Spotlight Cabaret: Lulu Picard
Spotlight Cabaret: Lulu Picard
Musical Direction by Kyle Mattingly
March 7, 2012
Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park FL</strong>
Go to a Winter Park Playhouse cabaret, and you might hear some Kander and Ebb, a tune from hits like “South Pacific” or obscurities like “Steel Pier,” or even God forbid something from “Cats.” But tonight we had none of that, local piano player and song stylist and recent Princess Mulan in the blistering “Bitches of the Kingdom” announced “This is the future of musical theater.” All songs on the program are brand new, and all written by various friends of Ms Picard. And there IS a different sound here, a sound influenced by the strands of indie pop in the air, strands that will lead us past the current Disney Sound of “Lion King” and “Finding Nemo.” Alex Oyen’s “I Miss Those Nights” and “Life’s Funny” opened the set, both with complex lyrics and an upbeat tone. Blues from Carol Stein, music form vibraphone whiz Christian Tambor, and plaintive missives from Justin Fischer all made for a pleasant set and interesting talking points. The hit of the evening came from Dennis Giancarlo and Fiely Matthias, writers of the above mentioned proto hit. In Mulan’s Song they have Mulan sing “I’m one flannel shirt shy of being a Lesbian.” It nearly brought down the house and made me think: THAT’S entertainment!
For more information on Winter Park Playhouse, please visit http://www.winterparkplayhouse.org
