Jeanie Carroll
Mary D. Fisher Theatre, Sedona, AZ, April 4, 2026
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards
What a delight it was to see Jeanie Carroll’s cabaret homecoming. Currently based in Las Vegas, Carroll lived in Sedona, Arizona for over thirty years. Accompanied by Dave Len Scott, she performed songs that helped her paint the picture of her life, which has taken her across the globe. She warmed up with “The Summer Knows” (Michel Legrand/Alan & Marlyn Bergman). It’s a gorgeous song that showed her elegance and smooth jazz contralto and hinted at her devotion to all things French. She loves languages and credited Vicki Carr for helping her learn Spanish, which led to her singing a multi-lingual “It’s Impossible” (Armando Manzanero adapted to English by Syd Wayne).
It is often tempting for singers to omit the verses of selections from the Great American Songbook, but Carroll sinks her emotions into them. This was evident in the Gershwins’ “Someone to Watch Over Me” and the Sammy Fain/Irving Kahal “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Carroll has an eclectic repertory, and she also plays several instruments, including folk guitar. She included several pop songs in her show, some of which worked better in a cabaret setting than others. She successfully delivered Joni Mitchell’s “Free Man in Paris,” with its rapid lyrics, using her lower register. It was a perfect choice; she told us of her life in Paris with her former husband whom she met in Morocco. She knew immediately that he would be the father of her children. She sang “Autumn Leaves” was slowly in French and then changed to up-tempo in English; it was a highlight, especially with Scott’s backup on trumpet. After returning to the U.S., she became a mom to two girls who are now grown and have made her a grandmother. She was not afraid to be vulnerable as she talked about her struggles working three jobs when the girls were young.
Carroll’s credits include being lead vocalist with a big band, and she showed she still can swing in a “Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody” (Jean Schwartz/Sam Lewis/Joe Young). Her guest artists provided a nice change of pace for the audience, and Carroll invited the Red RockAppella Quartet to the stage. They harmonized on three classics: “One Fine Day” (Carole King/Gerry Goffin), “Orange Colored Sky” (Willie Stein/Milton Delugg), and “Mr. Sandman” (Pat Ballard). Then Carroll, a veteran of that group, joined them dressed in their classic uniform of red and black for “Sentimental Reasons” (Ivory “Deek” Watson/William Best). She is a master of vocal harmony, and when she joined the group, they went from providing a lovely community sound to full NYC cabaret style.
Scott performed a trumpet solo while Carroll made her final costume change. She returned to the stage dressed in black sparkles and added her guitar to Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “I Feel Lucky.” She has been lucky, having been blessed with her musical talent, which she nurtures constantly. She now teaches in her grandchildren’s school in Vegas, and travels back and forth between Chicago and Paris to sing cabaret. She is also a veteran of the St. Louis Cabaret Convention, and one can see that she has studied with the masters. She offered some of her favorite songs from those stages, which included Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind,” the arrangement from Smash of “That’s Life” (Dean Kay/Kelly Gordon), Duke Ellington’s jazz classic “Mood Indigo,” and the Edith Piaf ballad “Non, je ne regrette rien.” If she has any regrets they did not show.
Throughout the show Carroll displayed screen projections to illustrate her story along with the album covers of some of her favorite artists. The local audience loved her, and they were happy to join in on her finale, Carly Simon’s “Anticipation.” I anticipate that she is ready to take her solo cabaret to New York City, Puerta Vallarta, and wherever else the wind may blow.
