Reviewed Saturday 14th June, 2014
Four young people who appeared in the
Class of Cabaret last year are back with their own show,
Class of Cabaret Graduates. Their previous appearances only allowed time for a brief introduction and one song and so it was interesting to see what they were capable of in a more expanded setting.
Michael Baker-Stimson's first song,
Where or When from the musical
Babes in Arms and a big hit for
Frank Sinatra, started just a little too low, but the remainder sat more comfortably within his range. It was immediately obvious that he is a fine crooner, though. Introduced by
Fred Astaire, and another hit for Sinatra, was his next number,
I Won't Dance, originally written for a failed musical called
Three Sisters, then making it when used in the film
Roberta.
The Best is Yet to Come confirmed that the Great American Songbook is definitely his forte, although his version of
Let Me Fall, from the
Cirque du Soleil show
Quidam, was also a stunner.
A superb version of
In My Room, a Beach Boys ballad from 1964, was the first song for Hannah Worden. She also gave us what she referred to as "the mix tape from Hell", generating laughs and applause. Back to ballads and
Time After Time, the
Cyndi Lauper song, was given a very sensitive treatment
Nathaniel O'Brien was next up, drawing first on his interest in country music and accompanying himself on guitar. His later entry,
The Nearness of You, though, suggested that he too should keep the Great American Songbook in his repertoire. He is also no slouch when it comes to singing the blues, and also gets right inside
River Deep, Mountain High. Such versatility is a real asset.
Chloe Bremner opened with a rousing version of
Katy Perry's
Roar, before having fun with, well,
Cyndi Lauper's
Girls Just Want to Have Fun, showing a keen sense of humour and drawing a good load of laughs from the audience. She also tilts at Disney princesses, and hilariously exposes the false expectations given to small girls that, somewhere out there is a prince who is coming to rescue them.
These four talented young artists were very lucky to have such a terrific accompanist as Logan Watt at the piano, and their mentor, Kim Spargo, assisting with backing harmonies. One wonders how long it will be before we see them back again, each with their own Cabaret Festival show.
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