Review: Wendy Kaufman Harper Debuts Well with STAY ON THE RIDE at Don't Tell Mama

Before Wendy Kaufman Harper even began singing, any audience member tuned in to their powers of observation had a read on the kind of person she is. Dressed in a simple blue day dress with embroidered flowers on the bodice, shitkicker boots, and flowing hair best described as brushed-out Carole King curls, the energy and light shining from her obviously overjoyed face made a loud declarative that this is a California girl. One imagines she is the child of free spirits and thinkers, possibly hippies, a lover of trees, people and life, and a person who likes to help others. Her opening song "Every Day is a Winding Road" filled the room with a light, reedy voice reminiscent of Judy Collins and Joan Baez (appropriate), setting the tone that was to come. Fifty bucks said there were no show tunes in this show, titled "Stay On The Ride." This would be a show filled with pop, rock, and folk songs about taking journeys and living life, and given the exuberant happiness visible on the person of the woman driving the bus, it looked like we were in the right hands.

Indeed, Ms. Kaufman Harper did stay away from the standards and show tunes, and focused on more popular music from the last few decades of the 20th century, maybe one or two tunes from this one, taking time out to talk to the crowd about the arc in her life that brought her from Northern California to New York. The musical selections being authentic to who she is and mostly joyful and optimistic, the afternoon of music was enjoyable, particularly as she was supported by an impressive group of musicians tailor-made for her music: Kuriko Tsugawa on bass, Ari Axelrod on conga, and musical director Rick Jensen (always a pleasure to watch at work) leading them on piano - and it has to be said that this three-piece combo was truly a great pleasure to hear in action.

And as leaders go, you can't really do better than Lina Koutrakos when putting together your cabaret act. Ms. Koutrakos directs Kaufman Harper with a watchful eye and a steady pace, making full use of the entire stage and every storytelling opportunity, including each time the wise choice was made to go from one song right into the next, making the music the driving force of the story. After all, this is a musical cabaret and Ms. Kaufman Harper definitely had a journey in mind for her audience when she created it, to say nothing of a fun setlist consisting of tunes originating from Joni Mitchell, Ricki Lee Jones, Harry Nilsson, Patti Griffin, Springsteen and the late, great Carol Hall. It could not be denied that Ms. Kaufman Harper and the music she chose for her show are evenly matched, and quite beautifully. Kaufman Harper has a pleasant voice that sits well in this material, though there were times when some vocal limitations threatened to creep into the performance. It would not be surprising to posit whether or not the cabaret creating process was a new one for the artist at the center of Stay On The Ride. An email to director Koutrakos confirmed that this is, indeed, Kaufman Harper's maiden voyage onto the nightclub stage - and all things considered, it should be labeled a success. The pleasant voice and ebullient personality are both welcoming enough to get Wendy up on a stage and keep her there, and with more shows and experience, there is no reason why she shouldn't take her place among the nightclub singing artists of the community.

The script to Stay On The Ride isn't bad, but it could use some tightening up, as it can tend toward verbosity, leading one to wonder if Ms. Kaufman Harper is working from an overabundant text or allowing the excitement of the moment to lead her off-book. More important than being voluble, though, is the fact that it can be unclear, at times, what the point is to the story Ms. Kaufman Harper intends to tell. After a while, the journey on which we were being taken became vague and obtuse, particularly during a segment surrounding life lessons learned, with each of four lessons applied to musical entries. It's a conceit that is both clever and interesting, but only if executed in a manner that the audience can follow. Perhaps other audience members were able to follow along, but this one was not. It would be nice to see Ms. Kaufman Harper refine the verbiage of her voyage and the trajectory of the tale, if only to create a sense of crystal clarity. Audiences can be reluctant to work at enjoying an entertainment on a Saturday afternoon - they can often prefer to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride enough to want to stay on the ride. Wendy Kaufman Harper has some really strong things going for her - strong enough to make her Freshman outing a good one. Now she needs to work at making it better, rather than ride it out.

The payoff will be considerable.

Stay on the Ride has concluded its run at Don't Tell Mama but if more dates are scheduled Broadwayworld will announce them.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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