Review: Camille Diamond's OVER THE MOON…ON PLUTO TRANSIT is a stellar show

Camille Diamond has been nominated for a MAC Award for Best Debut and it’s not hard to see why. Her crystal clear, mellifluous voice and wonderful storytelling abilities had the audience captivated from the moment she entered Don’t Tell Mama’s Original Room on Saturday night.

Dressed in a sparkly jumpsuit, Diamond kicked off the show, expertly directed by Lennie Watts, with a stellar Planets Mash-up, featuring exemplary Musical Director Steven Ray Watkins on backup vocals. The cleverly thought out medley included Berry Gordy Jr. and Hank Cosby’s "No Matter What Sign You Are"/ Rado and Ragni’s "Age of Aquarius" and Lynn Ahren’s "Interplanet Janet" with hilarious mid-song patter about URANUS, exemplifying Diamond’s comic timing, and a “Ba Dum Tss!” from drummer Don Kelly. Bassist Tom Hubbard clearly enjoyed the patter, too, as he played along the underscoring.

This was followed by a whip-smart parody of Kander and Ebb’s "Roxy", entitled "Pluto", which included some great tech work from the MAC Award-winning Alison Nusbaum on sound and lighting, and was the perfect segue into Diamond’s explanation of the show’s premise. When the world turned upside down in 2020, Diamond found herself seeking out three astrologists in an attempt to make sense of the strange time. Her sparkling eyes and expressive face held court over the audience as she invited the room to keep an open mind and join her on a trip into the world of astrology.

Her gorgeous vibrato shone through the next tune, "Cautiously Optimistic" by Peter Mills. Next came one of many highlights of the night - a beautiful, somber mash-up of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard’s "Paint it Black" and Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson’s "Back to Black". Coupled with a striking spotlight, Diamond had the audience mesmerized, as was demonstrated when the room collectively vocalized their appreciation at the end of the song.

Then it was time to bring out an uptempo number, with Diamond providing a gloriously entertaining version of Comden and Green’s "You Mustn’t Be Discouraged", complete with a joyful dance break! Just when you thought Diamond couldn’t outdo herself anymore, she delivered the most beautiful, poignant interpretation of Johnny Mercer and Barry Manilow’s "When October Goes," with a luscious piano solo by Steven Ray Watkins.

Next up was a tune this reviewer has heard a couple of times on cabaret stages in the past few months, a very clever ditty by New York City songwriter Dan Furman, entitled, “The Pluto Song.” As Diamond quipped, “backup singers are expensive,” she invited the audience to participate in the number, singing “Bring Pluto Back!” with fervor.

Diamond then explained that the last time Pluto was where it is currently (astrologically speaking) was 1776, a time of transformation for this nation. As we find ourselves in another time of transformation, it’s hard not to think that there really could be something in the planets. Skeptics, be damned!

As this reviewer found herself pondering the meaning of life, Diamond opened her heart up and spoke of the passing of her mother-in-law, as she dove into a sublime mash-up of "Circle of Life" from The Lion King and Thad Jones and Alec Wilder’s "A Child is Born." This was the perfect segue into Stevie Wonder’s “Happier than the Morning Sun,” a lovely duet with Diamond’s daughter, Lily Krebs, whose beautiful young voice blended perfectly with her mother’s.

But perhaps the biggest highlight of the night was Diamond’s interpretation of Jimmy Webb’s "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon", which she knocked out of the park - and over the moon!

Saturday’s performance was the last for now, but should the stars align and Diamond unearths this gem again, get thee to it, for you will find yourself gazing at a star.

For more on Camille Diamond, visit camillediamond.com

If you’d like to see a show at Don’t Tell Mama, check out the shows on offer here.

Photo Credit: BWW-Staff

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