Review: TAYLOR LOUDERMAN Charms in Her First Cabaret Show at the Blue Strawberry Showroom And Lounge

Bounding onto the stage and pumping her fists in the air, Missouri’s Taylor Louderman took the stage at Blue Strawberry for her second cabaret performance in as many nights. Louderman welcomed an enthusiastic audience to her debut solo show and then proceeded to walk through her self-scripted story. She humbly shared how life experiences have shaped her as an actor, performer, educator, philanthropist, wife, and mother.

Taylor Louderman grew up in nearby Bourbon, Missouri. She credits the high school drama club for helping her through the tough high school years. While still in college, Louderman was plucked from obscurity by The Muny’s Mike Isaacson and his producing partner Kristin Caskey to lead the Broadway production of Bring It On. Following a stint in Kinky Boots, she was cast as Regina George in Tina Fey’s musical adaptation of Mean Girls. Louderman was nominated for a Tony as Best Actress in a Musical for her role as the leader of The Plastics.

Louderman selected her longtime voice coach, Lisa Campbell Albert, to accompany her on piano. The renowned vocal coach and author has been working with Louderman since she was 16 years old. In addition to playing for the singer, Albert added a bit of levity to Louderman’s story acting as a dismissive casting agent during a medley of songs from shows that Louderman auditioned for but wasn’t cast.

Their tongue-in-cheek look at auditioning illustrated how much tenacity and grit it takes to be a working actor. The compilation of songs included many popular songs from recent Broadway hits – including “For the First Time in Forever” and “Let it Go” from Disney’s Frozen, and “Popular” from Wicked. Louderman confessed that she had auditioned for both the Broadway company and the recent film adaptation of Wicked.

Audition stories are routine fodder for cabaret performances and musical theater fans relish hearing them. But what is not always common in cabaret performances is the kind of raw, unfiltered, exposed vulnerability that Taylor Louderman shared. Louderman said at the beginning of her show, “This is scary. I play characters on stage. I’m not used to just being myself on a stage.”

She spoke of her struggles during her sophomore year in high school when her friends deserted her, the transfer to the neighboring rival high school, and the disappointment being cut from a show after the opening night performance of the Off-Broadway production of Ride the Cyclone. It was that unguarded humility that captivated her audience, had them leaning in, and savoring every word and note from the adored Broadway veteran.

It was immediately after her departure from Ride the Cyclone that Louderman was cast in Kinky Boots as Charlie’s love interest Lauren. She told the audience that Kinky Boots reignited her love of the theater. It gave her the chance to lean into a comedic role. She then jumped into Lauren’s signature solo, performing the comical “The History of Wrong Guys.” Louderman is very funny and there were plenty of laughs throughout the actor’s show.

While working in Kinky Boots Louderman was workshopping shows during the day. It was at the same time she was playing Lauren that she was helping to develop musicals based on the film Mean Girls and the Alicia Silverstone movie Clueless. She joked about her resemblance to Silverstone and then called upon her longtime friend actor Ron Gibbs for help with the next bit. The two reenacted the outrageous failed driver’s exam scene from Clueless while Louderman sang a witty song parody based on the 4 Non Blondes anthem “What’s Up.”

In her set that included Broadway hits and standards, pop, rock, and country music, Louderman worked her way through a songbook that showed immense range and versatility. She comfortably transitions her soprano between chest, head and belt voice with stylized phrasing and elegant timbre and tone. She offered lovely renditions of “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood” from Lerner and Lowe’s Camelot and “Will He Like Me” from She Loves Me. She cleverly changed the lyrics in the latter to will ‘they’ like me in a cute bit conveying her worries and nerves about creating her first solo show.

The talented and likeable Taylor Louderman charmed, delighted, and amused in her Blue Strawberry debut. Ending her set with the Tim McGRaw hit “Humble and Kind,” Louderman sang, “Hold the door, say please, and say thank you. I know you’ve got mountains to climb but always stay humble and kind.” No doubt words that this affable artist and compelling storyteller lives by.