Review: Faith Kasparian Shines In LAW OF IMAGINATION at Don't Tell Mama

What do singing and the practice of law have in common? If you’re Faith Kasparian, the answer is more than you’d think! Especially when you add five feet of determination, wit, and a boundless imagination. Last Wednesday, September 10, cabaret fans at Don’t Tell Mama were treated to Law of Imagination, Kasparian’s delightful, heartfelt one-woman show, directed with savvy warmth by Tony Award winner Faith Prince, and supported by the playful, precise musical direction of Bobby Peaco.

Kasparian is not your typical cabaret ingénue. A practicing lawyer by day (she chairs the Privacy and Data Security group at her firm) and a Boston-born soprano by night, she draws on both halves of her identity to craft a thoroughly enjoyable evening that invites the audience into her imagination, her life as said lawyer, and her culturally rich Armenian heritage. 

The setlist is as eclectic as it is inspired. Opening with a fantasia on “Imagination/Fantasy,” Kasparian sets the tone for a night where Gershwin can sit comfortably next to Miley Cyrus, and a blending of Finn's “Mother’s Gonna Make Things Fine" and Sondheim's "Not While I’m Around” next to Adam Gwon’s heartwrenching “I’ll Be Here" (a fitting tribute on the eve of 9/11). Other highlights included a sweetly nostalgic “When We Grow Up/Kindergarten Love Song,” a breezy “Downtown/Georgy Girl” pairing, and a roof-raising mash-up of “Party in the USA” with Evita - yes, you read that right! The encore, “Orange Colored Skies/Blue Skies,” featuring guest vocalist (and Faith's son) Ethan Kasparian Weisman, who also wowed us on woodwinds, was the cherry on top, sending the audience out humming and grinning. 

Prince’s direction allows Kasparian’s quirky humor and sincerity to shine, never letting the inventive mashups feel like mere gimmicks. And Peaco, along with a first-rate ensemble (Tom Hubbard on bass, Giuseppe Paradiso on drums, the aforementioned Ethan Kasparian Weisman on woodwinds, and Frank Kasparian Weisman on guitar), ensures that each unlikely pairing is supported by arrangements that swing, shimmer, and occasionally surprise.  

What truly grounds Law of Imagination is Kasparian herself, with her sweet vocals, astute comic timing, and sincere emotional depth. You feel her love of theater (nurtured from childhood productions) and her respect for the law, but above all, you feel her joy in creating connections where none seem obvious.

In Law of Imagination, Kasparian proves that cabaret is the perfect forum for blurring the lines between the serious and the silly, the heartfelt and the fantastical. This is a performer worth keeping your eye on.