Luke Enders
Ope!
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, August 29, 2024
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Luke Enders brought his sophomore show, a showcase of his theatrical songs turned into a cabaret show, to Don’t Tell Mama. While he is still finding his way as a performer, his by turns funny and moving work was more rewarding and very well presented by him and his two guest stars, Gloria Bangiola and Pablo Laucerica. Enders doesn’t write songs as dramatic scenes set to music, which makes them perfect for a cabaret program. Seated at the piano, he accompanied himself and his vocalists with skill and a great deal of boyish charm.
The show began with his wry and sardonic “Anti-Advice” (“if it seems like they hate you, they probably do.”), and then quickly moved on to a collection of numbers that explored his experiences as a teenager attending Bible Camp. Among these, Bangiola glided her way through the seriously loopy “When a Girl Loves a Boy,” and Laucerica offered an appropriate and equally well-delivered response. Then came “Nervous Flyer” about the perils of traveling by airplane, which gave Laucerica the chance to show off his expertise at embodying a neurotic nerd.
Enders offered two songs from his works-in-process. One worked very well, the other was a disappointment. The first was “For You” from his adaptation of the film Lars and the Real Girl, which he performed in duet with Bangiola. The number seemed to have a good deal of power and dramatic effect. Unfortunately, he failed to set it up very well and the audience had no idea of who these characters were or what they were singing about. Far more effective was “The To-Do List,” a solo for Bangiola that was full of character details and dramatic build up; her delivery was also the work of a true star. Despite some misfires this was a very enjoyable evening, and Enders’ next show should offer even more joys.
