Anne Bobby: Back to My Roots: The Songs I Took with Me
Anne Bobby
Back to My Roots: The Songs I Took with Me
54 Below, NYC, September 18, 2014
Reviewed by Peter Haas for Cabaret Scenes
As a little girl growing up in New Jersey, Anne Bobby would gaze eastward over the rooftops toward the bright lights of Manhattan, hoping one day to be among them as a singer on Broadway. She made it, beginning in her teens, with roles on and off-Broadway in such shows as Smile, Godspell, and Merrily We Roll Along, and in a growing roster of television and film productions. Half a year ago, she added cabaret to her credits, in a debut at 54 Below. This season, she returned to the club—better than ever, in a delightful, warmhearted and highly entertaining show featuring pop and theater numbers.
With her clear, theater-honed voice, vivacious style, and acting chops that brought her songs’ characters alive, Bobby offered a dozen-plus little-heard numbers. Included were Tori Amos’s “Pretty Good Year,” Tom Waits’s romantic “Take Me Home,” Jimmy Webb’s “All I Know” and Brendan Brown’s “Lemonade.” Pete Townshend’s “The Dirty Jobs,” from his rock opera, Quadrophenia, was delivered with a powerful drum solo by Shannon Ford and fine backup vocal by Laura Dean. Change in rhythms came with two calypso numbers, Glenn Shorrock’s “Cool Change” and John Denver’s “Calypso.” For an encore: Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes the Flood.”
The fine band also included Steve Gettinger on guitar, with musical direction and piano work—cheered by the audience—provided once again by Chris Schelling (performing despite temporary crutches and a foot boot).
Watch for Anne Bobby’s next show. She’s truly a treat.
Category: Cabaret Reviews, New York City, New York City Cabaret Reviews
