By Bart Greenberg***Vocalist and cabaret performer Becca Kidwell can be counted on to offer unique and personal shows—one never quite knows what to expect, other than the fact that a great deal of thought and creativity will have gone into it. With Fifty Ways to Leave Your Forties, she looked both backward and forward with a mix of sadness, hope and a great deal of humor (mostly of her very dark style). On the smallish stage at Don’t Tell Mama, she surrounded herself with three musicians: music
director-pianist Jon Weber, bassist Ritt Henn, drummer David Silliman and two excellent back up vocalists (Lynda Defuria and Evelyn Sullivan), and somehow never got caught in the traffic, but kept herself focused and center stage—not something every performer can achieve.
With the deft guidance of director Jeff Harnar, Kidwell shared her major topics of the evening: “dreams, desserts and death.” With the show being performed on her actual 50th birthday, she declared she was putting her first 49 years to death, but it would be a very bad funeral, with an open mic and an open bar. Illustrating this notion was the ironic “It’s Your Funeral” (Christine Lavin): “if they pass around a collection plate I’m taking out five bucks!” There was even a very funny reference to Weber; this kind of detail is what makes her shows special.
A good number of the songs were written by her under her full name of Rebecca 
Cecilia Kidwell (most of them will be featured on her upcoming album release, On What You Don’t See). Some of the highlights included a clever college football rally selection called “Old Collagen Try”: “the time for the syringe is now!” and a country western tribute to the idolized “Mr. Darcy”: “he wouldn’t cheat and he wouldn’t fight and he would be home every night.” The mix of wit and versatility invites repeated listenings of these creations.
Kidwell also had fun with providing lyrics to established numbers, such as her rendition and transformation of the original “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover” (Paul Simon) into the title of and theme for the evening, substituting “Forties” for “Lover.” She and her team also found works by other authors that neatly fit into the themes of her show, from “It’s Your Funeral” (Christine Lavin) to “I’m Ready” (Kay Hanley, Tom Polce)—a song introduced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Such deep searches and curation added much depth to her presentation. It will be interesting to see what Kidwell brings to her next shows as she moves into her 50s.
