Interview: Linda Jackson Finds Freedom in Being TEMPORARILY LOST
The encore plays September 30 at Don’t Tell Mama in NYC
"I didn’t and I don’t have to become somebody different to present this show.”
For Linda Jackson, that realization became one of the most surprising parts of creating Temporarily Lost, her debut solo cabaret show at Don’t Tell Mama in New York City.
Jackson’s path to cabaret was not a straight line. In fact, that idea of an unexpected path is exactly what inspired the title of her show.
A California native who now splits her time between California and New York, Jackson first came to know the city through work before eventually finding a creative home in the cabaret community.
“I got to know New York City slowly first, kind of in a work context,” Jackson said. “Then I started dipping my toes into cabaret about 13 years ago.”
Her introduction came through a cabaret performance class, where she discovered a world that combined music, storytelling, and collaboration.
“I had heard about a class I could take in cabaret performance where there would be a piano player who could transpose the music on site if needed, do arrangements, and then there’d be a show at the end of the class,” she said. “And I’m like, are you kidding me? That sounds like the most fun thing ever.”
What began as a class eventually became a community. Jackson found herself surrounded by performers, musicians, and artists who encouraged one another and created together.
One of the things that drew Jackson to cabaret was the creative freedom it offered.
“In cabaret, you can present anything you want,” she explained. “You can do any style of music, you can tell a lot of stories in between your songs. You can dance up there. You can have a band, you cannot have a band. For that hour that you are up there, the sky’s the limit.”
That freedom is something Jackson says attracts many Broadway performers to cabaret as well. While Broadway performers often step into roles created by someone else, cabaret gives artists the opportunity to share their own stories and perspectives directly with an audience.
Creating Temporarily Lost meant Jackson had to do exactly that.
When she first began developing her solo show, she admits the idea felt overwhelming.
“My director was like, ‘The theme is you,’” Jackson recalled. “I’m like, are you kidding me? How do I make a show out of that?”
With the support of her director, music director, musicians, and friends, Jackson began piecing together the songs and stories that would become the show.
Although the performance is a solo show, Jackson emphasized that the creative process was anything but a solo endeavor.
“I’m not interested in a solo endeavor,” she said. “The creative process with other people is just a lot more fun anyway, and then you get better ideas.”
Part of that process was learning to trust the instincts of the people around her. Jackson shared that there were moments when she questioned whether certain ideas belonged in the show, only to have her director encourage her to keep them.
“One of them especially, my director was just like, ‘You really should. I really think people would like it,’” she said. “And then it’s like a hit. People like it. It’s a really fun and funny part of the show.”
That willingness to take risks is also reflected in the show’s title.
For Jackson, being “temporarily lost” is not about being without direction. Instead, it represents the freedom that comes from allowing life to unfold.
“The idea of being temporarily lost is really freeing because, first of all, it’s only temporary,” Jackson said.
She connects that idea to her love of travel and experiencing different cultures.
“I find [experiencing different cultures and perspectives] totally liberating because then I’m not stuck with the rules I grew up with or with limitations,” she said.
That curiosity has shaped much of Jackson’s life. She speaks Japanese, studies Italian, and enjoys connecting with people through language and shared experiences.
That same connection is what makes cabaret unique.
Unlike traditional theater, where audiences observe a story happening onstage, cabaret allows performers to directly engage with the people watching.
“The performer is talking to the audience, looking at the audience, like having an interaction with the audience,” Jackson said. “You’re a real person up there.”
For Jackson, that vulnerability is both the challenge and the reward.
She hopes audiences leave Temporarily Lost feeling exactly what she feels while performing it.
“I just hope they have a good time,” she said. “I just hope that someone enjoys themselves and does some laughing and just feels good.”
As Jackson looks ahead, she is considering future performances of Temporarily Lost while also imagining what might come next. Her next project may even explore her love of rock and pop music with guitar as a central focus.
For now, Jackson is embracing the moment and enjoying the unexpected path that brought her here.
After all, sometimes being temporarily lost is exactly where the most interesting stories begin.
Linda Jackson’s Temporarily Lost will have an encore performance on September 30 at 7:00 PM at Don’t Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, New York City). For reservations and additional information, visit Don’t Tell Mama. Tickets are available here.
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