Deborah Cox, Grammy Award nominated, R & B/ Pop
recording artist and actress jump started the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Cabaret Series. Trust 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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