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Annie Hughes at Helen's
She
can seemingly sing anything expertly: a wrenching ballad, a wacky comedy
number, operetta, razzle dazzle musical comedy, and it doesn't hurt that she
has a big vocal range (three--count 'em--three octaves, according to her resume
and reliable sources, like those in her audience thinking,
"wow!"). Annie Hughes is the
very definition of the word "pro," but someone needs to con this pro
into coming back to
Opening
with a bang, and a rolling of the eyes, she borrowed a showstopper from The
Drowsy Chaperone, the mock lament of the weary, wary performer as she
protested, "I don't wanna show off no more..." Then, of course,
within this number she dazzled by semi-begrudgingly showing off her skills
with, for example, a snippet and a half
of the showpiece "Glitter And Be Gay." It didn't take long to be impressed (got a
minute?). Her bag of tricks is more of a
set of luggage. Out of it she pulled
madcap merriment, parody, one-liners, and blithely lobbing silvery high notes
into the air. There were scathingly
funny stories about her underwhelming romantic possibilities, sincere thoughts
about time passing by, and warm recollections.
Annie
Hughes can easily shift gears.
Occasionally it wasn't always clear when we were in serious mode. It's clear that Annie can turn on a dime,
from playing straight with her gorgeous soprano, and then go for a laugh
without as much as a twinkle in her eye to prepare you. There were a couple of times I wondered if
the other show were about to drop (kerplunk/ha ha) or if she simply was going
to be singing a straight song sincerely.
Maybe the surprise was that there was going to be no surprise. One or two numbers might be set up a little
differently or moved, but most work well as placed. I'd also like to hear her do something more
recently written by the new crop of writers. Her brew could stand being
freshened that way, but it's a mighty potent brew.
There
was a litany of punny metaphors in "He Knew How To Read Me," Ben
Schechter's clever song presented as if the Sunday New York Times had
sensitive feelings about being used and could express them. Canny Annie convincingly draped herself in
truly ardent romantic awe of an ideal mate in "And This Is My
Beloved" from Kismet, and could just as easily kick love in the
teeth while rejecting the whole idea in a self-mocking, self-centered ode to
self-gratification, "Making Love Alone" by Marilyn Miller and Cheryl
Hardwick This might be a good time for
an intentionally awkward segue about how Annie had a couple of male partners in
making sure she was satisfied. I'm
talking musically, of course. She was
accompanied by musical director/pianist Daryl Kojak whose work I've previously
admired, often in shows with more of a strong jazz sensibility. His work here showed versatility and a
comfortable relationship with all kinds of music, particularly musical
theater. Singer Rob Langeder delighted
as the other guest, game and gallant and the two made a good team. Rob recently won a MAC Award in the category
of male solo debut, but he'd been in a group show with Annie in her Cabaret
past. He was her partner this time in
two of three pieces done as brilliant channelings of the excesses of the
writing styles of certain theater songwriters. Known collectively as
"Literate Broadway," the writers are Linda Wallem and Peter
Tolan. It's a "what if"
concept, the conceit being that the singers are presenting unlikely pieces of
literature being adapted as musical theater.
Annie and Rob especially click with the Sondheim parody section (imagine
him musicalizing the old first grade reader, Fun With Dick And Jane--
limited vocabulary, unlimited laughs). Hilariously, Annie further digs into the
masochistic challenges of learning and delivering mega-tricky Sondheim material
in her encore set piece, "Dear Mr. Sondheim," which she co-wrote
herself (along with Wayne Abravanel).
Annie
Hughes is funny in a self-deprecating way and without a mean streak. You might say she's a funny lady with a warm
streak, because there's an older-but-wiser sense about this veteran, and a
desire to both communicate and entertain.
It's determined without being at all desperate. That's a key difference. She can take Wicked's "For Good,"
about the gratitude for the impact others have on us, and make it ring
true. In the approach to comedy, there's
a real fearlessness and an in-the-moment presence that might make her appear to
be a loose cannon. But make no mistake--this
cannon's ammunition is well-prepared and packs a wallop of explosive
talent. And when she turns serious,
she's as likely to mend your heart as to break it.
---
(For
more Annie, see her website www.AnnieHughes.com
where you can hear three full songs,
including one used in this act, "Sailing On" by Alan Menken and Dean
Pitchford. For a listing of other shows
at Helen's through the end of this month, see www.helensnyc.com)
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