THEATER REVIEW: Cabaret Crime @ William Way

Melissa Kolcyzinski and Tom Wilson Weinberg joined forces once again at William Way Community Center for a charity showcase of deviant cabaret numbers belonging to their recently debuted Cabaret Crime set.

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THEATER REVIEW: Cabaret Crime @ William Way

POSTED: Monday, November 14, 2011, 3:00 PM

Filed Under: Arts Theater

Melissa Kolcyzinski and Tom Wilson Weinberg joined forces once again at William Way Community Center for a charity showcase of deviant cabaret numbers belonging to their recently debuted Cabaret Crime set.

The roughly three-hour-long show, which featured songs from both on- and off-Broadway, put forth a plethora of no-frills tongue-in-cheek musical numbers that even the most crotchety person couldn't possibly resist smiling at. Kolcyzinski and Weinberg had an undeniable “old pals” chemistry that worked to their advantage as they spat lyrics back and forth about campy crimes and general LGBTQ life.

But one must wonder why the show, which advertises itself as crime-centric, opted to devote much of its time to the LGBTQ culture of yesteryear’s Stonewall era rather than stick with a criminal theme that — when executed at its best — proved to be very entertaining. Had the show been presented with a more cohesive theme and a bit more visual flair, Cabaret Crime would have been a solid cabaret act

Alas, if there was one particular redeeming quality to be mentioned, it was the bombastic and all-at-once pleasant voice of Kolcyzinski, who assuredly left gay men in the audience with daydreams of Bette Midler on Broadway with her charming personality and impressive vocals.

Cabaret Crime isn't a bad cabaret act, per se, but one that has a problem with identity and, as such, could use some fine-tuning. Much of the show’s content catered to a specific demographic that was likely to still be humored by dime-a-dozen jokes based on stereotypes and a variety of “back in my day…” style references. Cabaret Crime is much like a solid recipe that you know should taste great but, for one reason or another, leaves taste buds with something to be desired.

(brandon.baker@citypaper.net) (@brotherlylover)

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