Review: Monica Passin Rocked the Night at Pangea

If you didn’t know better you’d think that you had stepped into a time warp to the early 1960’s in New York upon entering Pangea NYC on May 3, 2024.  It was here that Monica Passin and her backup group, Monette (consisting of Sherryl Marshall and Deborah Berg) transformed this cozy and intimate little venue into those early years of that delightful decade of music consisting of “girl group” doo-woop.  

Decked out in a sparkly silver top with black trousers, complete with a high coiffed ginger beehive hairdo, Monica Passin led the packed audience on a memorable journey through the young days of the ‘60s.  It was a time when the country was led by a young and charismatic President, John F. Kennedy, who along with his glamorous wife, Jacqueline,  seemed to have ushered in a “Golden Age” in culture, style, music and art.

The petite powerhouse known as  Monica Passin is not only a gifted singer but also a songwriter and guitarist.  Along with the amazing vocal harmony of the Monettes, the trio brought down the house with their renditions of Passin’s original works including, “Lovely Miranda,” “Pretty Sound” (which she wrote as an ode to her beloved guitar), the fun and bouncy “Three Cool Cats,” as well as the sultry sounds of “Deep & Wide / Stem The Tide.”  Passin interacted throughout with theatergoers, even offering them to join in on songs such as “Daisy, Lily & Rose” and her French inspired ballad, “Monette.” These songs brought to the mind of this reviewer  the kind of tunes that came out of the famed hit factory known as the Brill Building in NYC way back in the dawn of that decade. Along the way, the Monettes gave rousing renditions of the chart toppers from The Orlons, a Philadelphia girl group of the time including their wonderful songs “Don’t Hang Up” and “Wah-Watusi.”   The music reflected a more carefree and innocent period in our history.  Songs spoke of love, of youth, of fun not violence or war, which would come out later in the 1960’s.

This reviewer was overwhelmed by the tornado of talent that is Monica Passin.   Not only does she have amazing vocals, and songwriting chops but is also an unbelievably gifted guitarist.  Together with the strong vocals of Monette, this truly accomplished triumvirate had patrons applauding loudly.  With a final encore of “Save the Last Dance for Me” (from The Drifters), the night ended on a truly high note of joy.  We, the audience, truly ventured to “Camelot” and back this fabulous night.

Monica Passin & Monette featured the phenomenal Monica Passin and her sensational back up singers, Sherryl Marshall and Deborah Berg (the trio aptly called Monette).

Find great shows to see at Pangea on their website here.