Spotlight
Performance Review
Don't Tell Mama, New York City - February 2002
Susan Neuffer has graduated from Helen Baldassare’s Cabaret performance workshop to presenting her own shows. The second of her solo shows ‘Mysterious Woman’ was making a return visit to Don’t Tell Mama.
The show highlighted what can be achieved when some good grounding in cabaret performance is combined with an intelligent collection of material and the backup of professional arrangements and accompaniment. Thought had been given to little touches that contributed to making the show special; these included chocolates on each table and a detailed song list provided at the end of the set. Other singers please note!
Neuffer has a self-effacing and charming stage presence that immediately relaxes her audience. She seems happy and comfortable to be in the spotlight and paradoxically somewhat shocked to find herself there, all at the same time.
Comprising an eclectic mix of songs, the set opened with Irving Berlin’s ‘The Best Thing for You’ followed by the titular composition by Christine Lavin and a rather lovely and unusual composition by Musical Director Gerry Dieffenbach ‘Cinderella From Seashells’ which Neuffer should rightly nab as her own before it is quickly snatched away by someone else. Here it is given a well-deserved, sensitive and touching rendition. Full marks must also go for including songs by two British composers – Nick Drake’s seldom heard ‘At The Chime of a City Clock’ followed by the more familiar ‘Baker Street’ by Gerry Rafferty.
This type of cabaret show is
something unique to New York, where for not much money you can take a risk
on unknown performers and perhaps discover – as is the case here – a
gem of a show that passes an hour in a more then satisfactory manner.
Clearly Susan could build on what she has gained so far to work on further
shows that will provide her with yet more experience and probably in the
process allow her to discover further interesting aspects of her
performing persona.