Cabaret Reviews

CD Reviews

"Susannah Mars' 'Heart and Soul'"

"Mars' funny, articulate and musically nerve-tingling new cabaret bends, leaps and scurries into the far corners of the Great American Songbook, reconnecting the dots in fascinating new patterns. The ever-fresh core of Porter, Gershwin, Carmichael, Sondheim, Rodgers & Hart is here, with a twist: Who else but Mars would link the deadpan desperation of Porter's sly romp 'The Physician,' from 1933, and Rufus Wainwright's sad-sack 'Vibrate,' from 70 years later? From the sass of 'Miss Byrd' (Maltby and Shire, 1989), to a suite of gorgeous songs by Karl Mansfield, to lyrics by young writers in The Haven Project, the show sparkles with wit and radiant musicality. As a singer, Mars is at the height of her maturity, with superb restraint and a core of steel to support her burnished trumpet tones. The excellent arrangements are by Mars' pianist and longtime collaborator, Bill Wells. Garrett Jellesma is on bass and Kyle MacLowry on drums."

— Bob Hicks, The Oregonian

"When's the Next Plane to Portland?"

"From Portland, Ore., Susannah Mars recently paid a visit [to New York] and did four evenings at Danny's Skylight Room and Don't Tell Mama. I found the title of her show, 'There Is Mars on Life,' appealing, and I liked the combination of intelligence, confidence and niceness her photo conveyed, so I thought I'd give her a shot. Little did I know the treat I was in for.

"God, where to begin? There's her musical comedy flair — has anyone ever gotten more out of 'His Rocking Horse Ran Away'? There's the emotional depth she brings to more serious material — her opting to bring 'The Story Goes On' to a quietly reflective conclusion rather than giving it the more familiar ending gives the song additional poignancy. There's her imaginative programming — for example, 'Toothbrush Time,' a morning-after song by William Bolcom and Arnold Weinstein, and 'Spirograph,' a delightful whimsy by Scott Warrender. (She put the show together with musical director Bill Wells.) There's her commanding artistry — the eloquent way she uses her hands, her ability to wow without ever over playing. And there's her voice — as impressive doing a Broadway belt as when exploring the nuances of a ballad.

"When Mars, who has been active doing theatre in the Pacific Northwest, told me this was her first cabaret show, you could have knocked me over with a swizzle stick."

— Roy Sander, Back Stage

[Susannah is singing at Wilf's March 20-21 & May 1-2. See Calendar for details.]

"When Susannah Mars sings, the world stops"

"On a good night in New York City, if you're lucky, you might get to hear a cabaret singer as good as Susannah Mars. For $100.

"But in Portland the last two Tuesday evenings, audience members shelled out $10 at Wilf's, in Old Town's Union Station, and got a ticket to Susannah's world, where truths are sung in a voice that can be bold or fragile, wry or pure, by a woman who makes art out of insight.

"Mars' 'I Never Felt Better' begins with a lightly autobiographical set she calls 'Everything I Needed to Know I Learned at a Musical.' She re-creates her 11-year-old self, the daughter of performers, scandalizing the neighbors by singing songs about 'White Boys' and 'Black Boys' from the musical Hair, or a suggestive number from A Chorus Line.

"In a set of songs about marriage, Mars' singing is impeccable. It's not just the rock-solid pitch or the clear tone of her voice that makes her one of the best singers in the Northwest; it's the emotional presence she brings to every note and every word of the songs she performs. This singer is never on autopilot. She means what she sings.

"Even in songs by Stephen Sondheim, which sometimes can be tongue-twisting or over-the-top emotionally, Mars finds small moments of truth that are quietly shattering. In Sondheim's 'Marry Me a Little,' she grounds the piece by emphasizing simple worlds: 'Love me just enough,' she sings, and you can tell she's living inside the lyrics. 'The Ladies Who Lunch' becomes a complex mixture of rage, strength, and vulnerability, but there's no shtick, no high drama.

"The woman can belt, turning a song into a roller coaster ride, sustaining the big note at the end of a song. But the high point of the show was William Finn's tender ballad 'Infinite Joy.'

"Mars is equally adept at humor, handling a potentially disastrous piano problem with aplomb, sharing a recollection of a romantic bubble bath gone horribly wrong, and bantering with pianist Bill Wells, who provides accompaniment throughout that is rich and nuanced.

"The show flowed well, marred only by a single number that felt rushed, and by Wilf's frustrating architecture, which has too many support beams in the audience's sight lines.

"Mars closes with a strong and satisfying medley of songs from the musical Gypsy, for which she won acclaim in 2001 for her portrayal of Momma Rose in the Portland Center Stage production. Her audience is riveted."

— Margie Boulé, The Oregonian