Adriana McPhee, daughter of renowned cabaret artist Peisha McPhee and older sister to singer/actress Katharine McPhee, is a director and performance coach who operates McPhee International Vocal Studios in the Valley. She, along with her mother, has been a vocal coach on the TV singing contest American Idol for years. Although she teaches others the art of performing, Adriana herself has not been on a cabaret stage for several years. On the second night of her jam-packed Summertime Soiree Let’s Fall in Love at Rockwell Table & Stage she admitted she has been feeling a bit of stage fright. The good news for her and her fans—she’s no longer afraid. Adriana possesses a cool, confident, charming and captivating stage presence. Thanks to her mother’s influence, she has been a devotee of show tunes and the Great American Songbook from an early age and she clearly demonstrated her mastery of the genres. She began her show with a jazzy rendition of Cole Porter’s “Let’s Fall in Love.” After some patter she slipped into the sexy, seductive lyrics of “Old Devil Moon” from Finian’s Rainbow. Her mellow, jazzy style was also evident in the Hoagy Carmichael classic “Stardust” and the slyly comic “Peel Me a Grape” by Diana Krall. She brought a haunting earnestness to “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and a romantic tenderness to a medley of “Some Enchanted Evening/Where or When.” Her sister Katharine joined her for a lovely, powerful duet of Sara Bareilles’s “Basket Case.” Adriana displayed her acting chops as well as her belt in her soaring finale of Stephen Schwartz’s masterpiece “Meadowlark.” John Boswell served as musical director and pianist and also provided the lovely arrangements for the act. It was a Class Act from start to finish.
