By Michael Barbieri****Leslie Orofino is a class act! Smart, talented and self-assured, the lady knows how to put on a terrific cabaret show. Her new show, Shine, at Don’t Tell Mama showcased the music of four equally strong women: lyricist Dorothy Fields and singer-songwriters Alberta Hunter, Peggy Lee and Lady Gaga.
Leslie Orofino has been entertaining audiences in cabaret rooms across the country for over 30 years. Her CD Moonlight Cocktails was lauded by Dave Nathan from All Music Guide, and cabaret legend Julie Wilson has sung her praises. As a cabaret technician, I’ve worked with Leslie a number of times. I’ve also reviewed her in the past and her shows have always been top-notch. This new act proved that all her accolades are well deserved!
Shine, in a sense, was really two shows in one—part cabaret act and part musical history lesson. To Orofino’s credit, though, the evening was always entertaining and never overly didactic. Her opening number, “I Feel a Song Coming On” (Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields) was particularly apropos, in that it was a great way to start a show, but also served to introduce us to the first songwriter in her paean: Dorothy Fields. A brief story about how Fields’ father told the young lyricist that “a lady doesn’t belong in show business,” led into “I Must Have That Man” (McHugh, Fields), which Orofino delivered with a sultry vibe, supported nicely by her strong, velvety alto. I particularly enjoyed the connections made between the lows and highs in Fields’ career with the songwriter’s material; a low point was demonstrated nicely by Orofino’s introspective delivery of “Where Am I Going?,” and a high point by the joyous “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” both from Sweet Charity and written with composer Cy Coleman.
While Dorothy Fields was born into a wealthy family, Alberta Hunter’s life was quite the opposite. Born to a mother who worked in a Memphis brothel, Hunter ran away to Chicago with hopes of becoming a singer. In her early teens she began singing in a bordello and then in saloons and clubs. Her life informed her music and she soon began composing songs that had a bluesy, often bawdy bent. The spirited “My Castle’s Rockin’” set a playful mood, with the singer aided beautifully by Kenneth Gartman’s bouncy piano and Boots Maleson’s pumping bass line. With “You Can’t Tell the Difference After Dark,” Orofino struck the perfect balance between Hunter’s racial undertones and her risqué humor. Lyrics like “I may be brown as a berry, but that’s only secondary. You can’t tell the difference after dark,” got to the heart of the racial divide of the time, but in a most entertaining way. And with Orofino’s performance of the ribald classic “Handyman” (Eubie Blake, Andy Razaf), every one of Hunter’s double-entendre jokes: “He shakes my ashes, greases my griddle, churns my butter and he strokes my fiddle,” landed perfectly, with big laughs from the audience on each line!
The Peggy Lee segment of the show began with a joyful, welcoming “I Love Being Here With You” (Peggy Lee, William Schluger). And what tribute to La Lee would be complete without her best-known hit, “Fever”(John Davenport, Eddie Cooley)? Orofino delivered the iconic song in a seductive tone, sporting a red feather boa, which matched her dress. We heard about Lee’s rough childhood, her early career and her strong business savvy. This business sense led her, among other things, to sue Disney for damages in regard to her work on Lady and the Tramp, to which she contributed songs and voices. Orofino quoted Lee at one point, who had said “All men are dogs!” This led into a delightful “He’s a Tramp” (P. Lee, Sonny Burke), during which she flirted with the audience and had us join in on various barks, howls and “bum-buh-bum-woofs!”
The portion of the evening dedicated to Lady Gaga was where I encountered some minor problems. Beginning with “Million Reasons” (Steffani Germanotta, Hillary Lindsey, Mark Ronson, Michael Tucker), Orofino gave us a moving, emotional rendition of the ballad. I do feel, however, that her gesticulation pulled focus from her beautiful delivery. I would’ve preferred to see her stand perfectly still and let her singing speak for itself. Also, while the first and last songs of this final set were true Lady Gaga compositions, the other two were not. “The Lady Is a Tramp” (Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart) was recorded with Tony Bennett for his album Duets II and “La Vie En Rose” (Louiguy, Edith Piaf) was on the soundtrack of Gaga’s film A Star Is Born. I found this final part of the show a bit less cohesive than the other three. It might’ve been fun, instead, to take a couple of Lady Gaga’s dance-pop hits—say, “Paparazzi” (Steffani Germanotta, Rob Fusari) or “Born This Way” (Steffani Germanotta, Jeppe Laursen) and give them jazzy or ballad arrangements to bring the set in line with the rest of the show. This is by no means, however, a criticism of Ms. Orofino’s performance of the material, which I definitely enjoyed.
Orofino wrapped up the evening by thanking her musicians and her director, Louis Pietig, who’s tidy direction made great use of the entire stage. She then urged each of us to find the light we have inside and to let it shine as brightly as did the four remarkable women whose material she had shared. One thing is for certain; Leslie Orofino shines quite brightly indeed!
Leslie Orofino’s Shine will return to Don’t Tell Mama on November 3rd with Tracy Stark at the piano and Boots Maleson on bass. For information, go to www.donttellmamanyc.com or www.leslieorofino.com
A lovely review for a lovely performer (and person) – Great show 🙂