Nikki Blonsky: Coming Home

For her cabaret debut, Hairspray's 19-year-old cinematic star Nikki Blonsky is taking the stage at Feinstein's at Loews Regency, continuing the room's recent trend of offering a wide variety of cabaret stylings for different kinds of audiences.

The problem, of course, with a performance by a young woman not yet old enough to sit in most nightclubs is that she has not had enough opportunities to attend many other cabarets and learn about the art. The end result is that while Blonsky has bountiful enthusiasm and a rich, versatile voice, she doesn't know how to create a high-end show that fits a room like Feinstein's. Coming Home is certainly an enjoyable show, but Feinstein's is not the correct venue for a freshman singer.

Most of the show's weaknesses seem to lie in Patti Dunham's music direction. Traditionally, the music director of a cabaret doubles as the pianist. Instead, Dunham shares the stage with Blonsky and occasionally "conducts" pianist Gary Haberman, bassist Mike Hall and drummer Ian Petillo as well as singing "backup" for two of Blonsky's numbers (though rarely in harmony). Whether Blonsky wanted her voice teacher on stage with her as support or Dunham offered her services as conductor is irrelevant. Her very presence on the stage is distracting, and a well-rehearsed trio should not need a conductor. Likewise, it does not seem that Dunham knew how to shape a professional cabaret for her protégée. Blonsky's scripted banter feels scripted, which makes the moments between the songs much weaker than the music.

But for all the issues in the direction, one cannot say that Dunham didn't train her student well. Blonsky is an amazingly talented young lady, and her enthusiasm, energy and voice can compensate for just about any structural problems in the cabaret. From contemporary showtunes (four from Hairspray alone), classic showtunes (a gorgeous "So in Love", a fierce "Don't Rain on My Parade") to rock (Melissa Etheridge's "I'm the Only One") to opera (Bizet's "Habanera"--Blonsky played Carmen in high school, as well as the titular role in Kiss Me, Kate), Blonsky pours herself into every song and gives them all a fresh energy. More importantly, she proves that she can sing just about anything with the skill of a singer twice her age. It would be a true shame if Broadway loses her to Hollywood, as her vocal talent would be a great asset to just about any kind of musical.

Nikki Blonsky may yet prove herself to be a top-notch cabaret star. She certainly has the talent for it, and with the right teacher to show her the way, it would not be hard to see her as a new Jane Monheit or Maude Maggart.

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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