 |
Sue Matsuki At The Beechman Written by Roy Sander I have seen Sue Matsuki perform many times over the past eleven years. As I've said before, and will doubtless have occasion to say again, one of the most gratifying aspects—no, make that greatest pleasures—of covering cabaret over an extended period of time is seeing artists develop and grow, so it is with great pleasure that I can report that Matsuki's new show not only represents her best work to date, it is also one of the finest shows I've seen anyone deliver this year. Working for the first time with director Eric Michael Gillett, and for the umpteenth time with her musical director for the past thirteen years, Gregory Toroian, Matsuki has put together a very intelligent, tight show, with no blah-blah-blah patter and a nice mixture of classics and new discoveries. The most striking element of the evening is the remarkable quality of her interpretations0each based on a chosen point of view and delivered with commitment and a singularity of purpose, devoid of extraneous frills or gestures. Such clarity and consistency are possible only when the musical arrangements share and support the singer's artistic vision, so kudos to Toroian, who devised the arrangements in collaboration with Matsuki. This is his personal best, too—at least of the work I've seen—and his piano accompaniment is positively poetic. Sharing accompanist honors (and praiseworthiness) are Steve Millhouse on bass and Ron Tierno on percussion. Matsuki opens the show with Mercer and Arlen's "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive," which is exactly what she does—from early in the verse when she delivers the line "The topic will be sin" with a twinkle and a smile, to her nifty handling of the song's ending. Among the other standards are Cahn & Van Heusen's "The Tender Trap," with a sassy vocal arrangement and sexy instrumental accompaniment, and "I Just Found Out About Love" (Jimmy McHugh, Harold Adamson), presented as an unashamed celebration of sex. Has "Misty" (Errol Garner, Johnny Burke) ever had a more thoughtful or more moving reading? I doubt it. In the new discoveries category are two wonderful songs by Zoë Lewis: the appealing "The Prince of Love," about a voodoo man in New Orleans, and the steamy, impressionistic, quasi-surrealistic and altogether extraordinary "Aware," here given an equally extraordinary performance. Also new, or at least rare: "A Moment in Time" (music by Matsuki and Toroian, lyric by Dan and Michele Page), a remembrance rich with romantic imagery; "Jackie" (Stefano Carrara), a bossa nova about a blues singer whose own experience with love is what blues songs are all about; and the very triste "Inside a Silent Tear" (Blossom Dearie, Mahriah Blackwolf)—all strong songs, and all given authoritative interpretations. There are times when I absolutely love what I do. This is one of them. Roy Sander “If I would register one complaint, it was that the show was too short – not by my watch, but by my heart. Sue’s delivery and presence is that compelling!” Stu Hamstra
CabaretHotlineOnline www.cabarethotlineonline.com “Full of class, style and beautiful old and new songs.” John Hoglund, What a WOW your show was last night, in so many ways! I can’t tell you how absolutely floored I was. I’m going to try and put it in words: Feminine, sure, unusual, mature, incredibly tasteful and tasty in every way, extremely entertaining, outstanding singing, a band that understands what accompaniment means (I only count yours and Tony Bennett’s in that category among bands I’ve seen in the last two years – I’m not kidding). A group of songs that stayed true to the charmingly, sparingly stated “theme” - though you wouldn’t care if they didn’t! Betsyann Faiella, Good Morning! YOU WERE SO GORGEOUS LAST NIGHT!Honestly, Sue, the show was really beautiful! And u were sexy and funny and absolutely vocally beautiful! It was a great show!Hope u are feeling better today! Allergies suck!!! And u sang around it .....well, it was a master class in technique! I thought it was a vocal choice!! And a gorgeous one at that!Anywayn dahlink, you were amazing last night. Please know that! With much love from a friend...and a fan!!! Karen Oberlin SUE! Just wanted to let you know again how WONDERFUL your show was. Truly, Sue. You made me laugh, cry, ALL of IT! I so enjoyed the entire night. And your voice has never sounded better. Bravo! Break a leg tonight. Adriana McPhee
Betsyann Faiella I second my friend Richard here in shouting out about how lovely Sue's show was. A beautiful show, beautifully sung, wonderful arrangements, great song choices, and her connection to the material was spot on. I was so moved by this show and Sue's ability to so personally connect with everyone in the room, that I felt like she was talking right to me, and I know I'm not alone in that experience as others around me shared similar thoughts. Richard's comment of "expertly reinventing herself" is right on, and that is something she's done every time I've seen her perform. Gretchen Rinehagen Just came back from seeing Sue's show. She's done it again! Expertly reinventing herself as a jazzy chanteuse. Great arrangements, musicians and wonderfully subdued vocals suited to the song choices. The songs consisted of the familiar and not, which is always a good thing in my book. A job well done. Go see this show! Richard Malavet Amen to everything Raissa is saying! WONDERFUL musicality, inventiveness and heart in this show. And I was one of the people at Raissa's table wondering how that could have been an hour! Sue is in her musical heart in this show and it's a joy to experience. Laurie Krauz We all know what a great performer and friend to cabaret Sue Matsuki is. If you go see her wonderful new show at the Beechman, you will get to see a whole new side to her. Heartfelt renderings of incredible new tunes, a fresh and honest take on the standards, all delivered with great musicianship and a beautiful voice. Sue shows us her heart in this show, directed by Eric Michael Gillett, and by doing so, allows us to access ours. It's a beautiful journey together, accompanied by some of Sue's customary impishness! The hour flew by - seriously, everyone at my table, was "wait - it's over already?" You've got two more chances to see her at the Beechman - GO! Raissa Katona Bennet |
||||