity. In “A Sunday Kind of Love,” he was truly a duet partner with Finn. His later solo on “My Shining Hour” (Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen) was a melting piece of beauty as he embroidered the melody to create a shimmering portrayal of love. Brodsky displayed impressive versatility with his vocals on “I’m Becoming Alone Again” (Rebecca Spektor) and “I Can Change” (LCD Soundsystem) and in his work on piano and guitar.
But of course it was Finn who was the center of it all, whether vamping “Sooner or Later,” luxuriating through “Pretty Women,” and scorching the walls with “Could I Leave You?” (all Sondheim). She was always in control, and her patter was truly witty, as when she explored a particularly messy aspect of the goddess’s life and explained “It wouldn’t be Greek if we didn’t have a tragedy.” If there was any flaw in the show, it was that there was just a bit too much of everything; a little judicious editing would have brightened what remained. Still it was an auspicious debut show that promised much for future outings.
