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Champagne Pam
March 15, 2014
The delightful Champagne Pam (the self-chosen sobriquet of Pamela Lewis) recently came to Don’t Tell Mama with her show “Daddy’s Little Girl,” which originally played several performances at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last year. It is a gimmick-free and refreshing autobiographical show about the love of family. As she said in the show, “I just turned forty and decided it was time to take stock. Welcome to my warehouse—or, aware-house.”
Ever the charming hostess, Champagne Pam warmly greeted her audience as she entered the room from the back, mic in hand, singing an uptempo arrangement of “The Way You Look Tonight” (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields). By the time she got to the stage, she had already demonstrated poise and confidence, without any pretense whatsoever.
Because of that calmness about her, she makes it look easy; however, she is a performer in full control of her gifts. Her pitch and diction are flawless—skills that take hard work, but she carries it off effortlessly, as though it were the most normal thing in the world. At times, her sound is reminiscent of Madonna’s—but Madonna with voice lessons, a greater vocal range, and a wider palette of styles in her arsenal. Champagne Pam moved from pop standard to show tune to jazz to rhythm and blues with aplomb.
In a standout segment, she moved from a swinging “It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie” (Billy Mayhew) to a triumphant belting of “Waiting for Life” (Ahrens & Flaherty) to a rocking, uplifting “Everybody Loves You Now” (Billy Joel). This challenging material came near the beginning of the show, but throughout the evening her voice never displayed any sign of wear.
The patter consisted of colorful personal anecdotes sprinkled here and there. She told of sneaking out of the house as a teenager and returning in the middle of the night to see her mother waiting for her on the front lawn. Someone else might have said, “She was so mad at me, she grounded me for two weeks.” But Champagne Pam never told us what her mother said or what her punishment was; rather, she painted a striking visual with her words that told us exactly the kind of woman her mother was. Other colorful tidbits presented scenes of what life was like growing up on Long Island with her sisters and firefighter father.
Other highlights included Annie Dinerman’s “Child in Me Again,” effective with just piano accompaniment, and a bass-infused “That Old Black Magic” (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) that turned up the heat in the room.
As polished as her quartet of musicians was, there were a couple of arrangements that seemed out-of-date and slightly cheesy: the aforementioned “The Way You Look Tonight” could be forgiven, placed where it was as an opener, but it did have a Vegas-like sheen that didn’t allow for much emotional depth; also, the Little River Band’s “Reminiscing” (Graeham Goble) seemed just too ’70s for its own good.
As an added treat, she encored with a song she wrote with her guitarist husband, John Hurley, called “Twist My Fate.” It was both melodically pleasing and lyrically touching. My advice for them would be to continue writing and sharing the results.
The band consisted of musical director Bill Heller on piano, Jim Cammack on bass, Frank Bellucci on drums, and John Hurley on guitar. Susan Winter directed. With more such self-assured outings, Champagne Pam may indeed become the toast of the town.
“Daddy’s Little Girl”
Don’t Tell Mama – March 8
Kevin Scott Hall performed in cabaret clubs for many years and recorded three CDs, including “New Light Dawning” in 1998, which received national airplay. He also worked at the legendary piano bar, Rose’s Turn, and has taught cabaret workshops and directed shows since 1995. Kevin earned his MFA in Creative Writing at City College of New York. He is an adjunct professor in the Theatre and English departments at City College and Borough of Manhattan Community College. His novel, “Off the Charts!” was published in 2010, and his memoir, “A Quarter Inch from My Heart” (Wisdom Moon), in 2014. Kevin writes a monthly column and entertainment features for Edge Media Network, writes reviews for BistroAwards.com, and freelances for other publications.
The delightful Champagne Pam (the self-chosen sobriquet of Pamela Lewis) recently came to Don’t Tell Mama with her show “Daddy’s Little Girl,” which originally played several performances at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last year. It is a gimmick-free and refreshing autobiographical show about the love of family. As she said in the show, “I just turned forty and decided it was time to take stock. Welcome to my warehouse—or, aware-house.”