By The Light Of The Silvery Screen
Winter Park Play House
Spotlight Cabaret Series
With Laura Hodos
Musical Direction by Chris Leavy
Winter Park FL
I type “Laura Hodos” almost as much as I type “Chris Leavy.” It just shows the sort of people I hang out with. Ms. Hodos returns to Winter Park, backed by Mr. Leavy, and delivers her infectious enthusiasm and winning charm, as well as a stack of the music she likes best. Her love of these tunes carries thought in her voice and patter, and she even has one of her favorite wigs (the one with black bangs) along to support her in an elegant Flapper Revival style. Tonight’s running gag is: “I’m going to sing the most popular of all move musical numbers” only to sing some Judy Garland hit that’s NOT “Over the Rainbow.” Along the way we hear its hit after hit. There’s the legally mandated medley of Disney hits from Bare Necessities to the Lion King to with upon a star. There’s a number for “Perils of Pauline”, one from Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” an old chest nut “The Trolley Song” and even a James Bond medley covering everything from “Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” to “Live and let Die.” Did she sing ALL the movie hits? No silly, we’d still all be sitting there with a bar tab from hell if she sang EVERY hit. But we enjoyed the hour she gave us, and she sold each one was sold with a fun back story and a rousing presentation. Laura Hodos: a gal who keeps on giving, cabaret after cabaret.
