CABARET REVIEW : Kramer Debut: Promising but Overstated

The overwhelming problem with Katharine Kramer’s show at the Hollywood Roosevelt’s Cinegrill on Wednesday evening was that her hourlong debut performance was a show--replete with scripted beginning, middle and end--that promised to deliver “The Colors of Myself.”

Ambitious though it was, the 20-year-old Kramer would have fared better had she merely chosen a handful of appropriate tunes and sung them. This route would have saved her not only the expense of a writer, director and choreographer--none of whom contributed much to her efforts--but would have allowed her audience to better enjoy the considerable talents of a promising young singer.

An attractive young lady with piercing blue eyes, Kramer displayed a strong, well-trained alto voice that suffered from her choice of material. Though her opening theme song, “The Colors of Myself,” was melodically attractive, it was also a bit overstated (lyricist Earl Brown got a bit carried away with a line like “the only place for me is on stage”). Be that as it may, she followed it with a weak rock tune called “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” that was about as heartfelt as a dunning notice and not nearly as effective.

After a brief (how long could it take?) rundown of her life’s story, Kramer paid homage to big bands with a medley of tunes that had little or nothing to do with big bands. But from the baker’s dozen tunes came snippets enough to convince listeners of her fine musical qualities: a good sense of time (“The Joint Is Jumpin’,” “After You’ve Gone”) and a stylish feel for the ballad (“Embraceable You,” “You’ll Never know”).

Kramer’s theatrics during her show bordered on histrionics, most of which could have been done away with. Her movements were stiff and unnatural, her use of props (a picture of Clark Gable for a rendition of “You Made Me Love You” was too much) excessive, and her on-stage removal of a wig completely unnecessary.

But in the great theatrical tradition, Kramer could belt a song like nobody’s business. A pair of Jerry Herman tunes (“Wherever He Ain’t,” “Time Heals Everything”) were terrific vehicles, as was a medley of Judy Garland tunes and her selections from “Les Miserables” and “Evita.”

Though the colors of Kramer’s self weren’t too bright, her future certainly is. She could probably work steadily on the Broadway stage, and if she were to dump her show and design some sets of tunes (a few uptempo things, some ballads, a blues), she could also enjoy a career as a chanteuse.