BWW Reviews: Laura Osnes' THE PATHS NOT TAKEN Sweetly Charms

Two-time Tony nominee and Broadway sweetheart, Laura Osnes is charming patrons of 54 BELOW with her new cabaret show The Paths Not Taken. As she has done in the past at venues like Café Carlyle and even with pervious appearances at 54 BELOW, Osnes captivates audiences with her deft talent, bubbly charisma, and incandescent spirit as she takes us on a journey through the roles she didn't get or left behind.

Using the medium of cabaret to allow audiences in to her life, Osnes tells vignettes of auditions that didn't land coveted roles or even of times where she had to politely turn down a role because another opportunity presented itself. She tells us of shows that could have been and almost were and left me thinking, "The theater gods sure have helped you dodge a handful of bullets along the way." Of course, as enlightening and fun as the tales are, the song performances are what really matter. In this realm, Osnes never disappoints.

She opens the show with a whimsically mirthful rendition of "Not For the Life Of Me" (Jeanine Tesori/Dick Scanlan) from Thoroughly Modern Millie. She enters the venue the same way the patrons do, making her way to the stage as she sings about taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Signing Fred Lassen's incredibly enchanting jazz arrangement of "Far From the Home I Love" (Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick), Osnes leaves the audience pristinely spellbound. She delights on "When I Fall in Love" (Lindsay Warren Baker/Amanda Jacobs) from Pride and Prejudice. However, listening to the saccharine tune, I am dumbfounded that anyone would have written such frivolous lyrics about love for Jane Austen's Elizabeth Bennet to sing.

With a borrowed Kate Monster puppet, Osnes sang a resplendent rendition of "There's A Fine, Fine Line" (Robert Lopez/Jeff Marx). With such sincerity and power, I was left to wonder how Osnes didn't land this role, as her rendition of the tune was one of the best I have ever heard. This was followed by a medley of "Soon" and "Weekend in the Country" (Stephen Sondheim). If it hadn't just been revived on Broadway, I would be clamoring for another A Little Night Music revival, as Osnes was splendid on these songs and showcased how perfectly cast she would be as Anne Egerman.

With a softly sung and masterfully controlled rendition of the classic "Heather on the Hill" (Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner) from the never-materialized recent plans of reviving Brigadoon on Broadway, her sterling performance caused the entire audience to breathe a silent benediction that we'll soon be seeing Osnes play Fiona MacLaren. She also sang the cut song "Bring It On" (Lin-Manuel Niranda/Tom Kitt/Amanda Green) from the musical Bring It On. Even with her gorgeous vocals, the song came across as cheap because the lyrics work so hard to build a rhyme that can utilize the phrase "bring it on." With passion and tangible spirit she let us imagine her as Bombshell's Marilyn Monroe with her nicely belted and fabulous take on "Let Me Be Your Star" (Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman).

As the show drew to a close, Osnes delivered a divinely spectacular jazz interpretation of "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" (Stephen Sondheim), which was arranged by Lassen. And for her encore, we got to imagine what NBC's Peter Pan Live! could have been life if she had been cast as Wendy when she sang the beautiful "Only Pretend" with evocative passion and sincerity.

Letting Osnes' voice be the star of the show, Music Director and pianist Lassen masterfully arranged each number to showcase the very reason everyone at 54 BELOW came out to her concert. Likewise Rob Jost on guitar and bass and Larry Lelli on drums gave the music rhythm, weaving a tapestry for Osnes' voice to play off of.

Because of her engaging voice, which she can manipulate to be utterly soft and silky to powerfully brassy, Laura Osnes has taken both the worlds of Broadway and cabaret by storm. Her concerts and her talent generate a lot of buzz and leave her fans in awe. For those interested, you can catch one more performance in 54 BELOW's run of The Paths Not Taken on Monday, December 15 at 7:00 p.m. For tickets and more information, please visit http://54below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

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