Christiane Noll: The Ira Gershwin Album

| May 29, 2017

Christiane Noll

The Ira Gershwin Album

Metropolitan Room, NYC, May 24, 2017

Reviewed by Randolph B. Eigenbrode for Cabaret Scenes

Christiane Noll

There’s no doubt about it: Christiane Noll possesses a fabulous singing instrument. With a lush tone, laser-like precision and vocal versatility, she is a pleasure to listen to. So, pair her with a songwriting institution, Ira Gershwin, and we should all be in musical heaven. Indeed, there were moments of nirvana in her recent showing but, on the whole, Noll was merely a pleasure to listen to, rather than experience.

Part of this dissonance comes from the construct of the show. Noll released The Ira Gershwin Album in 2001 and recently decided to bring those arrangements to a live room. What this amounted to was more of a concert than a cabaret showing. What a shame, as the few glimpses we had of Noll, when she personally connected to the material, were quite engaging and worthy of her star quality.

This more palpable vision took shape in a trio of pieces beginning with the obscure “There Is No Music” (Harry Warren). With its haunting melody and bewitching lyrics, Noll gently employed a rich soprano with long-reaching phrases, her eyes intently focused, almost pleading for resolution. There was a shift in the room’s dynamic here and this set up a playful “’S Wonderful” (George Gershwin). Really connecting with the audience for the first time, Noll got comedic leverage out of a spicy exaggeration of the song’s consonants, bringing the room to a simmer.

And then, “I’ve Got a Crush on You” (George Gershwin), the show’s highlight. With her eyes at their most alive, Noll brought to life a pining woman—almost aching—filled with both insecurity and abandon. As the lights faded to her disco ball illuminated silhouette we, for once, felt like we knew her.      

With such capability of personal emotion, Christiane Noll should abandon the concert format and give us more of this three-dimensional enchantment.      

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Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews, Regional

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