There is Sutton Foster, theater dazzler (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women, Anything Goes),singing and dancing with unfettered buoyancy and energy. She has "It," the spark to capture an audience and steal the show. But there is also Sutton Foster, the cabaret chanteuse; and while there is the voice, where is the "It"?
Foster is back at the Café Carlyle for two weeks in January 2014 after cutting short her September 2013 engagement. Again, the powerful, secure voice rules, coming across "Nice 'N' Easy" with a snappy, on-the-beat crispness. She is a capable actress and has a commendable comedic spark that shoots across the sassiness in Christine Lavin's "Air Conditioner" (“I don't care what kinda lovin' you're into/Or how big your ... might be/All you need's an air conditioner/And you're the man for me"). She shows wry pleasure in that "Good Old Desk," Harry Nilsson's song about having a wooden desk to rely on through all the turmoils of life ("it's the one friend I've got, a giant of all times"). She captures the sweet nostalgia of a young girl growing up in Georgia with, "Georgia On My Mind," and brings across a personal sincerity in John Denver and Richard Kniss's "Sunshine On My Shoulders" that other versions lack.
Yet, something is missing. For one thing, even with her relentlessly toothy smile, we often feel she misses the fourth wall. She shows little connection with the audience, occasionally scanning sections of the room but neglecting to acknowledge the tables to the sides. As perfectly as her songs are performed, she does not create the intimacy needed in a small room with an audience at your feet, especially when sharing a heartfelt ballad like "The Nearness of You" by Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington. Although Foster tries, Frank Loesser's "Warm All Over" never gets past toasty, and she delivers Francesca Blumenthal's candid "Lies of Handsome Men" with a detached precision that reaches the head but does not touch the heart.
What does touch the heart is the segment when Foster brings up Megan McGinnis, who played her sister, Beth, in Little Women. They harmonically deliver a Craig Carnelia song, "Flight," and then add Paul Simon's poignant "Old Friends/Bookends," unplugged and a cappella. This tender moment is the highlight of the evening. Other high points of the show come with her pairing "Anyone Can Whistle" and "Being Alive" (Stephen Sondheim), offering a window into an inner yearning and perseverance. Foster's versatility also scores in up-tempo tunes like Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's, "Down With Love," "I Get a Kick Out of You" (Cole Porter), and "NYC" from Annie. What is amazing is how one voice and one piano is quite enough here. No added textures of a bass or quartet or brass band are needed. Musical director Michael Rafter is a sensitive pianist whose accompaniment shows a perfect meeting of minds with the song selections. They have it all meticulously worked out together with very little patter going on. These are two major talents who come on stage ready to do what they're here for.
