Barbeau’s Capable but Too Chatty in ‘Cabaret Show’

“The Adrienne Barbeau Cabaret Show” at the Moonlight Tango on Thursday had less to do with cabaret than it did with surveying the actress-singer’s life and times.

Looking trim and fit in a figure-revealing, black velvet mini- dress, Barbeau picked a program of tunes that either illustrated aspects of her personal experiences or were drawn from her performances as Rizzo in the original Broadway cast of “Grease.” Her between-songs patter made humorous references to her horror queen roles in such cult classics as “The Fog,” “Creepshow” and “Swamp Thing,” as well as her long run in the TV sitcom “Maude.”

It was, no doubt, fascinating to the friends and relatives in the audience, but was considerably less so to those who were unaware of Barbeau’s credits and not at all intrigued with the details of her private life.

Barbeau is a pleasant, competent singer. But this time out, her material--which was not as attractive as the programs she has presented in past appearances--was too weak and too obscure to serve as an effective vehicle for her skills. Nor did she benefit from the self-congratulatory smile with which she approached nearly every song, regardless of mood or content.

Cabaret can be a demanding, expressive venue, not easily mastered on a casual basis. Barbeau has the potential to do it well, but she needs to find better material, and do some judicious editing of the personal showcase elements in her presentation.