Sage Advice: Lois Is STILL Fabulous!

Cabaret has always been known for having a quick and sometimes-unnecessary turnover. It's not unusual for someone to be one of the most important personalities of cabaret's global village for one minute, and then be utterly forgotten just months afterwards. Therefore, it is almost impossible to remember that there was an era when Lois Sage was literally one of the biggest cabaret stars of all time. Granted, life takes all of us into previously unforeseen directions when we least expect, and in Sage's case she was directed into an extremely-contented life as a wife and mother in Florida.

But when she recently brought her latest evening of cabaret to the Beechman after a shockingly-long absence, the solidly-packed house was reminded of her genius once and again. In point of fact, this wasn't a cabaret act as much as a happening, and transported all of us right back to the magical days of 1987. And testament to same, was the audience in which was scattered such major players of cabaret's heyday as Rochelle Seldin, Ruby Rims, Lina Koutrakos, Celeste, John Bucchino, Leslie Fogelsong and Kathy Robinson, besides this writer. It's ironic that an early standout in the show is Bucchino's "Feels Like Home" (for which Sage recorded the original demo), because it really does, both for the singer and the rest of us.

Beautifully supported by musical director Robby Stamper (who is also sorely missed by cabaret folk at large), Sage shows that she has always possessed a singular gift for heavy balladry as well as comical uptempos, and that gift once again emerges in abundance. She's barely finished casting her spell over the audience with a coupling of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" and "Ain't Misbehavin'," before she virtually gobsmacks the crowd with Craig Carnelia's "Just A Housewife," and then delivers a vocal sucker-punch with "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face" merged with "My Funny Valentine." Equally, she manages to turn the Beechman into the sort of classic clubs of cabaret's yesteryear, as Les Mouches and Mickey's, while rendering "What'll I Do" paired with "If I Ever Say I'm Over You." And as she has done for years, Sage takes great care to include original numbers by local composers and lyricists, in this case Rick Crom's "Cemetery Song" and "I Love You, We Hate the Same People" by John McMahon and Jay Jeffries. After bringing the evening to a stupendous close with Alan Menken and Dean Pitchford's "Sailing On," Sage makes her exit upon an encore of "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love," for which there are simply not enough superlatives. In addition, she requests the audience to punctuate the applause throughout the show with shouts of, "Isn't she FABULOUS?" as a throwback to her golden era in the 1980s, and the sold-out throng never disappoints. It must also be noted that technical director David Brian Colbert has outdone himself with simply sensational work on light and sound.

Does this show mark a comeback on the New York cabaret scene for Lois Sage? Probably not, as she is very comfortably settled in Florida and seems to have no plans to relocate here with her husband and children. SHOULD this show mark a comeback on the New York cabaret scene for Lois Sage? Yes. Yes, it should. And yes, it unequivocally has and does. For anyone who attended this performance will surely remember that they bore witness to a true and magical slice of cabaret history.