BWW Reviews: Debuts by Evelyn Sullivan, Erin McCracken; Comebacks by Eve Eaton, Rob Sutton Are Standouts at Don't Tell Mama

There's a visceral angst you experience when mounting a cabaret show for the first time. You can take all the classes in the world, study with the best teachers, perform in workshops, open mics, or variety shows, but when you finally get the guts to put yourself up there on the cabaret stage--or even return to the stage after life's lessons have battered you around a bit-the anxiety can be overwhelming. So you pull from the totality of your life experience. You hire a musical director, a director, the best musicians you can find (and afford), and then you rehearse your butt off. You spend a small fortune. You question your sanity. But you also dare to create, and when you find your truth and put it up there for all to experience, hopefully, the audience "gets it."

The four shows reviewed here came from those making their debuts on the New York cabaret scene (Evelyn Sullivan and Erin McCracken) or returned this spring in hopeful anticipation of sharing their artistic vision with audiences (Rob Sutton and Eve Eaton). They no doubt experienced the usual anxiety, trials and tribulations before ultimately taking the stage. And they've come out on the other side relatively unscathed.

Evelyn Sullivan is a bold, artistic chameleon that changed into five fascinatingly funny characters during her debut show Paper Dolls (April 16 at Don't Tell Mama). Written by Sullivan and her co-star and director, Jason Ellis, the act explores "self-expression" in song, monologue, and skit format from a rather absurdist point of view that even Mr. Camus would have loved.

Opening the show is "Sunny Pierson" and her dancing sailor boys (Jason Ellis and Bryan Galatis). Apparently, Sunny is some kind of big TV star from somewhere. Perhaps, an alternate universe. Dressed in all black complete with spy overcoat and fedora as the sexy "European mystery woman," Sunny shines those pearly whites as she dances her little tuckus off, and sings her Hollywood heart out while belting a Jacque Brel-done-Vegas style "Port of Amsterdam." Add a little sailor-boy synchronized Marcel Marceau mime, and you've got yourself one hell of an opener, baby.

Up next is "Gertrude Barrister" based on the notorious Barrison Vaudevillian Sisters of the late 19th century. Sullivan plays the youngest and most famous of the sisters, exploring the conflicts of early feminism with "Sister Suffragette" (from Disney's Mary Poppins). With the help of her other two sisters (Randy Lester and Anna Foss Wilson), all three perform the infamous Barrison act. Singing an original tune written by Sullivan and Ellis, "Would You Like?" the sisters raise their skirts slightly above their knees, asking the audience, "Would you like to see my pussy?" Coquettishly coaxing the audience into an enthusiastic response, they raise their skirts, revealing that each sister is wearing underwear that has a stuffed toy kitten "strategically placed" (the actual Barrison Sisters used live kittens in their act). Stuffed or alive, the audience roars.

"Mermie" is a psychologically damaged Disney mermaid complete with turquoise fishtail and bountiful mane. Sullivan perches herself on top of the piano and sings "I'm a Dreamer" (Sandy Denny) lamenting the fact she will never get laid because no one (fish or man) can find her sex organs. But she can produce a great deal of caviar that she generously offers to the audience. Sullivan sings a hysterical parody "Part of Your World" (Alan Menken/Howard Ashman, from Disney's Little Mermaid with additional lyrics by Ellis/Sullivan). Contemplating "mermaidal suicide," Sullivan gets a Poseidon style intervention when from out of the ocean/audience comes all kinds of sea creatures as her "friends" (Ivan Farkas, Allison D. Galland, Christine Rose Di Tolvo, Bryan Galatis, and Peggy Eason) to teach Mermie a life lesson through a full camp production of "If Just One Person Believes in You" (Larry Grossman/Hal Hackady) from Snoopy: The Musical.

As lead rock vocalist "Steven Chylde" from the rock group Forever Chylde, Sullivan and Ellis examine another side of self-expression--teenage rebellion. Sullivan pulls off full male drag as the 1980's lead singer from the heavy metal rock group Forever Chylde, performing at a local high school under the absolute disapproval of principal Mr. Tepedino (Ellis). Matt Scharfglass' guitar added hot and heavy metal authenticity to the skit, with amazing solos on "Stonehenge" and "Sex Farm" (both from Spinal Tap). Huge kudos also goes to musical director, Ricky Ritzel, who successfully captured the varied musical styles in this show. His portrayal of the drugged out stoner keyboard dude in black wig on "Wasted Years" (Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden) was worth the price of admission alone.

"Batilde La Chance" was my favorite character of the evening. Here we see a more subdued, mature Sullivan wearing Piaf black with a hint of a European accent as she speaks to her 1960's radio interviewer, Jao Juan Pablo Juan Paolo (Ellis). Batilde comically heaps tale upon tale of tragedy depicting the horrors and atrocities of war all the while managing a cheery Charlie Chaplin smile through it all. Sullivan shows considerable vocal chops (as she does throughout the evening) with an intense emotional homage to Piaf singing "Je Ne Regrette Rien" (Dumont/Vaucaire). This skit with just Sullivan and Ellis was the best written and performed work of the evening. Ellis (a gifted actor) and Sullivan have a special comic rapport on stage reminiscent of when Mike Nichols did a comedy act with Elaine May. Hopefully, the next show will not be so "production heavy," allowing these two wonderfully creative talents room to play and grow on stage together.

Evelyn Sullivan in Paper Dolls will return in August at Don't Tell Mama. For exact times and dates consult the website www.donttellmama.com or call 212-757-0788.

In her bio, Eve Eaton states that her decision to move to New York City some 23 years ago was partly due to her obsession with the words and music of Billy Joel. Returning to the New York cabaret stage after a nine-year hiatus, Eaton's Back to Billy: a Love Affair 30 Years in the Making (April 18 at Don't Tell Mama) is a powerful homage to the musical genius of the "Piano Man" from Long Island. As Joel is the sixth best-selling recording artist, and third best-selling solo artist in the United States, selecting material from his vast discography is a challenge that Eaton conquers admirably.

The show starts in blackout with a single haunting violin solo played by Fritz Stewart. Eaton, dressed in elegant black top and tight gold sequined pants, takes the stage singing "The Stranger." Next is another hit from The Stranger album "Get It Right the First Time," where her superb band (Musical Director Steve Ray Watkins on piano, Stewart on Violin, Dan Fabricatore on Bass, and Donna Kelly on drums) and two excellent backup singers (Wendy Russell and Rachel Hanser) kick into full swing with Eaton proving she easily handles pop with vocal fortitude. On "Ain't No Crime" (from Joel's 1973 album Piano Man) Eaton turns up the heat and the singer and her band soar. Eaton's powerful voice, stage presence, and style are immediately reminiscent of a youthful Karen Mason.

Next she tells the heartwarming story of attending her first Billy Joel concert in 1985 and now, 30 years (and one day) later, she lovingly sings a terrific mash-up of "You're My Home" and "Travelin' Prayer" (from Piano Man) with clarity of innocence in her voice reflecting her younger self. "Vienna" follows with one of the strongest interpretations of the evening as singer and song refer to being at the crossroads of life.

Eaton moves on biographically to the infamous Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley relationship, concluding that if she were Joel's love interest she would never have hurt him like she believed Brinkley did. Here is where the true brilliance of Watkins shines as musically the next three songs depict the tumultuous relationship of the celebrity couple. Perched atop the piano to sing "Big Shot," Eaton conveys the very essence of a femme fatale with this Watkins film noir-ish arrangement. A mash-up of "She's Always a Woman to Me" and "Stiletto" drive home the point that there was fight, yet also fire in this passionate relationship. Concluding with the disillusionment of marriage, Eaton sings a soulfully sad "C'etait Toi (You Were the One)" from Joel's 1980 album Glass Houses.

With Joel free, available, and off and running through the 1980's, Eaton gives us a hip "Modern Woman" followed by a frantic "Running on Ice" both from The Bridge, but slows down the pace (and our breaths) as, seated down stage, she quietly contemplates the price of his "stardom" with her moving and reflective rendition of "Everybody Loves You Now" (from Joel's 1971 Cold Spring Harbor Album). Collette Black on lights and sound adds further depth to this beautifully somber moment.

In a final effort to revisit her youth, Eaton gleefully reminisces about her high school prom and graduation singing "Got to Begin Again" (Cold Spring Harbor) then appropriately concludes the evening with an energetic mash-up of "My Life" and "Movin Out" (from The Stranger, popularized by the 1986 TV Series Bosom Buddies starring a young Tom Hanks) that leaves her audience wanting more.

Once again, Steven Ray Watkins has successfully brought the words and music of a contemporary musical legend to life (as he did with Rain Collazo's excellent Prince Tribute show last year). His arrangements are fresh, energetic, and beautifully showcase the singer as well as the song. The show is tight, entertaining, and well crafted under the solid direction of Lennie Watts. But the real star here is Eve Eaton with her good looks, great voice, and congenial personality that combine to create a winning tribute to the incomparable, Billy Joel.

Eve Eaton in Back to Billy: a Love Affair 30 Years in the Making will return May 12 at 7 pm at Don't Tell Mama. Consult the website www.donttellmama.com or call 212-757-0788 for reservations.

I've always been fascinated with comebacks, especially the return of a performer who brings their vast experience (as well as sizable Broadway credits) to the cabaret stage in hopes of rejuvenating their artistic passion. In his new show, Not The Boy Next Door (April 27 at Don't Tell Mama), Rob Sutton brings far more than his impressive Broadway credits to the cabaret stage--he brings his soul. You might think that his good looks, glorious baritone voice, and wholesome Arkansas upbringing proved to be the perfect ingredients for his success, and, no doubt, they are, yet Sutton seems to be searching for something far more tangible.

Performing before a packed house, Sutton opened with a smooth mash-up of "On A Clear Day" (Burton Lane) into a highly charged "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (Bono/Adam Clayton/The Edge/Larry Mullen Jr.), immediately establishing his "yearnings" (artistic and otherwise) as the theme of his show. Peter Allen's "Not the Boy Next Door" served as a bold declaration to his audience, followed by the wonderfully provocative "Secrets" (Mary Lambert), as Sutton comically strutted his "secrets" about the stage, proclaiming a big "so what" to his audience. It's just four songs into the set and you already love this big hunky guy.

Sutton confessed that he lost his passion to sing some five years ago. So he dropped out of the Broadway scene and into the dating scene, telling the hysterical story of his search (with the online OK Cupid dating service) for his ideal, ruggedly virile "Marlboro Man," but ends up with the "Avon Lady." Confessing he has nothing against Avon Ladies per se, he added, "Don't deliver me daffodils when I ordered an oak tree." Sutton poured all the angst of a bad romance into the devastatingly powerful mash up of "New York Romance" (Rusty McGee) into Sam Smith's heart wrenching "Stay With Me."

"Auditioning is like dating" Sutton told the audience. "You never know what to expect." Sutton was in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast for two years, nightly playing the role of the "Baker" while understudying his favorite role of "The Beast," and least favorite role, "Gaston." Sutton offered another great story of going on for Donny Osmond who was playing "Gaston." Relating the negative reaction he got from the audience when his name was announced as the replacement leads him into the song "Goodbye, Until Tomorrow" (Jason Robert Brown). Upon realizing that it was time to move on beyond Broadway, Sutton took his last curtain call ironically singing the poignant "A Change in Me" (Tim Rice/Alan Menken) from Beauty and The Beast.

Sutton then took us back to his youthful days of the 1980s and this is where you realized that Steven Ray Watkins was an inspired choice as musical director. His arrangements were near perfection (especially the 1980's pop classics), and Watkins once again assembled a terrific group of musicians, Donna Kelly on drums, Ted Stafford on guitar, and Dan Fabricatore on bass. Fun arrangements that really got the joint jumpin' were "Livin' in Desperate Times" (Barry Alfonso/Tom Snow), a sultry George Michael's "Faith/ I Want Your Sex," and a knee slappin' "Back To Arkansas" (where Sutton played the spoons). Watkins' high-energy arrangement of his "Pop Medley" (which amazingly included all of the Top 20 Billboard hits of 1984) was a particular standout, conjuring up Tea Dance time on Fire Island. Adam DeCarlo on lights and sound created wonderful ambiance throughout the show. Lennie Watts showed great perception as director by allowing Sutton to work organically as nothing ever seemed false or forced. The choice of material and patter was so well suited to Sutton that by the end of the hour you felt like you knew him-- all reflecting the talents of a good director.

Sutton brought the energy in the room down to a final simmer with Carole King's reflective "Now and Forever." After receiving a standing ovation, Sutton stepped to the piano to accompany himself on Lady Antebellum's life inspiring "I Was Here" (Hillary Scott/Gary Burr/Victoria Shaw). Hopefully, Rob Sutton's restless spirit will continue to "stay here" on the cabaret stage--now and in the future.

Erin McCracken is living in New York City pursuing her dreams, but proudly hails from Oklahoma City. As she was born, bred, and raised on God and country music, it makes perfect sense her debut show would pay homage to her Oklahoma roots. In Thank God I'm a Country Girl (May 4 at Don't Tell Mama), McCracken delivers a firecracker of a performance joyfully celebrating her heritage in music. Dressed in a simple black dress, shiny rhinestone earrings, blood red lips, and, of course, cowboy boots, McCracken starts the evening off right with a soft lilting verse from "Oklahoma," then she and her bad ass band burst forth into J.M. Sommers, "Thank God I'm a Country Girl (Boy)." No doubt feeling the emotional pull of her family roots, McCracken next sings a soulful "Gravity" (Robert Lee Castleman), her voice soft and luscious, with just the right amount of forlorn pain.

True to country music, McCracken examines the female southern psyche in song throughout the evening. "Mama's Broken Heart" (Brandy Clark, Shane McAnall, Kacey Musgraves) wonderfully examines the generational gap of how southern women (a mother and a daughter) deal with the heartache of a break up where the mother pretty much takes a "grin and bear it" stance while the daughter leans more toward "revenge." This attitude is further comically explored by McCracken's delightfully saucy take on "Goodbye Earl" (Dennis Linde from the Dixie Chicks Fly Album) as she tells the story in song of two high school friends who find a common solution for domestic abuse--murder. McCracken delivers just the right amount of tongue in cheek with Loretta Lynn's controversial 1975 song "The Pill" that boldly expresses a woman's right to choose her own birth control methods. Two of the more riveting moments of the evening were McCracken (standing center stage back lit in red) intensely singing her heart out on a mash-up of "Stay" (Jennifer Nettles) and "Jolene" (Dolly Parton). Exploring the theme of poverty as told through another mother/daughter relationship, McCracken is brilliant performing Bobbie Gentry's "Fancy."

McCracken is a big fan of Patsy Cline (having played her in a stage production of Always, Patsy Cline) and dedicates a three-song set to her icon-a mash up of "Sweet Dreams" (Don Gibson) and "She's Got You" (Hank Cochran), Willie Nelson's "Crazy," and Hughie Cannon's "Bill Bailey." Impersonating Cline vocally required McCracken's brighter mezzo voice to do too much stretching for those lower contralto notes that sounded a bit out of her range throughout. Yet her most memorable moment of the evening was her singing the powerful Carrie Underwood hit "Something In the Water" (Chris DeStefano, Brett James), revealing the very soul of country music is all about God.

This act was successful largely due to the superlative arrangements and musical direction of Drew Wutke, who wisely assembled a band of truly gifted musicians. Nathan Siler on guitar, Matt Scharfglass on bass, Blaine O'Brian on steel guitar and harmonica, and Kenneth Hildebrandt on drums made up this band of 'good ole boys' that sounded like they had been playing together for years. Wutke, originally from Kansas, captures the true essence of the country music sound while giving McCracken solid musical support throughout the show on vocal backup and piano. Once again, Lennie Watts offered solid direction by skillfully guiding the talented McCracken through her first solo show.

McCracken finishes the show with the Jessica Andrews 2000 country hit "Who I Am" (Brett James and Troy Verges), which is a song that's about believing in yourself, and that no matter what happens your friends and family will support you. Judging by her friends and family in the audience, I'd say for this debut artist that's a pretty sure bet.

Erin McCracken in Thank God I'm a Country Girl will return May 16, at 4PM at Don't Tell Mama. Consult the website www.donttellmama.com or call 212-757-0788 for reservations.

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