A cabaret icon’s gaily urbane songs
The latest edition of Musically Speaking - TOSOS II’s ongoing series of revues celebrating gay composers and lyricists - focuses on the gaily urbane songs of cabaret icon John Wallowitch. The revues in this series present the composer’s work without the between-song patter so common in cabaret. Instead, the songs are fully acted, as though lifted wholesale from some unknown musical. The world Wallowitch’s songs bring to life is a Manhattan of swank private parties, and even more private late-night gatherings of friends. TOSOS II being the mother of all gay theater companies, it’s hardly surprising that, where the gay content isn’t explicit, sly glances and gestures between singers Chris Weikel and Robert Locke tell a fuller story. The gay stuff is often right there on the surface: "Dutch Ecology" (sung by Heather Olt) features wickedly funny lyrics that apply equally to dikes and dykes, and "Frog and Toad" tells of a same-sex domestic bliss only implicit in the children’s musical of the same title. Weikel, Locke and Olt are very fine singers who all use both jazz and pop stylings to highly expressive effect. Polished but definitely not "slick," this is a sweet-tart little slice of cabaret nirvana. —Jonathan Warman, HX Magazine (February 28, 2005)
Who is the most frequent performer of the witty, wicked, often tender songs of John Wallowitch? It is, of course, John Wallowitch himself, who provides his own accompaniment. Now, however, fifteen of his songs have been given new form, delightful spirit and appealing harmonies in a thoroughly engaging stage revue, titled Musically Speaking: The World of John Wallowitch. A cast of three talented theater actors/singers--Robert Locke, Heather Olt and Chris Weikel--performs winningly, and totally unmiked, in solos, duets and trios, in melodious arrangements by musical director Jason Loffredo. Produced by TOSOS II--offspring of New York’’s first gay theatre company--the show has been conceived and smoothly staged for The Duplex’’s small space by Mark Finley, and includes such Wallowitch favorites as Back On the Town, Cosmetic Surgery (one example of why Wallowitch is likened to Noel Coward), I Live Alone Again (solitude experienced from two points of view), Dutch Ecology (in praise of dikes –– and you can figure the double entendres), and the ever-sweet Come A Little Closer. No one performs Wallowitch like Wallowitch, but, as the TOSOS revue proves ? as do dozens of recordings of his songs by such souls as Tony Bennett, Margaret Whiting , Karen Akers and others ? Wallowitch songs are now treasures in their own right. —Peter Haas, Cabaret Scenes (March 15, 2005)
Cabaret has its fair share of cliché's and gimmicks, Many theatre goers cringe at the idea of attending a cabaret as they envision tacky Vegas lounge acts or musical theatre followers chanting along to songs that have long been beaten into the ground. Well, Musically Speaking: "The world of John Wallowitch is the exact remedy to kill the standard expectations. This is not your average cabaret, this is a show for those seeking beautiful songs performed in a classic way. The songs are off beat, catchy and witty, with a trio of actors (and yes I say actors for a reason) who are classy, poised and timeless. There is no witty banter in between songs and it's not a missed element. The songs flow naturally into one another following a streamlined theme of love, friendship and loss. Tosos II has indeed raised the bar for cabaret acts in New York.
Chris Weikel commands attention with his strong presence and even stronger voice. During the notable "Cosmetic Surgery" he draws the audience in as if he's confiding a dirty little secret among friends while delivering lines "Stitches can't resurrect bitches" & "Though their morals are loose their skin is taught" with great gusto.
Heather Olt evokes a certain 1940's charm, transforming from hambone into glamour puss to ingénue. Ms Olt manages to masterfully deliver tongue in cheek lines such as "I wonder what its like to be a dyke" & "Let's take pity on all dykes world wide" in the delightfully comic "Dutch Ecology" which literally stops the show.
Rounding out the trio is Robert Locke who has leading man appeal with his good looks and charming smile. Locke has several shining moments with songs "Christmas is the Perfect time" a cheery ditty about suicide over the holidays and..."None of your business".
The real highlights of the night are the group numbers. This cast has wonderful chemistry and it showed particularly well in "Come into my House", "Death" and "Come a Little Closer".
Keeping with the simplistic format there are no flashy costumes, each cast member is dressed in primarily muted shades with subtle dashes of color. Flowers and fabric are the only stage adornments.
The Musical direction by Jason Loffredo is precise and smart, with quick changes that flow seamlessly from song to song.
The direction & staging worked well for the tiny stage, and Mark Finley (director) creates real relationships without dialogue. The cast conveys poignant moments, touching interludes and silly commentary of life in New York. It would have been nice to see a touch more movement or choreography for some of the group numbers, but overall the staging serves the music and performers.
The real star of the night is John Wallowitch himself who writes humorous lines like "I live 100 lives with high class folks in low class dives" stay in your head long after the show is over.
The 60 minute show flew by and left the audience wanting more; it also led this writer to want some recordings of John Wallowitch for her very own. — Akia Sq-uitieri, Theater Scene.net, March 2005
oobr
Thumb your nose at the Grim Reaper
John Wallowitch, himself no spring chicken, writes songs about cosmetic surgery, suicide ("Christmas is the Perfect Time"), and death ("it's gonna get you in the end"). These songs make aggressive fun of death and aging, and had the Duplex audience in stitches. Denial, while not a river in Egypt, may or may not run through Sheridan Square, depending on whether you consider thumbing your nose at Death to be a form of denial or a denial of Death's dominion.
Wallowitch's songs, in addition to being witty, are constructed with the precision of Swiss timepieces. Their performance at the Duplex showed the tight integration of sterling material with Mark Finley's endlessly creative font of staging ideas and the effortless performing chops of the singers, Chris Weikel (especially), Heather Olt, and Robert Locke.
Staging ideas? When most people think of staging ideas, they think of scenery, costumes, and lights. Staging a show at the Duplex might mean a piece of graypatterned curtain and a vase of lilies on the piano (plus some martinis), two suits and a black dress, and a standard cabaret lighting plot. Oh, not to forget the pearls, lavender tie, and lime-green shirt! What Finley brought to the table is an inventiveness at providing business for the performers to enliven and illustrate the songs. What the performers brought was sufficient confidence in their singing to let loose and act out all the little moments that peppered the songs and brought them to life. Sounds straightforward, but rarely is it so, especially in a bookless cabaret act. And don't forget that this all took place on the proverbial postage stamp, seemingly half of which is taken up by a grand piano.
Speaking of the piano, Jason Loffredo's music direction provided not only galloping accompaniment (there weren't many slow numbers) but also musical interpretation and embellishment to tell the story, especially in "Cosmetic Surgery."
Of the performers, Weikel shone with his rubberized facial expressions and rock-solid vocal range. Of the songs, "Dutch Ecology," performed by Olt ("I wonder what it's like to be a dike"), surely jumped out for its comic effect and multiple meanings. But audiences are urged to drop everything and rush to the Duplex to catch the end of the run and make up their own minds.
Whether there is a connection between this making fun of death and the genesis of TOSOS II (a company reborn in the image of TOSOS, "The Other Side of Silence," a seminal gay theatre company) is the subject of another discussion. What is clear is that TOSOS II and Wallowitch are soulmates and should be made to perform endlessly for the rest of the world's deep enjoyment. That would be heaven. —John Chatterton, oobr (March 7, 2005)