CONNIE CHAMPAGNE: BRAND NEW ME!

BRAND NEW ME: Connie Champagne Sings the Dusty Springfield Songbook, directed by F. Allen Sawyer, musical director Joe Collins. New Conservatory Theatre Center (NCTC)in Theatre III, 25 Van Ness Avenue near Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. 415-861-8972 or www.nctcsf.org. Through August 10, 2008.

A SWEET/SAD EMERGANCE FROM THE CLOSET

NCTC audiences know Connie Champagne and musical director Joe Collins from their frequent gigs with her interpretations of Judy Garland. In the second half of her last show, (Encore Judy) she switched to her own personae singing songs not associated with Judy. This time around, she honors Dusty Springfield, an English pop singer who was part of the British Musical invasion throughout the 1960s.

Dusty’s glamorous image was enhanced by her blond beehive hairstyle, heavy use of eyeliner (quaintly called lamination), and luscious evening gowns. Diminutive Connie avoids any physical imitation of Dusty performing the first half of her show in short, simple but stylish black and white dress. In fact, the entire stage design is in black & white and one wonders if she is making a philosophical statement. Her secondary title is “Out of the Closet” which is prominently painted on a black door at center stage rear.

The song list includes Dusty’s most successful pop/rock songs "I Only Want To Be With You", "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me”, “The Look of Love” and "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" These are interspersed in the 20-song list that ended with an encore of “I’m Coming Home Again.” She paces the evening adroitly with a mixture of patter and song and Joe Collins’ fine piano playing adds luster to the evening. Champagne is a very competent singer, with a more than acceptable musical range. However, there is a lack of pathos needed to wring true meaning from the lyrics and the vocal transitions are hesitant in the soul numbers. When she belts a song such as Son of a Preacher Man she is at her best.

Geared to a Gay audience, the show received moderate applause and a few good laughs, such as, “Gay marriage offers access to a failed institution!” A majority of the songs deal with breakup of partnerships and she ascertains that the queen of breakup songs is I Just Don”t Know What to do with Myself by Hal David and Burt Bacharch. The patter concerning the various times she stepped out of the closet and personal health problems offer T.M.I. . . . too much information creating ambivalent. In short, there is a lot to like in the 90 minutes, with intermission but be prepared for a sadly sweet evening.

Courtesy of TheatreWorld Internet Magazine