Lorinda Lisitza: Triumphant Baby

There is a special joy one feels when watching a star ascend. More than mere exhilaration, this joy has a sort of pride laced throughout it. "I was there when..." this joy boasts quietly. "I was a part of this occasion." And that's probably what the packed audience at The Metropolitan Room felt last week when Lorinda Lisitza took to the stage and burst onto the scene. If her performances in shows at Cocteau Rep and concerts at Town Hall earned her a strong reputation as a vibrant newcomer, Triumphant Baby, her cabaret debut, solidified it.

It didn't hurt that, rather than sing standards, Ms. Lisitza has chosen to highlight the songbook of Joe Iconis and Robert Maddock. "Who?" you ask. Exactly. Fresh out of NYU's graduate musical theatre program, Iconis and Maddock may well become the next Hot Young Things in the musical theatre community, and Triumphant Baby should do much to advance their careers. Whether giddily imagining violent retribution on a homewrecker or poignantly expressing the final thoughts of a suicidal actress, their songs are intelligent, witty, and genuinely enjoyable to hear.

Likewise, Ms. Lisitza is also a joy to hear. Blessed with a voice that compares nicely to South American hot chocolate (sweet, warm, and smooth with just a little spice thrown in), she can croon or belt with the best of them, giving each song just the right kind of energy and emotion. She can flow effortlessly from delivering dry punchlines with wonderful comic timing to unabashedly expressing optimism and joy to quietly conveying pain and grief. Brad Oscar's nimble direction plays well off of Ms. Lisitza's boundless energy, never letting one mood become overbearing or overwhelming. Iconis and Maddock's songs celebrate every emotion, and Lisitza and Oscar interpret them all wonderfully. With a full band (Matthew Wigton on Bass, Matt Hinkley on accordion, guitar and mandolin and Iconis himself on piano) and backup singers (Liz Lark Brown and Tanya Holt) supporting her, Lisitza and the songs seem to bloom in the brightest possible way. 

When Ms. Lisitza performs the titular song as an encore to the concert, the lyrics seem to be more about her than mere words of encouragement to a nameless song subject. "I think maybe/You're gonna be triumphant, baby," she sings, with her eyes as wide as her smile, and no one in the audience doubted that she or Iconis and Maddock would be. When intelligent, emotional songs are paired with an intelligent, emotional singer, the combination can be truly magical.

Triumphant Baby will return to the Metropolitan Room on January 10^th. You should, too.  

 

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.