Lisa Viggiano & Wells Hanley- “These Things First”

By Alix Cohen

Lisa Viggiano puts her whole self into a song. You can practically see the music coursing through her body. She has control, range, and offers distinctive phrasing. Wells Hanley (otherwise unknown to me) arranges and plays with notable finesse and sensitivity. Introductions and codas are painterly.

“We have lots of projects, but decided to do a show and pulled these things first,” the vocalist tells us explaining choice of title.

Andrew Lippa’s “Leap” might’ve been a good opening. (It was second) The song arrives exuberant. Going up an octave towards the end followed by a ski jump finish splashes the stage with anticipation.

“It Might Be You” (Dave Grusin/Alan & Marilyn Bergman) floats through the club like milkweed pods on a breeze. It’s appealingly quiet. “I Thought About You” (Jimmy Van Heusen/Johnny Mercer) is eazeeee. Elbow on the piano, Viggiano’s phrasing is longlined. In contrast, Hanley accompanies with short musical parentheses. They partner well.

“How You Loved Me On Mars” (Josh Nelson/Kathleen Grace) is contemporary torch. “She” wakes up, he’s gone, though not in dreams. Piano is dramatic. But for an effective, wordless wail, the vocalist might be more so.

Two selections by Hanley suit Viggiano. “I Am a Song” exhibits grace, pride and purpose. The performer is solemn, arms at her side. “It’s what we’re here for” she seems to say, to share this. ‘Effective.

“Indian Summer”, about a deep, unfortunately fleeting relationship, emerges a beautiful ballad. Clarification before offers a specific story, while, to me, the song seems more a universal metaphor. Viggiano is poignant.

“Feelin’ Too Good Today Blues” (Mike Stoller/Jerry Leiber) is jaunty and vaudevillian. An 80s medley arrives deftly interwoven, one song seamlessly into the next.

The evening’s encore, “I Sing the Body Electric” (Michael Gore/Dean PItchford), is interpreted with excerpts from the Walt Whitman poem. “I sing the body electric/I celebrate the me and to come/I toast to my own reunion/When I become one with the sun…” Viggiano imbues performance with spirituality. Poetry lands with substance and restraint. It’s terrific.

Caveats: In the case of unthemed shows, something must unite material. “This is where I am now” works better when paired with reasons for song choices or uniquely different expression. We have little sense of Viggiano’s personal feelings and cabaret is nothing if not personal.
Less animation of hands would better direct attention to lyrics.

The evening is nonetheless enjoyable, its presenters talented.
Photos by Stephen Hanks

Lisa Viggiano & Wells Hanley- These Things First
Directed by Gerry Geddes
Don’t Tell Mama 343 West 46th Street
https://donttellmamanyc.com/