Review: THE LION SINGS TONIGHT at The Cabaret

When you go to a Broadway revue or a show featuring a mixture of performance types, you usually expect it to be good. You don't expect what I had the pleasure to witness on Monday night.

Disney's The Lion King is currently touring throughout the Unites States, and in every city the tour goes to, Ben Lipitz, who plays Pumba, tries to schedule a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. According to the description, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS "helps men, women and children across the country and across the street receive lifesaving medications, health care, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance", and the Damien Center "is Indiana's oldest and largest AIDS service organization (ASO) and serves more than 4,000 individuals affected and infected by HIV/AIDS". Along with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the local Damien Center was able to join in on the fundraising. He rounds up anyone in the cast who is willing to show off their talent for a good cause and encourages the cast of the Lion King to choose an act that fits them individually. The show was a cabaret-style show featuring a generous mix of Broadway standards, Jazz, Pop and R&B numbers, as well as dance, spoken word, and comedy.

This show was not only unique in the variety of performance, but also the sheer caliber of the numbers. These performers are at the top of their triple-threat game, showcasing their personal talents. This is a recipe for an incredible evening. With the amount of talent that was on that stage, I am going to preface this by saying that there wasn't a single person on that stage who didn't give this performance their all. There were a few standouts including Salahedin Safi who sang "Like I'm Gonna Love You", some incredible dance choreography throughout the show by Chris McKenzie, and Thembe Cele who sang "I'm Here".

I would be inattentive if I did not congratulate the Cabaret on their new space. This space is truly what a cabaret is meant to be... an intimate setting of hightops and enclosed booths help the audience feel special and a lone piano with small, personal stage complete the picture.

Coming up at the Cabaret will be Isaac Mizrahi with a collection of standards and pop songs. This show will only be on two nights, October 12 & 13, so be sure to get your tickets.

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