Review: Gerrilyn Sohn Debuts TIMELESS: A TRIBUTE TO BERNADETTE PETERS at Don't Tell Mama

Two-time MAC Award nominee Gerrilyn Sohn turned her spotlight on two-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters last night, as she opened her new musical cabaret TIMELESS: A TRIBUTE TO BERNADETTE PETERS.  Ms. Sohn has, long, been an ardent admirer of the Broadway legend, as she has mentioned in previous solo show presentations, so the idea of a BP tribute show was sort of a fait accompli, it was just a matter of time - well, that time has arrived, and it seems to be an idea the people were awaiting: last night’s show was sold to capacity, the May 2nd show is reportedly sold out, and rumor has it there are only seven seats left for May 11th.  Ms. Sohn’s popularity is showing, and it shines brightly, thanks to the presence in Don’t Tell Mama’s Brick Room of cabaret stalwarts like Lorna Dallas, Sarah Carson, Lucille Carr- Kafashan, Steve Zumbo, Deborah Zecher, Frank McDonagh, Maria Corsaro, Ellen Auwarter, Dorian Woodruff, Terri Dannenberg, Goldie Dver, and Camille DIamond, who will play the same club on May 3rd with her own tribute show to Toni Tennille.  A sold-out opening night is a beautiful thing, and an audience filled with respected artists in your field is, indeed, validation for any performer.  It was a joy for this writer to sit back and observe the show of support and community - it was intensely reminiscent of that TV show theme song that refers to being in a place where everybody knows your name.  That’s Don’t Tell Mama all over the place.

For her new hour-long cabaret show (ideal length, thank you!), Ms. Sohn covers Bernadette Peters' career and life in small chapters relating to her work on stage, her television appearances, her movie roles, the recording booth, and concert stages, with drive-bys that touch on her life as a toddler thespian, an animal advocate, and a woman in love.  Sohn and director Lennie Watts have crafted a script filled with facts and histories, some that the public at large would know (film and television roles), others that theater aficionados have committed to memory (though the exact number of Peters’ Broadway shows was eye opening), and others that came as a complete surprise (the story of how she met her husband is hilarious).  The anecdotes and trivia are peppered with musical performances one would, quite naturally, expect (like winning opening number “Broadway Baby”) and others that lean into revelation, like evening highlight “Other Lady.”   For these musical numbers, Musical Director Tracy Stark has kept Sohn’s arrangements simple and straightforward, faithful to Peter’s original treatments, maybe as a tribute to Bernadette or perhaps to allow Gerrilyn Sohn a chance to showcase her acting skills.  

Near the end of the program, Ms. Sohn quotes Stephen Sondheim on Bernadette Peters’ talent, saying, “Like very few others, she sings and acts at the same time.  Most performers act, and then sing.”  This comment is the lynchpin of the show TIMELESS because it describes Gerrilyn Sohn’s greatest gift to the art of performing.  Some may not know this, but Gerrilyn started as an actress - she was not on the singer’s trajectory.  She was a musical theater performer, and although that journey came to an end, the art of acting is extremely present in her work as a storyteller.  There are those who stand on the stage and stare blankly out into space while singing, but that is not the way of Gerrilyn Sohn.  For every sentence, there is an emotion; for each stanza, there is an intention.  Sohn is determined, either by instinct or by choice, to always be present in her storytelling.  There are moments of longing during “Only Wounded” (another evening highlight), vivacious expressiveness for “Look What Happened To Mabel,” and full-out performance values in “Last Midnight,” a song this writer thinks people should not sing in cabarets (there’s so much backstory, so much context - it’s too epic) but which Sohn acquits herself of nicely, both vocally and emotionally.  Sohn does not shy away from the tools necessary for acting out emotion - a screwed-up facial expression for consternation, a raised eyebrow combined with a sneer for disappointment, a shrug and a glassy gaze for resignation.  Whatever is required to communicate the author’s original intent and a proper story for her audience, Gerrilyn is ready with acting skills that never seem technique-based; this is natural, it is real, it is of the moment.  There are plenty of comedic occasions to observe, as well, particularly with numbers like “Easy Street” and “Making Love Alone” - and who could resist an opportunity to hear “We’re In The Money” in pig latin, live and in person?   Of course, Bernadette Peters is famous for her comedic timing and that pig latin number, so it is only natural that Gerrilyn Sohn should step up to the plate with everything she’s got, which is exactly what she is doing, whether presenting these lighter bits, like hers and hers kazoos for she and Tracy during “Raining In My Heart” or the heartfelt “Send in the Clowns” that she performed in her MAC nominated show Something Cool.  She does confess that there is special resonance for her in the ballads that Peters performs on her studio albums, and it shows, for, as much as the novelty numbers and humorous highjinks entertain, these ballads (like another evening highlight “Faithless Love”) do seem to show Sohn at her best - they also provide some gorgeous tones in the soprano’s lower register that this writer is greedy to hear more of.

One of the things I’d also love to hear more of, in the Bernadette Peters show, is some of Gerrilyn’s personal life, her experiences, her opinions, her relationship with Bernadette Peters as an idol, as a mentor from afar, as a beacon of light.  We all have that North Star, and we all light up when given a chance to monologue on them.  The trivia and the history are nice, but nothing is quite as nice as when Gerrilyn is the focal point of the story.  A few times throughout, Sohn breaks through her script to make a personal joke about her own dancing skills, or to touch on what she saw in the VHS of Sunday in the Park With George that lit the BP spark inside of her, or to recount the hi-ho-larious story of riding in a limo with Bernadette.  These moments are priceless.  Tribute shows are wonderful, but the best part of any tribute show is hearing how the honoree has affected the life of the headliner, and any Gerrilyn Sohn fan will delight in the sight of that special glint in her eye that comes when she discusses her feelings over her idol.  It’s probably too late for her and Lennie Watts to make any significant changes before the next performance, but one could wish…

One could also say that Adam DeCarlo was especially en pointe for the performance, for his lighting design pulled out all of the dreamiest looks and gobos (and he even got a mighty laugh for his work on the god mic), and one should definitely say that Marco Panascia and his bass brought the proceedings to new heights, both musically and emotionally (though one might offer that the fine folks at Don’t Tell Mama should call their piano tuner in for a spring cleaning).  It would appear that everyone in Gerrilyn Sohn’s orb has come to elevate her and her storytelling to the best possible level, from the folks on the stage to the ones in the seats out front, including Don’t Tell Mama booking agents Sidney Myer and Tonya Moberly, who were cheering as loudly as anyone else at the debut of her Bernadette Peters show, a tribute show that was born out of an actual devotion to the honoree, which doesn’t always happen.  There are any number of tribute shows that have been created because someone thought it would sell well.  TIMELESS exists because its creator has actually paid attention to a person and their art.  Bernadette Peters has inspired Gerrilyn Sohn, personally and professionally, for a long time.  That inspiration has led to the act of creation, which is appropriate since it was Bernadette Peters who first said, “Anything you do, let it come from you.”  In this most personal show, Gerrilyn Sohn has shown everyone that she understood the assignment. 

TIMELESS: A TRIBUTE TO BERNADETTE PETERS plays Don’t Tell Mama on May 2nd at 4 pm and May 11th at 7 pm.   Visit the Don’t Tell Mama show calendar HERE.

Visit the Gerrilyn Sohn website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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