Nicole Ligerman a Success @ Sterling's

On Sunday August 15 funny girl Nicole Ligerman presented her cabaret show The Bitch with the Dog Ruined My Life: Memoirs of a Non-genue to a packed house at Sterling's Upstairs @ Vitello's. Ligerman is most assuredly not an ingenue, but a character lady, and like her idol Barbra Streisand, she struggles and suffers to show the world that she's the greatest star. Her patter was delightful, especially the opening where she sang to a photo on top of the piano, a la Judy Garland on film to Clark Gable: "You Made Me Love You". When she turned the photograph around to face the audience, it was of Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz. Ligerman proceeded to explain that she isn't crazy about the film, but indeed loves Hamilton, after which she sang a song she claimed was cut from Oz "I'm a Bitch". It was a very funny moment, and, of course, afterwards she pointed out that she had been kidding, that the song was never associated with Oz.

There was a wonderful comic medley in honor of ingenues Non-Genue Suite, which included the perky ingenue "I Feel Pretty", the one who cannot act, Sondheim's drole "I'm Lovely", the Disney girls - all smile and show - "Part of This World" and the aging former ingenue, who isn't really an ingenue anymore but gets stuck in that class "I Enjoy Being a Girl". A wonderfully funny segment, where Ligerman displayed her vast character stylings!

A different segment, proving more versatility, incorporated handsome and talented guest star Patrick Robert Kelly who accompanied her on the ukelele with "Green" and "Rainbow Connection" and then did a lovely medley of love tunes, soloing "My Funny Valentine" and "How Deep Is the Ocean" and dueting with "Love, You Didn't Do Right By Me". Kelly later returned to duet "People Like Us" from Michael John LaChiusa's The Wild Party. Kelly's appealing and most definitely up and coming!

There were tributes to Streisand "I'm the Greatest Star" and "Don't Rain On My Parade". Also, a moment of reckoning where Ligerman found her own true self: "Ding Dong", "Rainbow" and "I Am What I Am" - with terrific musical direction from Matthew Smedal at the piano throughout the entire set.

Nicole Ligerman is a charming, witty and thoroughly engaging personality with a lovely singing voice. When she returns, I would love to see her tackle more intense character material like "Adelaide's Lament" or "I Never Do Anything Twice" without comparing herself to anyone. Then she will be free to be her own special creation, the very talented Nicole Ligerman.