CABARET LIFE NYC: Marissa Mulder's 'Breakout Year' Culminates With Classy, Compelling Shows at the Café Carlyle

Cabaret Reviews and Commentary by Stephen Hanks

Having written a plethora of words about Marissa Mulder over the past couple of years, I had planned on relegating a review of her mid-November, two-show run at the Café Carlyle to a relatively short critique in my seasonal compilation column (due to post a day or two or three before Santa arrives, for those keeping score at home). But once I got started I went way over my self-imposed word count for such things and decided it should be broken out into this stand-alone review. Speaking of "breakout," although the first known use of the phrase "breakout year" came 35 years ago, it has become the standard expression in sports or entertainment when referring to someone who has become a sudden or smashing success, especially in comparison to past efforts. If anyone in the world of New York cabaret could be said to have had a "breakout year" in 2013, it would have to be Marissa Mulder. And this angelic young woman--in voice, looks, and personality--hasn't even hit 30 yet.

Mulder established her presence with some authority in 2011 when she won that summer's Metrostar Talent Challenge at the Metropolitan Room, and followed that up in 2012 with very positive reviews for her show Illusions. But what Mulder did during this past year was no illusion. After staging one of the best cabaret shows of the year with her mesmerizing Tom Waits Tribute Show in March (directed by 2012 "breakout year" singer Lauren Fox), she won the Mabel Mercer Foundation's Noel Coward Competition in June, and in October was named winner of the Julie Wilson Award at the annual Cabaret Convention. You would think that would be enough for one year, but what really took Marissa Mulder to breakout status was being booked for two late-night November shows at the prestigious Café Carlyle. During her delightful and appropriately titled show, "It's Magic," Mulder performed an eclectic set of standards that she admitted, "speak to me." Well, if these are the tunes that capture her heart and mind, she's got a magical musical muse and very good taste, especially for someone from the Millennial Generation.

When I caught Mulder's show on the 15th, Bill Zeffiro (her musical director for Illusions and her 2011 Jimmy Van Heusen Tribute Show) was filling in for her Tom Waits Musical Director Jon Weber (who helmed the November 7 show and wrote superb arrangements), and by all accounts her performance was equally superb. It may be my imagination, but this lovely lass keeps raising her personal bar with every show. If Mulder was intimidated standing on the Carlyle stage or by having three cabaret divas like Andrea Marcovicci (with Marissa in photo next page), KT Sullivan, and Jessica Molaskey in the audience she certainly didn't show it. With her usually curly auburn locks straightened, and looking more elegant and sophisticated than ever in a black sequined top over a black skirt, Mulder coolly opened with "Zing! Went the Strings Of My Heart," as Zeffiro inserted some jazzy Gershwin riffs.

You can't blame anyone's heart from going "Zing!" when they hear Mulder sing. Her voice has been described as being girlish and bubbly, reminiscent of the legendary Blossom Dearie's sound. While it does have a retro '30s and '40s band front singer quality, it also ranges from ethereal to unselfconsciously coquettish, and can make any guy feel paternal and protective towards her, but a bit like a dirty old man at the same time. Mulder's unaffected mezzo soprano sound is like sweet tupelo honey (also the color of her flowing locks) dripping slowly off a spoon into a hot cup of tea. (Please click on Page 2 below to continue.)

You've just got to smile when a 20-something relates being a Woody Allen film fanatic, and Mulder set up her lovely rendition of Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn's "It's Magic" by quoting the classic opening monologue from the movie Manhattan, made by the man who has also been known to play his clarinet at the Carlyle. Mulder was "Easy to Love" when she did a smooth and jazzy version of the Cole Porter ballad to the sultry sounds of John Loehrke's upright bass. When she segued into Mary Chapin Carpenter's beautiful folkie ballad "This Shirt," it revealed a Marissa wearing her heart on her sleeve.

The rest of the set included songs that no matter what the flavor or tempo were all delivered with Mulder's now distinctive, close-your-eyes-and-you-know-it's-her sound. Her jaunty, adorable take on "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" was one of the best versions I've heard in cabaret. She transitioned quickly to an intense reading of John Prine's 1971 hit message song "Hello In There," and then went breathy and flirtatious (but could have been even slinkier) on Porter's "My Heart Belongs To Daddy." Zeffiro was at his expressive piano-playing best on Porter's "Who Said Gay Paree?" a song that was actually cut from the 1960 film version of the musical Can-Can. (There are dozens of songs cut from Porter musicals or films that are better than some composer's hits.) Mulder brought a mixture of disillusionment, regret and longing to an otherwise basic Porter ballad. She took on Stephen Sondheim twice during the set, offering very sweet renditions of "So Many People," from Saturday Night (which the composer wrote in 1954 at age 23) and "Anyone Can Whistle" from the 1964 Broadway Musical of the same name. For someone of her relatively brief life experience, Mulder brought a maturity and emotional depth to Billy Barnes' oft sung in cabaret, "Have I Stayed Too Long At The Fair?" and she now conveys an effortless coolness to her oft-sung Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn standard, "Come Fly With Me."

After paying such homage to the Great American Songbook, it was no surprise that Mulder's finale would be a classic among classics, and Zeffiro--a champion and historian of the GAS if there ever was one--started things off by crooning the little-known and not oft sung opening verse of a little ditty called "As Time Goes By." One thing is for certain: Love songs--and the tunes of the Great American Songbook--will never be out of date as long as they are being conveyed by a new generation of wonderful cabaret singers such as Marissa Mulder.

Photos by Stephen Sorokoff

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