Greetings, Dear Readers. I slept past nine this morning, which really annoys me. I know most people enjoy sleeping in, but not I. I much prefer to be done with breakfast and reading the newspaper with a full day yet in front of me!
Miss Christine Andreas' performance last night was quite enjoyable. The show was comprised of a nice mix of Broadway, cabaret, and "jazz." I use the quotation marks because Miss Andreas herself described the "jazz" numbers as being more "jazz-inflected" than anything else. Truth be told, the jazz was more in the instrumental arrangements (Miss Andreas was backed by a piano and bass) than in the vocal styling.
Highlight numbers from the set include "They Say It's Wonderful," "Fly Me to the Moon," a big waltzy number from The Scarlet Pimpernel, and two back to back ballads about breaking up that left the audience looking for the closest bridge off of which to jump.
There wasn't a whole lot patter, and though Miss Andreas is not the chilliest cabaret performer I've seen, she's not the warmest one, either. Still, she did connect with the audience. She has a marvelously clear instrument, and she excels in telling stories by way of song.
The venue--Catalina Bar & Grill--is a little odd. This is a new location for a venerable jazz institution in Hollywood. The room is "L"-shaped, with the shorter leg perhaps half again as wide as the longer leg. The stage is set at the juncture of the two legs, facing the tables in the short leg. Last night's show was maybe 40% sold, so everyone there was fairly close to the stage. Some patrons at sold out shows would be rather far from the stage though. Though I prefer the new Cinegrill's concentric rings, there is far more elbow room at the new Catalina than at the new Cinegrill. The new Catalina suffers one of the problems of the old Cinegrill, however, in the form of columns that might obstruct some patrons' views.
And a word on my usual bugaboo: amplification. Though it seemed to improve as the show went on, and though she was maybe 25 feet away from me, at first it sounded as if Miss Andreas was singing in a tunnel.