Cabaret Review By Andrew Poretz . . . .
Those cabaret fans who’ve experienced the joy of a Lianne Marie Dobbs show have been anxiously awaiting a new one. This reviewer caught three iterations of her acclaimed Why Can’t a Woman… show since 2019, and reviewed it in 2022 read HERE). Her latest show, The Windmills of My Mind … For Dusty Springfield, exceeded all expectations.
The late Dusty Springfield was a British singer with a voice that matched her name. Her work was largely unknown to me, aside from several of her biggest singles that got much airplay decades ago, as well as from television appearances. After this night of revelatory songs and stories from Ms. Dobbs, a visit down the Dusty rabbit hole is in order.
The beautiful star appeared resplendent in a turquoise gown, her hair swept back, with the kind of glow that comes from within. The vivacious Ms. Dobbs is an excellent singer with quite a set of pipes. she can belt with the best of ‘em, accurately and with terrific tone. The star can also sing intimately where it must be, though a “big finish” ends many of her numbers.
Ms. Dobbs was backed by the brilliant quartet of music director/pianist Ron Abel (who also arranged all but one song), guitarist Sean Harkness, bassist Tom Hubbard, and drummer Rex Benincasa.
After a strong opening medley of “Stay Awhile” (Mike Hawker/Ivor Raymonde) and “The Look of Love” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David), Ms. Dobbs related how her “hamsters in the brain” led to the show idea. In a funny opening monologue, the fast-talking star took the audience through her mile-a-minute thought process (clearly, ADHD). In what became a running joke, she would shout, “HAMSTERS!”, and Mr. Abel would play the opening riff of “The Windmills of Her Mind” at lightning speed.
Springfield, Ms. Dobbs stated, is her “soul sister when it comes to Hamsters in the Brain!” She found that doodling helped calm the hamsters down, and pen in hand, clicked it to introduce another medley, the bluesy “Doodlin’” (Horace Silver/Jon Hendricks) and “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David).
When performing one of Springfield’s biggest hits, “I Only Wanna Be With You” (Hawker & Raymonde), she played it straight until she brought out her adorable stuffed chimp, “Pumpernickel.” It was a cute bit.
For “Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David), with lyrics in the form of a painful “Dear John” letter, she borrowed from her Why Can’t a Woman… format, reading from a notebook, “Dearest darling…” to connect into the song. A big hit for Gene Pitney, “Twenty-Four Hours” originally told the story of a conflicted confession from a man who became unfaithful only a day away from home. In another of Ms. Dobbs’ trademarks, she did not change the lyrics to reflect the new lover’s gender – which Springfield, a lesbian, was forced to do at the time she recorded it. Ms. Dobbs’ acting ability and expressive face greatly aided the emotional impact of this poignant material.
Ms. Dobbs’ setup for the gorgeous “A House is Not as Home” (Burt Bacharach/Hal David) created the intimate connection for both the star and her audience. Moving from slow ballad to power ballad, her voice reached the top of the mountain. When she sings – no, pleads – “Please be there,” how could you not?
“Son of a Preacher Man” was a huge single for Springfield in 1968. Jazz and cabaret guitar king Sean Harkness arranged this number. Ms. Dobbs sang from the edge of the stage near Harkness, and nearly every time the title appeared in the song, Ms. Dobbs deferred to him to play those notes. She nailed the song while making it completely her own.
An interesting surprise was the show tune “Come Back to Me” (Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner), which Springfield sang on her Dusty BBC special. Ms. Dobbs sang this with a growling, sexual dynamism reminiscent of Eartha Kitt.
The title song, “The Windmills of My Mind” (Michel Legrand/Alan and Marilyn Bergman) seemed the perfect complement to Ms. Dobbs’ many “hamster” references. This was perhaps the best rendition this critic has heard of this song. Both Mr. Abel’s thoughtful arrangement and Ms. Dobbs’ timing and acting brought out the many shades of meaning in the lyrics, some of which seemed hidden in plain sight.
The finale, Peter Allen’s “Quiet Please, There’s a Lady on the Stage,” was written about Judy Garland. Interestingly, Ron Abel was Peter Allen’s music director and was present when the song was introduced. Ms. Dobbs delivered it beautifully. After a well-deserved standing ovation, Ms. Dobbs sat by the piano for an encore. Declaring that “Dusty finally found herself,” she sang “Home to Myself” (Melissa Manchester) with just Mr. Abel.
Lianne Marie Dobbs: The Windmills of My Mind … For Dusty Springfield took place on February 17 at The Green Room 42 in the Hotel Yotel, 570 Tenth Avenue between 42nd and 41st Street.
Photos: Taka Harkness
