Review: Tori Scott Provides Post-Election Catharsis in SEEING DOUBLE at Joe's Pub

Early on in Tori Scott's SEEING DOUBLE, the woman of the hour deadpanned, "I've been in a rut since birth."

If that's the case, we should all be so lucky. But on the subject of things that could be going better, throughout Scott's performance at Joe's Pub on November 13, the unofficial theme of the night was, "Could this year get any worse?"

With the election still looming large, Scott took the stage, explaining she'd been looking forward to the show because she was in need of some attention, before adding, "Then Tuesday happened and I needed group therapy."

She proved disco is a cure-all, getting into the groove with an effervescent mash-up of Madonna's "Hung Up" (Madonna/Stuart Price/Benny Andersson/Bjorn Ulvaeus) and Prince's "Baby I'm a Star" to open the show.

That wasn't Scott's only homage to a great figure we lost in 2016. In a year where we lost heroes "like Prince... David Bowie... Miss Cleo," Scott was most distraught about the death of Alan Rickman, perhaps best known for playing Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films, a name shared with her dearly departed vibrator.

"They say the wand picks you. They were totally right," she told the giggling crowd, with a twinkle in her eye. Scott paid tribute with a loving medley featuring Heart's "Magic Man" (Ann Wilson/Nancy Wilson) and The Drifters' "This Magic Moment" (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman). She kept the "magic" alive with The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (Sting) and earned feverish applause after launching into Bowie's "Starman." When the medley came to an end, Scott joked wistfully, "You never get over a loss like that."

In fact, she had quite a few incredible one-liners throughout the performance, including this post-election zinger: "It's nice to think Susan Sarandon's having a worse week than me." The only false notes came when Scott seemed a bit too sure the punchline would kill before she said it, bearing a grin that screamed, "This is gonna be good."

While comparing her experience exploring the seedier nighttime vibe of a seaside Provincetown establishment to Barb getting sucked into the Upside-Down on Netflix's omnipresent 2016 series STRANGER THINGS, the audience reaction was a bit tepid. But it was a solid set-up, which she acknowledged, teasing, "Sorry if you haven't seen it; it's a really funny joke."

Regardless, she had good reason to be confident in the material, co-written by with Adam Hetrick, with Seth Sklar-Heyn (LES MISERABLES) directing and Jesse Kissel (THE VISIT) serving as music director. Scott also was joined onstage by Jordan Jones-Reese at the piano, Mike Lunoe on drums, and Mark Verdino on bass.

Aside from the untimely passing of her favorite toy, her other standout story was that of her first love: vodka. This part of the show exhibited the most cohesive use of her comedic skills and storytelling through song, going through four hallmarks of a bad relationship. Scott recounted taking that first swig as a teen on a dare, which was cleverly juxtaposed with the early relationship jitters of The Crystals' "And Then He Kissed Me" (Phil Spector/Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry).

Lady Gaga's "Do What U Want" encapsulated the reckless feeling of being in the throes of a relationship that's as passionate as it is destructive. Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" (Don Covay) may seem a bit on the nose to evoke the feeling of disillusionment in a fling gone wrong, but Scott's bits about calling 911 when she left her purse in a cab and setting her dress on fire at a friend's birthday were hysterical.

After the aforementioned incidents, which one might also call "warning signs," Scott realized she needed to give vodka the kiss-off (don't be too worried about their break-up--- Scott will return to Joe's Pub for VODKA IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON on December 5).

But on a night where she had already acknowledged what a weird year it's been, her corresponding rendition of Pink's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" transcended the story she was telling. As she belted "I've had a shit day/We've had a shit day," it was a cathartic moment that seemed to resonate throughout the room.

And that feeling continued as Scott unleashed a heart-pounding cover of Aerosmith's "Dream On" (Steven Tyler) and throughout the rest of the performance. Standing on stage with just a spotlight on her, she pleaded with the audience to "Sing for the laughter/Sing for the tears," matching Steven Tyler's perilous falsetto as the stage lights erupted in an abbreviated laser show.

Afterward, Scott explained she'd decided to power through a medley of upbeat songs that had been arranged before the election results, in order to end the uneven sentence that is 2016 with an exclamation point. While James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)," Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine" (Kimberley Rew) and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" weren't the most out-of-the-box selections, Scott did what she set out to do: make the audience smile.

Not only that, but she brought the fire with "Feeling Good" (Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse), the standard popularized by Nina Simone, and closed out the medley with a hopeful rendition of Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger."

"I never get preachy like this, but I'm pissed," Scott said afterward. She may be pissed, but she's also a force to be reckoned with.

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