TCCAN is evolving, both to challenge our members as well as a small loyal audience. This showcase bent the rules of our typical cabaret evening where performers would tell a personal story to set up their song. It took a bit more of a non-linear approach and the thread was a common theme of "how do we each practice the concept of keeping in touch." There was a trade-off where one member's dialogue often set the stage for anothers vocals. For Rhonda it is about journaling thoughts into poetry or relating back to pay telephones and her father. For Jonathan it is about keepsakes that connect him to his family while forging an independent existence. For Barbara it is about grounding to the earth and taking her own personal space.... All things that are not the first that come to mind when pondering the theme.
Musically, we had highlights from a broad range of genres - standards, to folk-pop, to art songs. Jennifer brought a poignant Dar Williams story to stage in "The Babysitter's Here" as well as a Bacharach gem about leaving in "24 Hours From Tulsa." Connie had great variety from Mancini's "Two For the Road" to Frishberg's chipper commentary on insincerity in "Blizzard of Lies." Janet delivered charms of a letter abroad in Lloyd Webber's "Song & Dance Letters" and the simplicity of a relationship not bound to technology in Cosy Sheridan's "Carphones & Airplanes." Dean opened us up on a medley of tunes about the excitement of Travel. Barbara introduced us to some offbeat and humorous tunes by William Bolcom and also shared the stage with Joey in a Maltby & Shire piece that exposed a relationship where keeping in touch was obviously a snag. Gently and spiteful way to say goodbye.... On and on in a great evening that was all woven together by the tremendous Tom Linker at the piano and the generous crew at Bryant Lake Bowl. Both TCCAN and cabaret were well represented.
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