The Voices of Summer
The voice was to die for but the patter was simply dead. On balance, David Colbert’s singing in his cabaret debut show was so thrilling that it more than made up for the act’s fixable failings.
Colbert’s recent shows at Don’t Tell Mama were devoted to new composers; this wouldn’t necessarily put him at a disadvantage, except that he didn’t always choose particularly strong material. If you’re not going to have a substantial number of well-known songs anchoring your act, then you’d better be sure that the unfamiliar songs you offer are damned good. Failing that, you’d better be damned good yourself — and David Colbert is. The power and presence of his voice belie his slight stature, and the unexpected sound he produces is a testament to both his classical training and his innate talent. It’s fair to say that we haven’t heard a new male voice in cabaret this year that comes anywhere near Colbert’s in quality.
But we’ve seen plenty of better acts. A personable performer, Colbert talked easily and naturally with the audience but seemed so confident in his vocal skills that he tended to come off as arrogant when he occasionally shared his high opinion of himself. He compounded this mistake by sometimes digressing and sharing anecdotes that too often failed to lead gracefully into the next song. Yet, time and time again, we found ourselves forgiving his transgressions because his sound is so exciting. And not only does the guy sing like a million bucks, he’s a richly expressive actor as well — despite his highly flawed patter. With better song choices and a tighter, more focused script, this young man could be a sensation.
As for his show: Dismiss it if you will (as we did), but don’t dismiss the singer. When it comes to pure talent, it isn’t just that Colbert’s got the goods; he owns the store.
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Reagan Stone is a warm-voiced soprano who also has a socko Broadway belt. Attractive, quick-witted, and fully at home on stage, Stone put on a wonderfully well crafted show at Don’t Tell Mama that was directed with style by Scott Barnes and imaginatively arranged and played by musical director David Brunetti. (By the way, Brunetti has impressed us as a major asset for every performer with whom he works).
Stone, a delightful daughter of Dixie, provided her audience with plenty of Southern comfort in the form of songs like “Pardon My Southern Accent” (Johnny Mercer-Matt Malneck), “If I Had My Druthers” (Johnny Mercer-Gene dePaul), and “Carolina in the Morning” (Walter Donaldson). In a more playful mood, she put over a delicious version of “Pink Fish” (Alan Menken).
The show was not entirely southern fried. It was also about family, love, and — briefly — about the eye disease that will eventually leave Stone blind. On all of these subjects, she displayed a sophisticated combination of upbeat attitude and wry self-awareness. That allowed her to defiantly sing “I’m Not Afraid of Anything” (Jason Robert Brown) even as she admitted in the song to putting up walls as a way of keeping emotions at bay. Emotions ran high during the performance, and so did talent. There’s talk that the show will be coming back to Don’t Tell Mama soon.
Reagan Stone. Memorable name, memorable show.
