The Diva-Lution Of Molly Pope

Imagine Deborah Kerr’s face, but gentler. Now imagine Ethel Merman’s voice, but more refined. The two combined would create Molly Pope, a young ingénue whose smart and sassy cabaret, The Diva-Lution of Molly Pope, ended its run at the Laurie Beechman Theatre last week.  An enjoyable blend of classic and contemporary songs, Diva-Lution is intelligent, exciting and emotionally fulfilling, making for a delightful evening of humor and music.

Using songs spanning decades of the American Songbook, Pope conjures the supper-club divas of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, even when performing such modern numbers as The Cardigans’ “Lovefool” (reimagined with a fun and funky jazz twist) and No Doubt’s “Bathwater.” Clad in an elegant black sleeveless cocktail dress, she exudes a class and sophistication that, combined with her rich contralto voice and deadpan humor, evokes Stritch, Kitt and other classic cabaret stars. (The comparison is no accident. “It’s the broads who can weather anything,” Pope declares at one point in the show. “I would rather be Stritch than La Dame Aux Camelias any day!”) Sonny Paladino’s musical direction works well with Ben Rimalower’s direction to maintain the classic vibe, and to make everything old new again.

Pope’s forte is generally uptempo, upbeat numbers like her bossa nova reimagining of
“I Can See It” from The Fantasticks, a smart “It’s All Right with Me” and Her “Frankie and Johnny” is smart and fun (if not as ribald as she could make it), and her “Hey! Look Me Over” (which followed one of the most emotional moments in the show—more on that later) is bright, powerful and exciting. Her combination of Cole Porter’s “Down in the Depths” and Cahn/Van Heussen’s “Love is a Bore” is a bit heavy on the drums, but still fun. Of the ballads, the best—and possibly the strongest moment in the entire evening—is her lovely rendition of Anderson & Weill’s “It Never Was You,” which is so emotional it moved even Pope herself to tears at the performance I attended. No overacting here, just pure feeling. Even Weill would have been moved.

For the first finale before the planned encore, Pope sings a deliciously upbeat “Artificial Flowers” from Tenderloin, using a swingy jazz arrangement similar to Bobby Darin’s, and reveling in the dichotomy of melodramatic lyrics and bright, cheerful music. The combination seems to exemplify Pope’s style of in-your-face humor, and serves as a nice lead-in to “Stairway to Paradise” as the encore. The finale seems quite apt for Molly Pope, and when that powerful voice announces that she’s gonna get there at any price, you believe it. Here’s hoping she returns to the Laurie Beechman soon.