By Andrew Poretz …
Ava Nicole Frances made her New York cabaret solo debut at 54 Below on October 10. The young singer, not quite out of her teens, is a San Francisco transplant, and has a loyal following out there. Some of that following flew in for this show. Also present were some prominent cabaret performers, including Sidney Myer, Mardie Millit, David Sabella, Sue Matsuki, and Richard Skipper.
A two-time Broadway World Cabaret Award winner, Ava has performed professionally since age 10. She has wowed audiences in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and London.
Ava came to the stage dressed in all black save for a large red flower on her belt. Attractive and poised, she knows her material. Ava frequently expresses gratitude for everything in her life, especially to her two dads, husbands Frank Silletti and Sonny Vukic. Mr. Silletti, himself a performer, directed the show. The proud papas, seated nearby, justifiably beamed with pride.
The first thing one notices about Ava is her powerful voice. She has the kind of large, sometimes overpowering voice that can “tear down the rafters.” She uses it to her advantage in creating those show-stopping moments that never fail to elicit huge applause. A challenge for Ava is learning when to bring out the big guns, and when to let the audience see more of the vulnerable young woman behind the songs.
With musical director Michael Collum on piano, Sean Murphy on bass and Jon Berger drums, Ava presented a well-crafted set of mostly musical theater songs.
Ava opened with a roof-raising “I Can See It” (from The Fantastiks) before telling the touching story of being brought home from the hospital by her dads. Frank held her hand and sang The Beatles’ “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” to her. She toasted the audience with the show’s title – Here’s Looking at You Kid – and sang that very song to the audience as a gentle lullaby while working her way through the room to sing it back to her fathers, sweetly and softly, until she brought up the volume near the end of the song.
Ava told an especially moving story of auditioning unsuccessfully for the part of Diana Morales in a school production of A Chorus Line. When the actress who did get it was injured and Ava got tapped for the part, she was humiliated when the existing costume was too tight for her and the director claimed there wasn’t time to have a new one made. (She clarified privately that a costume ultimately was made for her, and she played the part.) Her rendition of “Nothing” was inspired, with a great physicality that enhanced her performance.
A stunning rendition of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” began very softly and in a way that set up an emotional tension for the rest of the song. It garnered the first of her six standing ovations.
Ava’s surprising delivery of “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg) from The Wizard of Oz was the opposite of the usual over-the-top performances of this iconic tune. Her rubato verse was a sotto voce whisper, and she sang with the brakes on for much of it, though she did provide a power ending. Back in big-voice mode, Ava launched immediately into “Home” from The Wiz, and her increasingly emotional interpretation earned another standing ovation.
Ava reached further back in the Great American Songbook canon with a lovely medley of two songs that fit together perfectly, “My Foolish Heat” (Victor Young/Ned Washington) and “I Got Lost In His Arms” (Irving Berlin). She nearly got through this number without belting. Still, this was the show’s greatest highlight for this reviewer.
After her medley of a pair of Ben Platt songs that served as the official “finale” for which she received a sustained standing ovation, Ava performed two encores, with “Thank You For the Music” providing the sweetest ending as she thanked her dads.
Ava practically dares you not to love her, and ultimately it is impossible not to. Her first solo show was a strong start. As she matures and really masters vocal dynamics and explores more colors with which to interpret and deliver a song, she will find her way to stardom.
Ava Nicole Frances: Here’s Looking at You Kid took place on October 10 at 54 Below, 254 West 54th Street, between Eighth Avenue and Broadway (www.54below.com)
Photos: Matt Baker
