Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . . .
It was with a gleam in her eye and a kick in her step that song stylist Margaret Curry bounded onto the stage of the Laurie Beechman Theatre last Saturday night, April 6, to perform her show, The Space In-Between. Curry has reason to have a spring in her step as she was recently honored in March by the Bistro Awards as Vocalist of the Year. Considering how many cabaret artists perform in any twelve months in Manhattan, that’s quite an accomplishment. Having never seen or heard her before, I was completely taken with not only the quality of her voice but by her ease in front of an audience. This is someone who really knows how to tell her stories in song with effortless style.
Vibrantly attractive in a sleek black slip of a dress and a mane of beautiful blonde hair, Curry started off with some Cole Porter (“Day In/Day Out”) and with other great American Songbook composers represented like Harold Arlen (“Down with Love,” lyrics by Yip Harburg) and Irving Berlin (“Let’s Face the Music and Dance”). But most of the evening was devoted to a variety of mostly unfamiliar songs (at least to me), which offered Curry a chance to show her range both in style and nuance. There was the moody and sublime “Mississippi Mood,” which I trust is by Lars Sjösten, if my internet sleuthing is correct. I also thoroughly enjoyed William Bolcom’s comic “Lime Jell-O Marshmallow Cottage Cheese Surprise” (the chances of having the wrong composer for that one via Google are nil).
Titling her show “The Space In-Between” gave Curry the space to explain between songs her theory on filling gaps in life, emotionally, physically, metaphysically . . . or, as she put it in plain English, “the place all the good stuff comes from.” Though she mentioned she had taken a twenty-year gap in performing in cabarets and didn’t fill us in on the why of it all, she was very open about other parts of her life and warmly guided the audience with memories both good and bad. It wasn’t a confessional (personally, not my cup of tea), but she allowed us in to get to know her better (something I’m all for). Her well-scripted patter allowed each song to come from the heart and what better statement is that?
Closing with “The Rest is Still Unwritten” made for a wise choice. Written by Natasha Bedingfield, Wayne Rodrigues, and Danielle Brisebois, it can be heard on several film soundtracks and made for a sweet exit from the Laurie Beechman Theatre, its lyrics echoing:
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten.
Margaret Curry: The Space In-Between will be returning on May 4 to the Laurie Beechman Theatre (407 West 42nd Street, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues). www.westbankcafe.com/laurie-beechman-theatre
Photos: Ron Fassler
