Holly Penfield: Rhythm of Life

Steve Murray | July 19, 2016

Holly Penfield

Rhythm of Life

Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, July 15, 2016

Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes

Holly-Penfield-Cabaret-Scenes-Magazine_212 Holly Penfield definitely walks to her own beat. The Bay Area native turned London cabaret star is more than just a savvy chanteuse. She’s a blithe spirit of her own unique creation, wrapped in quirky self-made costuming, coyly roaming the audience and brandishing her trademark riding crop. Idiosyncrasies aside, when she opens her mouth and gets down to business, Penfield is a force to be reckoned with. Her Rhythm of Life pulsates with energy, bravado and old fashioned pizzazz.

Her opening suite set the tone of the evening: a sexy “Some Like It Hot” (Matty Malneck and I.A.L. Diamond) from the film of the same name, the rambunctious “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (Lee Adams/Charles Strouse) from Bye Bye Birdie into a sizzling “I Want to Be Evil” (Lester Judson/Raymond Taylor). Backed by Larry Dunlap on piano, Pat Klobas on bass and David Rokeach on drums, Penfield included two delightful comic tunes; Ray Davies’ Kinks hit “Demon Alcohol,” a cautionary tale of booze and floozies, and a Samba beat cover of Bill Crompton and Norman Murrell’s “House of Bamboo,” a novelty hit for Andy Williams in 1959.

Penfield brought her own interpretations to Garland standards “The Man That Got Away” (Harold Arlen/Ira Gershwin) and “Swanee” (George Gershwin/Irving Caesar) with the original opening verse.

A talented songwriter, Penfield took to the piano to sing “It’s Always Been You” (Gene Barkin/Penfield), a beautiful love song from her CD Parts of My Privacy. It was certainly a set highlight, as was her raucous closing mashup of her original “Chance to Dance (Barkin/Penfield), and “Rhythm of Life” (Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields) from Sweet Charity.

Penfield quoted Garland who said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” Penfield is most assuredly a unique creation and strives to be the best she can be.

Tags: A Lot of Livin’ to Do, American Songbook, Andy Williams, Bay Area, Bill Crompton, Broadway, Broadway Musicals, Bye Bye Birdie, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, CD, Chance to Dance, Charles Strouse, Clubs, Composers, Cy Coleman, David Rokeach, Demon Alcohol, Dorothy Fields, Feinstein's at the Nikko, Gene Barkin, George Gershwin, Great American Songbook, Harold Arlen, Holly Penfield, House of Bamboo, I Want to Be Evil, I.A.L. Diamond, Ira Gershwin, Irving Caesar, It’s Always Been You, Jazz, Jazz Singers, Jazz Vocalists, Judy Garland, Kinks, Larry Dunlap, Lee Adams, Lester Judson, London, lyricists, Matty Malneck, Musicals, Musicians, Nightclubs, Norman Murrell, Parts of My Privacy, Pat Klobas, Popular Song, Ray Davies, Raymond Taylor, Revues, Rhythm of Life, San Francisco, Show Tunes, Singers, Some Like It Hot, Songbook, Standards, Steve Murray, Supper Clubs, Swanee, Sweet Charity, The Man That Got Away, Venues, Vocalists