By Bart Greenberg***Vocalist-host Susie Mosher returned to the Green Room 42 for another edition of her long-running monthly series The LineUp in which she picks out some of the brightest talents in town—a mix of well-knowns and newcomers—to present a song and to chat with the compere about their past and their future plans. Mosher 
describes this endeavor as a variety show, and the performers on display definitely offered a wide range of styles and personalities. Strong support was provided by music director=pianist Matt Baker, with bassist John Miller and drummer Clint de Ganon.
Mosher kicked off the evening with her patented singing of welcome. She even handled with aplomb some early technical problems that left her literally in the dark. Then she welcomed raucous, randy Marti Cummings to belt out Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now!” They gleefully assaulted the audience with a big country voice while asserting that they are “painfully insecure.” It was all so high energy that they even managed to lose their shoes.
If Cummings transformed the room into a low-down gay club, the next act created the classic ambiance of a film noir nightclub with a sexy chanteuse, with the hint of aforeig
n accent, torching by the piano. Praguer (yes, that’s what you call someone from Prague) Martina Barta created quite the spell with “Here’s to Life” (Artie Butler, Phyllis Molinary), with solo piano backing her up. In complete contrast, Daytime Emmy winner Kristen Alderson brought her girl-next-door sexy energy to Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need”.
Lucas Beltran brought a romantic baritone and a matinee idol look to the stage. His confidence belies that fact that he is only 20 years old, as he offered a surprising selection, “My Rifle, My Pony and Me” (Dimitri Tiomkin, Paul Francis Webster), a Dean Martin specialty. More energy came with the single-named Aviva, who possessed a big voice and a voluptuous figure as she belted out “Tell It to My Heart” (Taylor Dane).
The in-charge Aisha de Haas gave a fine demonstration in m
usicality with a bluesy version of “Dr. Feelgood” (Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars) in a terrific arrangement that gave Baker a chance to slip a bit of his beloved Gershwin into the moment. The emotional high moment of the eveningfollowed with Deborah Zecher contributing a moving medley of “Somewhere” (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) and “In My Own Lifetime” (Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick)—a powerful segment drawn from a show being developed by the singer and her music director Tracy Stark. This will be one to see.
A young discovery, Jasper Fearon, brought a smoothness that recalled Frank Sinatra. “Just the Way You Look Tonight” (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields) was given a glowing rendition. To bring the evening to a close, rafters were raised with a new gospel number “The Joy Ahead of You,” blasted out by Juson Williams, with back-up singers and John Cizo at the piano: an over the top ending to a fun and varied evening.
Photos by Bart Geenberg
