Review: Scott Coulter And Friends: FROM DOLLY PARTON TO DAVID BOWIE Lands Spot On Target At Feinstein's/54 Below

Scott Coulter Brings A Roster of His Incredible, Usual Suspects To Feinstein's/54 Below To Give A Retrospective Of The Last 7 Years Of Spot On Entertainment With FROM DOLLY PARTON TO DAVID BOWIE

Heigh-Ho, My Merry Rainbow Tribe! Bobby Patrick your RAINBOW Reviewer here. Putting the silent T in cabareT to bring you all the T!

Ok, let's get something clear me dears, when our adorable boss, Stephen Mosher, assigned us to review SCOTT COULTER & FRIENDS: FROM DOLLY PARTON TO DAVID BOWIE at F/54B Monday night Bobby was all, "A group show? Really?" TBH, reviewing group shows always presents challenges for little Bobby because it is hard to not write one of those blow by blow, song by song, "She sang this. He sang that. She sang the other damn thing," I'm asleep already reviews. BUT, this was to be your rainbow boy's first Scott Coulter EXPERIENCE, so off we tripped to the basement, and are we ever so glad we went. Mr. Coulter is a prodigious producer of living playlists - shows he curates, directs, and even performs in - globally through his concert packaging company, Spot-On Entertainment. Over the last seven years, F/54B has availed themselves of Scott's show services many times to great acclaim, and, with the celebration of their re-opening, putting together an evening of music that spans those seven years of successes brought forth this boffo Monday night offering.

Featuring:

Carole J. Bufford (You Don't Own Me: Fearless Females of the '60s & '70s)

Natalie Douglas (Twelve-time MAC Award winner)

Alex Getlin (Anything Can Happen in the Theatre, Godspell)

Jessica Hendy (Cats, Aida)

Blaine Alden Krauss (Hamilton, Kinky Boots)

Lorinda Lisitza (Triumphant Baby)

Anthony Murphy (Disney's Aladdin - The Musical)

Allison Posner (A Very Broadway Mother's Day)

Brian Wilson (Cats, The King: The Music of Elvis)

Mark Hartman (Sondheim on Sondheim, Avenue Q) - Piano

Matt Scharfglass - Bass

And

Scott Coulter Himself

This roster of voices - all bringing their A-games to re-launch F54/B the week of pride while tying up the last year and a half in a pretty lavender bow and kicking it straight to the curb, gave performances that excited, inspired, and ... well... entertained mightily. Now, my loves, if you read that line up again and do just a smidge of research, you will see that all of these talents WORK in the world of the theatre, nightclubs, and concert stages, but they are not what one could call household names. These are hard-working, jobbing actor/singers who do their best to get that next show, that next gig, and to keep working in an ever-shrinking theatrical market, one that shrunk away completely owing to our last year's ... dilemma, and that is struggling to reawaken on our cabaret stages now. Sitting in the basement of Studio 54 and experiencing their voices, their faces, their ACTING, it is almost impossible to understand why each and every one of them is not a STAR in their own right. Coulter knows talent, and part of the reason he knows talent is he carries a hefty bag of his own. No mean armchair director is Scott Coulter, as he is blessed with charm and showmanship and a voice that can stand with any or all of those he performs with. One of the high points in an evening of nothing but high points came late in the show when La Coulter was joined on stage by HAMILTON's Blaine (be still my heart) Alden Krauss to wail the George Michael/Elton John opus, DON'T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME. Choosing to face each other and play the lyrics as dialogue, the crowd got some real acting of a scene of true love between two men who needed music to express themselves. Truthfully me dearlings, matching voices with BAK might normally be vocal suicide, but Scott's got the chops.

(Beep, Beep, Beep) Backing up - Alex Getlin opened the show with a literal bang, out-singing Adele with ROLLING IN THE DEEP, followed immediately by beautiful earth-mother Jessica Hendy wailing Bowie's LIFE ON MARS, creating a power anthem with her penetrating, trumpet-like voice that, for all its power, beautifully incorporates pathos and soul. Then, just when you think there simply can't be more raw girl power on the stage... Carole J. Bufford. This being Bobby's first-ever encounter with the lady and her singular style, with her particular brand of dramatic interpretation, her reinvention of Carol Hall's HARD CANDY CHRISTMAS, while still being true to the character of the song, made sure it will not be our last. She later returned for a foot-stompin', honky-tonk styled ME AND BOBBY MCGEE that ensured that our little rainbow heart belongs to CJB from now on. This raw nerve of feeling plus unstoppable theatricality is one of the brightest embers we have seen burning in the spotlights today. Then it was Boy time... With Prince's HOW COME YOU DON'T CALL ME, our future husband, Blaine Alden Krauss, gave forth his most mournful wail, working his highest notes and fastest runs, making the song bigger and broader, then all his own was then followed by cuddly bear Brian Wilson, bringing us all back to earth with some audience participation and his fab basso notes on SWEET CAROLINE. Allison Posner's turn at the mic took us back to Dollywood (remember the title of the show) with a voice and choices that brought Parton's JOLENE into the 21st century while keeping it in the country, and Lorinda Lisitza's tackling of Bowie's (remember the title of the show) difficult, arhythmic OH YOU PRETTY THING shook the roof and made us all hope that the days of slinging drinks for this exceptional singing actress are numbered. And then... Natalie Douglas... What can be written here that has not already been typed about this nightclub songstress? Taking on Tina Turner's AIN'T MISSING YOU AT ALL, Natalie showed why she is one of the most awarded cabaret and bistro mavens of them all. If you have never been in an audience while Douglas was on stage, then you have just missed it and Bobby just can't with you right now. Rounding out Monday night's company was Alladin's national touring Genii, Anthony Murphy, he of the wide bright penetrating voice and fabulous dance moves with a big ol' Japanese fan no less, took on Elton John's I'M STILL STANDING, and in the vernacular of the biz, put it right over!

In and amongst all this solo polo, the cast mixed it up with trios, duos, and company singalongs that really did take the crowd across seven glorious years on the stage of F/54B and FROM DOLLY PARTON TO DAVID BOWIE in such remarkable ways that it made this little rainbow reviewer wish this show were installed for a longer run at the club. HOWEVER, Mr. Scott Coulter and Spot-On Entertainment will most assuredly be back or will be playing in your town soon, as we all return to seeing live performance again; so follow, like, subscribe, and do all the things to make sure you are there because Bobby gives this huge package of entertainment his full...

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Spot On Entertainment's Webbysite Is: HERE

And You Can Check Out F/54b's Schedule: HERE

Blaine Alden Krauss Socializes Online

See His InstaG: HERE

Grab His Twitters: HERE

And Followe On Ye Olde FaceBooke: HERE

Lorinda Lisitza However, Has Her Insta Pictograms: HERE

She Tweets Her Twitters: HERE

And Listen To Her Spotifying: HERE

Genii Anthony Murphy Keeps It Online With His Tweets: HERE

And Stalk His IG's: HERE

All Photos by that adorable Stephen Mosher

To post a comment, you must register and login.