BWW Reviews: Actress Thea Gill Brings BODY AND SOUL to Sterling's

On Sunday evening December 11, actress Thea Gill, well known for Showtime's Queer as Folk, made her cabaret debut at Sterling's Upstairs at Vitello's. This stunning beauty can really sing and her show entitled Body and Soul allowed her avenues as singer/actress that she truly loves, but has little opportunity to explore. Directed by David Galligan and with slick choreographic moves by Lee Martino, Gill captivated her audience with a sensuality, style and glamor reminiscent of cabaret's heyday, but now sorely missing. Think the pure sexuality of Lana Turner and the vocal prowess of Ruth Etting, and you come close to the inimitable way Thea Gill presents herself. With fab Grammy Award-winning Gail Deadrick at the piano, Ed Livingstone on bass and Robert Miller on drums, the 65-minute set could not have been smoother.

Highlights included: "Shakin' the Blues Away", "You Took Advantage of Me", a lovely "Night and Day", the rarely sung but beautiful "I'll Never Stop Loving You" combined with "On a Bus to St. Cloud", "It's All Right With Me", "My Man", a terrific rendition of "Ten Cents a Dance" where Gill payed tribute to Ruth Etting, and the tile song "Body and Soul". She offered a loving "Something Cool" by Billy Barnes, made famous on record by June Christie, where she told a great story about how Tennessee Williams' Blanche du Bois influenced the atmosphere of the composition and then proceeded to dedicate it to all the Blanches of the world, the role from A Streetcar Named Desire Gill only recently got a chance to play to stellar reviews. There was a meaningful "Our Love Is Here to Stay" by Ira Gershwin and in true holiday spirit, she closed with "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".

Thea Gill, like the femme fatales of film noir she so loved growing up, is a real PM gal in an AM town. She is ultra beautiful, alluring, and warm. Hopefully she will record this evening of songs of Body and Soul that she was born to sing. Brava!

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