By Bart Greenberg***The perky Linda Jackson came to Don’t Tell Mama with her program, Temporarily Lost, with plenty of enthusiasm. Directed by Lennie Watts, it was a fast moving and very personal evening, featuring her passion for traveling (especially to the Far East), and her high-soprano voice, which occasionally resembled the iconic 
Karen Carpenter’s. Before a packed room she offered her persona: a surprising mix of a pop style with a sunny California girl personality.
Her opening number,“Magic” (John Ferrar), cleverly mixed in a bit of “Magic to Do” (Stephen Schwartz) for fine effect. This arrangment displayed the fine work of music director John Fischer, which carried throughout the show. Further musical support came from bassist Jerry DeVore, drummer Eric Hart, plus backup vocals by Gloria Bangiola. All were highly responsible for continuing the story Jackson began. “What Can I Do” (Lin-Manuel Miranda, additional lyrics by Jackson) was incredibly charming, and well-chosen to tie into her journeys, as was “The Long Way Around” (Emily Robison, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Dan Wilson). More charm came in her memories of reading early in her life, illustrated with a 
moving “Return to Pooh Corner” (Kenny Loggins, Jackson).
Jackson’s sojourn to Japan as a teacher served as the center of the show. Her homesickness was expressed through her soulful rendition of “Wichita Lineman” (Jimmy Webb) and her discovery of karaoke led to a hysterical rendition of the classic “My Way” in Japanese (Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibaut, Claude Francois, Akira Fuse). As a side trip, Jackson delivered a haunting, hypnotic arrangement of “Overkill” (Colin Hay). (Rita Moreno once claimed that every cabaret show should include one song that no one, including her, should understand—this moment certainly fit that bill.)
To shake matters up, there was a very amusing big medley of fictional-places pop songs, including “Far Away Places” (Joan Whitney, Alex Kramer), The Eagles’ “Hotel California” (Don Felder, Glenn Frey, Don Henley) and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant), and some other wide-ranging destinations. Jackson explained some of the more exotic lyrics by reminding the audience “songwriters were doing copious amounts of drugs in the ’60s.” A trip to Thailand, a sacred place for her, which she hasn’t yet shared details of with her beloved sons, led to the show’s title tune by Jason Robert Brown. Hopefully, all of her travels will bring Jackson back to Don’t Tell Mama.
