The Art of Cabaret

*Cynthia Erivo did one of the weakest professional shows I've ever seen--two Fridays ago, on PBS. It was a reminder that talent in one area does not guarantee talent in another.

The songs were humorless and preachy. There was a sense of monotonousness. Erivo herself seemed uninterested in building a relationship with the audience; she shared very little from her own life; though the concert was under an hour, it seemed to go on for a year.

*What a nice surprise, then, when Annaleigh Ashford kicked ass a few days later. Ashford was everything Erivo was not: unpredictable, self-mocking, buoyant. When you thought you were entering a Slow Sondheim Phase, Ashford would startle you with "cabaret karaoke." When you thought you were going to get forty minutes of disco dancing, Ashford would shock you with a Mr. Rogers ballad.

*Our final cabaret of the year is just one week away. Megan Hilty has done Broadway--she was a Galinda replacement, for example--but she obviously is most famous for TV. I look forward to some "Little Shop of Horrors"; at least, I imagine we'll get some of that. And maybe "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend." Ashford is a tough act to follow. Get your scorecards ready!

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