Performers Bring Charity Home for ‘Holiday’

“A Holiday Cabaret,” an annual seasonal get-together of cabaret artists, serves a double purpose. It provides an opportunity for performers, well-known and lesser-known, to receive showcase visibility in exchange for their donated talents. And it raises funds for a variety of beneficiaries--this year for YouthVision, a program aimed at helping at-risk youths explore their creative potential via film.

On Sunday night at North Hollywood’s El Portal Center for the Arts, “A Holiday Cabaret 2000” offered a briskly paced, well-produced set of performances by a wide-ranging group of artists.

Interestingly, one of the most engaging was an ensemble with virtually no cabaret connections: the Alchemy Handbell Ensemble. The four-member group’s youthful enthusiasm was matched, despite a glitch or two in one of the pieces, by the lovely sounds of their collectively rung hand bells.

Equally appealing, with her bell-like soprano, was Dale Kristien, whose voice is one of the great treasures of the musical stage. Singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “O Holy Night,” her performances were the musical highlights of the evening.

No cabaret show is complete without a large helping of wit and humor, however, and the holiday season provides plenty of opportunities for satirical examination. The team of Karen Benjamin and Alan Chapman can always be counted upon for some gentle whimsy, and they delivered with the lighthearted “It’s Christmas & We’re Jewish” and “Put a Mezuzah on the White House.”

Anne Kerry Ford’s equally witty “Santa Spoof” imagined a sung version of the transcript from Santa Claus’ therapy sessions, and Hugh Panaro was hilariously on target with “My Simple Christmas Wish” (written by David Friedman). Both Ford and Panaro also revealed their exceptional vocal skills in other numbers--Ford with a lovely reading of “Count Your Blessings” and Panaro in a touching duet with Kristien on “White Christmas.”

Other performers in the talent-packed production included singers David McNutt, Brooke Vigoda, Mark Anton, Barbara Roberts, David Holladay and, singing her own tunes, Lindy Robbins. And worthy of special mention are Juliette Garrison and Natalie Dolishny, who managed to do an artfully humorous job of presenting cards introducing each act.