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Danielle Grabianowski
November 3, 2009
“Old, New, Borrowed and Blues”
Metropolitan Room – October 30, November 4
Don’t Tell Mama – December 16, 21
Danielle Grabianowski is a fascinating singer and performer. Her voice is rather a combination of Billie Holiday and Jessica Dragonette—though every now and then her singing has a less stylized sound. (For you young’uns, unlike Jessica Rabbit, Ms. Dragonette was quite real, and not just drawn that way.) She is also an uncommon and uncommonly good actress, so her interpretations are not only strong and intelligently thought through, they are likely also to be unlike others you’ve heard. And her personality is delightfully and disarmingly off the wall and unpredictable. One has the feeling that God knows what she’ll come up with—or come out with. The young Bette Midler was like that.
In her debut solo show, directed by Lennie Watts, she demonstrates why she scored so highly in this year’s MetroStar Talent Challenge. (She was first runner-up.) Her rendition of “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” (Jay Gorney, E.Y. Harburg) is a good example. At the beginning, she beams with pride at her accomplishments (building a tower, etc.), then she becomes heartbreaking in her humbled state, reduced to pleading for money. Each of these attitudes is communicated subtly but with absolute clarity. Or “Try a Little Tenderness” (Harry Woods, Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly), which she performs with compassion, urgency, and above all, sincerity. It’s quite something. Her rendition of Amanda McBroom’s “The Portrait” is very strong—all the more powerful because she holds back a bit and doesn’t hit us over the head with the emotion. Her interpretation of Ray LaMontagne’s “Sugar Daddy” is similarly slightly understated, but she gets the point across—complete with attitude—and the reserve allows for interesting exploration.
A palpable sadness permeates her delivery of Bob Dylan’s “[Papa], You Been on My Mind.” and her performance of Raymond Taylor and Lester Judson’s “I Want to Be Evil” is appropriately playful and sassy. If someone so new can be said to have a signature song, Grabianowski’s is Memphis Minnie’s “Bumble Bee”; she delivers every innuendo and double entendre deliciously. She joins with musical director Nate Buccieri to sing Harry Warren and Al Dubin’s “Shuffle Off to Buffalo.” As you know, the jazz tradition is to state a melody as written, then to improvise variations; in this thoroughly winning arrangement, the straight version comes in the middle. Speaking of Buccieri, not only does he support Grabianowski with wonderfully full piano accompaniment, he also radiates enthusiasm and joy. He’s clearly, and infectiously, on the singer’s side—a disposition he displayed all during his stint as musical director for the MetroStar Talent Challenge.
Grabianowski’s patter is quirky and funny—her recreation of a conversation with her Italian grandmother is hilarious—and but for one misstep, it provides splendid lead-ins for the songs. The mistake is the Bono political quote that precedes “Try a Little Tenderness”; not only is it a very silly set-up for the song, it reflects a dangerously naïve view of international relations and security.
As is the case with so many shows, there were problems with the opening number—with the first two numbers, actually; at least there were on opening night. “This Is All Very New to Me” (Albert Hague, Arnold Horwitt) needed a clearer vision; also, it bore scant resemblance to the familiar song from Plain and Fancy—was the culprit the vocal arrangement? Was it even the same song? And she sang Jack White’s “We’re Going to Be Friends” well enough, but, uncharacteristically, her rendition needed an acting choice, a slant. From the third number on, however, all was right with the world.
Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for over thirty years. He’s written cabaret and theatre reviews, features, and commentary for seven print publications, most notably Back Stage, and for CitySearch on the Internet. He covered cabaret monthly on “New York Theatre Review” on PBS TV, and cabaret and theatre weekly on WLIM-FM radio. He was twice a guest instructor at the London School of Musical Theatre. A critic for BistroAwards.com, he is also the site’s Reviews Editor; in addition, he is Chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC.
