By Bart Greenberg****Cabaret star/director Lina Koutrakos and singer/producer Robert Brieg (Mariposa Artists) recently got together with an intriguing idea: gathering together some extraordinary talents from each of three cities (New York, St. Louis and Chicago) and showcase each group in their sister cities, all under the direction of Koutrakos and the music direction of the versatile Rick Jensen. On September 29, 2019, A Taste of St. Louis took place at Don’t Tell Mama, featuring four strong performers—Beverly Brennan, Dionna Raedeke, Angela Nicholson and Shauna Sconce—showing their talents in mini-sets. (Earlier this year, Diane D’Angelo, Ruth Carlin, Mary Sue Daniels and Lisa Yaeger went to St. Louis. In 2020, a quartet of Chicago divas will be visiting the Big Apple, among other shows planned.)
While quite diverse in style and personalities, the St. Louis four were able to blend their voices beautifully for a clever revised version of the highly appropriate “You Came a Long Way (From St. Louis),” reflecting their individual stories, as well as a grand finale of the swinging “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.”
Brennan kicked off the afternoon, evoking the memories of such big band swinging ladies as Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney, including a jazzy version of “Hey There,” with Jensen tossing in a vocal counterpoint, and a playful “Love Is Here to Stay.” She then stunned with a strong bluesy belt to “St. Louis Blues.”
Next was Raedeke who cleverly turned “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” into a torch number and offered up a very sweet “The Very Thought of You.” She also offered the first of two Rick Jensen songs of the afternoon, the plaintive “After All Those Love Songs.” She delivered the melody beautifully, but unfortunately chose to deliver it from the very back of the stage, presumably so she could duet with the pianist, but it caused a break in connection with the audience.
Following her, Angela Nicholson took the stage with a witty and wordy number, Wheat and Loughborough’s “Better Than Anything,” delivered in a style reminiscent of the late Blossom Dearie. She also demonstrated terrific musical dexterity with the wide-ranging melody of “Midnight Sun.”
Last, but certainly not least, was Shauna Sconce, who paired a fine voice with personality-plus and great charm. Offering up the second Jensen tune, “Miss Jones,” this time in collaboration with Koutrakos, she won the audience over. Her “Midnight Train to Georgia” was simply sensational.
Hopefully this series will continue as it offers a great opportunity to enjoy performers from other cities that cabaret regulars of New York might otherwise never see. Perhaps next time we can see the men of other cities as well.
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