Review: A Tasty TGR42 Double Header - KEVIN ON THE KEYS And The AUSTRALIAN THEATRE FESTIVAL NYC'S CABARET

On Saturday afternoon The Green Room 42 was home to an “experiment” for pianist and composer Kevin Winebold. The talented musician has been toying with the idea of a monthly variety show, or salon of sorts, entitled “Kevin On The Keys,” whereby he performs select pieces at the piano and invites 3 to 4 guest performers to sing a number or two, each, during the show. Saturday’s performance also happened to coincide with the 2nd anniversary of an unprovoked physical assault on the subway which rendered Winebold’s vocal cords injured to the point where he can no longer sing. To reclaim the date, he wanted to do something that would celebrate what he can still do, which is play the piano. And play the piano he does! One might call Winebold a one-man orchestra – he's an incredible pianist, whose fantastic fingerwork left this reviewer marveled at his masterful control of tempo, dynamics, and timbre.

Winebold, dressed in a sequined jacket and sparkly shoes, opened the show with a grand performance of the overture from Kiss Me, Kate before playing what one might call his signature piece, “Dark Horse,” by neoclassical composer David Lanz - signature in that it is Winebold’s favorite piece, and he has played it ever since he first heard it as a junior in high school. He went on to win competitions with the song, and it’s not hard to hear why. It is a magical piece, and the song also features on his newly released album, “Return to the Heart” (now on Apple Music and Spotify).

After winning over the small but appreciative audience, Winebold invited the first of four guest artists to the stage. Q. Smith, whom Winebold met in his freshman year of college, has been seen in Come From Away, Mary Poppins, and Les Miserables (to name a few) and sang the roof off with Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Next to hit the stage was Kennedy Kanagawa, whose New York City Center, Broadway, and touring performances as Milky White (the cow) in Into the Woods garnered rave reviews. Kanagawa performed a slow, tender rendition of pop singer Sia’s “Chandelier,” gifting the audience with his exceptional range and vocal prowess.

The spotlight then returned to Winebold, performing the most played track from his album on Spotify, David Lanz’s “Dancing on the (Berlin) Wall.” This was followed by Q. Smith’s “Relationship Medley,” which is a work in progress, and could do with some tightening up of the patter between numbers. Following was the delightful Leigh Ann Larkin, who you may have heard on the Broadway revival cast recording of A Little Night Music. As Winebold remarked, her performance of “The Miller’s Son” has since become the quintessential recording, listened to by musical theater students across the continent. Larkin performed a stunningly beautiful, “I Couldn’t Be with Anyone But You” from A Wonderful Life.

There were several other numbers, but a highlight would have to be a Kevin Winebold original, entitled “I’m Ready” about all the things we love to hate about going to the theater. The clever and comical piece was performed with gusto by the charming Justin Dylan Nastro. Overall, “Kevin On The Keys” is a great concept, and one recommends you keep an eye out for future performances as Winebold continues to look for a “home” for it.

Come Saturday evening, The Green Room 42 saw another show teeming with variety - the Australian Theatre Festival (ATF) NYC’s Cabaret! And this Aussie-born reviewer felt right at home with a great selection of material from the native homeland. What has become an annual event, the ATF Cabaret was the closing night event of the festival (now in its fourth year), and showcased just some of the talent from Down Under that exists in this bustling metropolis!

Entertaining co-hosts Connor Delves (also a co-director of the festival) and powerhouse vocalist Jennifer Reed opened the show with a comical scripted intro before Delves delivered an energetic, captivating Hugh Jackman-esque performance of “Not the Boy Next Door” from none other than The Boy From Oz. This had the audience clapping from the get-go. Reed rocked the house with AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” which also featured killer solos from the band – led by Musical Director Isaac Hayward on piano, and featuring Max Jacobs on bass and Adam Wolfe on drums. Other highlights included a big belty original entitled “Wanna Be” by Kristen Plati, whose mighty, soulful voice was reminiscent of Adele, and inspired audible “wow’s” from the audience. This was followed by another original – this time a beautiful, somber piece by composer and silky smooth vocalist, Matthew Lee Robinson entitled "If Jesus." Robinson noted that it is from a new musical he is currently developing based on the life of Dr. Jonathan Welch, the founding artistic director of Australia's Choir of Hard Knocks.

Just when one thought they couldn’t get blown away any further, Amelia Cormack DELIVERED with an incredible rendition of Anna K. Jacobs and Carmel Dean’s “Hurricane Woman” from the musical ECHO. A last-minute program change made way for popular cabaret musical director Tracy Stark to take a seat at the piano to accompany the sultry, consummate showman Kim David Smith, who performed a selection of Kylie Minogue hits with a Marlene Dietrich-esque twist! The self-professed “internationally fame-ish” cabaret star had the audience eating out of his top hat.

There were many other notable performances in addition to the above by performers Mitchell Winter, Chris Ryan, Sarah McClellan Mee, Mi-Kaisha, and Adam Rennie. The dazzling show culminated in a rousing audience sing-along of “I Am, You Are, We Are Australian.” The stirring number brought a tear to the eyes of many expats in the room, this reviewer included.

These shows are just a sampling of the quality shows playing Green Room 42. To check out the calendar of upcoming shows HERE.

For more about Kevin Winebold, click HERE

To listen to Kevin Winebold’s album “Return from the Heart” you can find it on Apple Music or Spotify

For more on the annual Australian Theatre Festival NYC, click HERE

Photo Credit: BWW-Staff

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