Saturday, November 2, 2019

Day 350-Deborah Cox-Trust Cabaret Series-Life is a Cabaret Oh Boy, Come to the Cabaret





Deborah Cox, Grammy Award nominated, R & B/ Pop recording artist and actress jump started the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Cabaret SeriesTrust Cabaret brings a variety of top notch artists to Pittsburgh on five Monday nights for an up close and personal musical experience.  Deborah Cox in the Broadway musical “The Bodyguard” filled the Benedum Theater last year with her powerhouse voice in the role originally played by Whitney Houston.   I was excited to experience her new cabaret show in the intimate venue of the Greer Cabaret Theater. As Liza Minelli  in the role of Sally Bowles from the iconic musical Cabaret  would say-“life is a cabaret oh boy, come to the cabaret."


Reflection 
At the Greer Theater you can arrive before a show and sip on an adult beverage, have an appetizer and make new friends at your table of four. With only 240 seats, you are always close to the action.   


 Ms. Cox began with a French love song “La Vie En Rose” as she strolled through the audience. She said that her show was going to be a “little revealing” as she injected stories about her career and family throughout the night. She opened “How do you like my red dress? I flew in from South Africa today and my dress did not make it. Nordstrom’s came through and I might even keep it.”  She looked stunning and I thought that if I could look half as good, I was going to make a mad dash the next day to Nordstoms  for that red dress.



Ms. Cox surprised many when she broke into “Best Day Ever” from the cartoon SpongeBob  Square Pants explaining that she sings this often to her daughter.  She brought a little Broadway to the stage with “Easy Life” from her debut as Nubia in the musical  Aida and “All That Jazz” from  Chicago. In her words she then “jazzed it up” with  “What a Difference A day Makes” that featured her pianist and one of my favorite classic jazz standards “Blue Skies.”

Kept it personal with a meet and greet after the show 

She showcased her vocal range ending with the powerful “I will Always Love You” made famous by Whitney Houston and her encore “Look to the Rainbow.” It was an intimate night with Deborah Cox as she connected to the audience through her life narratives as we enjoyed her beautiful sound. “Life is a cabaret oh boy, come to the cabaret” for an immersive musical experience.




(The Telly Leung Quartet is next on November 18, 2019 bringing  Pop and Broadway tunes to this intimate theater.  For tickets or more information on the series go to trustarts.org)

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