Review: Katie Zaffrann Presents Personal MARRY ME A LITTLE: A COLD FEET CABARET at The Green Room 42

They say you should write about what you know. That is certainly what Katie Zaffrann has done. In 2014 the singing actress debuted her one woman musical cabaret MARRY ME A LITTLE: A COLD FEET CABARET, and she has been playing the theater piece in various venues in and out of New York City ever since. Zaffrann has returned to NYC with a refreshed version of the cabaret play, which has landed at The Green Room 42 for two nights. At the production's first performance on March 29th, Ms. Zaffrann burst onto the stage with every ounce of that which has made her show so enduring a success, not to mention an enchanting delight.

Marry Me A Little: A Cold Feet Cabaret has two titles, and even though the era of cabaret shows with two titles needs to come to a conclusion, in this case, two titles are most welcome - indeed, they are somewhat essential. Marry Me A Little provides Ms. Zaffrann with two things that her show needs: name recognition (by way of a song by Stephen Sondheim) and topic of conversation. With the first half of her title, Katie Zaffrann has told the public what her show is about: marriage. With the subtitle A Cold Feet Cabaret, Katie Zaffrann has piqued the curiosity, provided a vital detail, and interested anyone who has ever been panic-stricken as the days dwindle down to I do. Everything a person needs to know about this cabaret musical is right there in the title.

So when Katie Zaffrann enters in head-to-toe white and carrying an appropriately lovely bouquet, the audience is already in the picture, there is no need for words, no need for exposition, no need for introduction - the storyteller on the stage is able to dive into the story. And dive, Katie did.

Marry Me A Little (henceforth abbreviated) is a smart cabaret, for many reasons. Clearly a musical theater performer of experience, Ms. Zaffrann has taken a simple but mighty topic (from engagement to marriage and everything in between), crafted an extensive script filled with honesty, humor, and her true self, added in pre-existing compositions that just happen to fit the arc (which they don't, always), memorized all of that extensive script, and produced an hour-long piece of theater that is both relatable and enjoyable. There are lessons to be learned in some points of view that many (like this writer) may not even have ever considered on the topics of marriage, proposals, and engagements. There is a strong feminist thread running through the act. There are reflections into the traditions of times gone by, and there is philosophy, pathos, wit and wisdom, all of it wrapped up like saltwater taffy in wonderful music, and not just music being sung in order to make a point. A good deal of Marry Me A Little is dialogue spoken to an audience with whom Katie manages to connect, in spite of the fourth wall that is present in this sort of theatrical cabaret outing. This is not chit-chat cabaret, it is a one woman show. This is Shirley Valentine up on the stage, with nobody but The Wall as her scene partner. And Kate Zaffrann makes it work while maintaining small venue intimacy. Even though this is her real-life story, she is playing a character, and that character's job on the stage is to monologue with songs and monologue with the delicate underscoring of Musical Director Tina deVaron, and, even still, the audience of this theatrical piece was connected to Katie Zaffrann, from the frantic beginnings of the play to the peaceful happy ending. Director Laura Brandel has served her storyteller well, in every aspect of the presentation (as has lighting/sound designer Sheridan Glover, who turned the lights into a character in the play).

Musically speaking, Zaffrann and co. have curated a tight collection of compositions to suit their needs, choosing carefully when to truncate the likes of Maltby & Shire's "I Want It All" (an evening highlight) or Arlen and Koehler's "As Long As I Live," or when to (beautifully) meld famous Broadway ballads "My Own Space" and "I'd Rather Be Sailing" (THE evening highlight), and Katie Zaffrann has total commitment to the story and the moments, at every turn. There is no point in the show during which she appears self-conscious or timid; at no time is there any element of being rushed or getting lost, and that is because Katie Zaffrann knows her story - she knows her words, she knows her intention, and she knows her craft. Telling your own story for nine years (2014 - 2023), one runs a risk of becoming rote. It didn't happen here. A Cold Feet Cabaret is so fresh that it feels like it was written this year and the performance felt like a premiere. Thanks to Ms. Zaffrann's skill as a writer and as an actor, this charmer comes off like the newest little cabaret show that could. Instead, what we have is a cabaret longhauler. That's because Marry Me A Little is cabaret storytelling in its purest form because it is entirely authentic to the actress doing the storytelling, entirely authentic to the woman who had the cold feet. And authenticity is where it starts.

Marry Me A Little: A Cold Feet Cabaret will play The Green Room 42 on March 31st at 7 pm with a live stream option. Reservations to either the live or live stream option are HERE.

Visit the Katie Zaffrann website HERE, the Tina deVaron website HERE and the Laura Brandel website HERE.

Marry Me A Little features stellar lighting and sound design by Sheridan Glover.

Photos by Stephen Mosher; Visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.

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