Review: Linda Mironti Embraces Being “PERFECTLY IMPERFECT” at Don't Tell Mama

There’s a particular brand of magic that can only happen in the cozy intimacy of a cabaret room like Don’t Tell Mama—and on Thursday, May 8th, Linda Mironti delivered just that with her heartfelt and hilarious show, Perfectly Imperfect. Under the masterful direction of cabaret icon Lennie Watts, Mironti brought her audience on a journey that was equal parts musical memoir and love letter to resilience, all wrapped in the warm hug of winking humor, and genuine soul.

From the moment Mironti stepped onto the stage, she owned it. She opened with a playful “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Merrill and Styne), with gorgeous phrasing and scatting showing off her impeccable range.

What followed was a beautifully curated setlist that balanced Broadway classics with bluesy inflections and contemporary pop, all stitched together by Mironti’s engaging storytelling. Her rendition of Kander and Ebb’s “All That Jazz” was delightfully naughty, with just the right edge of camp. She swayed into a sultry “Teach Me Tonight” (DePaul and Cahn), her vocal phrasing conjuring a late-night lounge circa 1955, while “Miss Celie’s Blues” was delivered with aching warmth.

But it was the original composition “Early Morning,” co-written with her late friend Mario Fuliano, that brought the room to a hush. Here, Mironti’s vulnerability was at its peak, and in the quiet space between each lyric, you could feel the shared heartbeat of an audience utterly captivated.

Mironti’s storytelling was as much a highlight as her vocal prowess. She wove tales of her family's Italian immigrant roots with warmth and wit, grounding the show in something uniquely personal. At one point, she referred to herself—tongue planted firmly in cheek—as a “meatball with earrings,” a line that drew riotous laughter and somehow managed to perfectly encapsulate her charm: humble, hearty, and full of flavor.

That humor reached a peak in the cheeky, cleverly staged “Thy Kingdom Come,” where Musical Director Tracy Stark—flawless on piano all evening—joined in for backup vocals. The pair’s chemistry was infectious, and Stark’s musical instincts provided the perfect framework for Mironti’s stylistic versatility.

There were surprises, too: a spirited and animated take on Ebb and Klein’s “Little Blue Man” gave the audience one of the evening’s biggest grins, while the final mash-up of “Santa Lucia Luntana” and “Goodnight New York” was stunning in its scope and sentimentality—a poignant blend of old world and new, much like Mironti herself.

Perfectly Imperfect is more than a show—it’s an embrace. An embrace of age, heritage, heartbreak, reinvention, and joy. With Lennie Watts’ sensitive direction and Tracy Stark’s impeccable musical guidance, Linda Mironti gave us not just a performance, but a piece of her soul.

You can catch the show when it returns in the Fall, on September 5 at Don't Tell Mama.

Make your reservation here on Don't Tell Mama's website.

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