CHICAGO - MIDWEST CABARET REVIEWS

AMY ARMSTRONG PRESENTS INSIDE AMY'S MIND

Reviewed by Carla Gordon

Burlesque, they say, is of another time. Respectfully, I disagree. Luckily for me and other fans, through "Inside Amy's Mind" Fridays in April at 11:00 pm at THEATER BUILDING, burlesque is back. It's in fine fettle.

Folks think burlesque mainly means strippers; that is hardly the case. At its best, burlesque was a rich source of music and comedy that kept American audiences laughing from 1840 through the 1960s. Burlesque featured broad humor, sexual innuendo and high energy.

As a burlesque afficionada (and performer), weekends often found me at (now closed) CLUB VOLTAIRE where Amy Armstrong held court as house diva. Everything about Amy is large including her powerful voice, her physical presence, and her remarkable ability to make audiences part of the entertainment. Armstrong's early audiences were almost exclusively gay. Addressing the crowd (with a big smile) as "you bitches," Amy closed her shows with "The Cat Song." Always, and with enthusiastic audience participation, Amy sang the predicaments of a cat (Okay, she uses a word that functions as euphemism for both feline and female genitalia). Audiences howled. Soon, I saw Amy's popularity expand beyond any single niche.

One sketch in "Inside Amy's Mind," features Armstrong as herself, but in her eighties and flatulent while visiting grandchildren. Sly references to her burlesque past, including mention of "The Cat Song," allows the audience in on the joke to which the "grandchildren" are oblivious.

In another sketch, Armstrong appears as Carol Channing, even more ancient than Channing is now, wearing the ugliest hat ever. However, given the Armstrong spin, the hit musical isn't "Hello Dolly" .. it's hello to a battery operated highly personal appliance.

Honey West was Amy's special guest. Transgendered Honey is a favorite in Chicago's gay community. Her duet of "You and Me" with Amy was comes from the musical Victor/Victoria. Following her explanation on how Victor/ Victoria focuses on transsexual confusion, Amy's perfectly extended stare at Honey brought the house down.

Amy is a dynamic vocalist. With smart accompaniment and musical arrangements by her long time musical director, Freddy Allen, Amy offers an appropriate break from the fast passed comedy with tunes like "Landslide" and "Feeling Good." Occasionally, the keys seemed a bit low. Amy's voice has a brightness that might be more evident a key or two higher. (Perhaps the lower sound was a function of the room's acoustics.)

Joining Amy is an energetic cast of young performers. This group includes Matt Biljanic, Renee Gauthier, Cesar Jaime, and the especially funny Lloyd Young. Lloyd, with his teddy-bear physique and vulnerability is grand in sketches. One has Lloyd and Amy politely nibbling low-carb "butterfly wing chips," while finding excuses to escape to the kitchen and fill their faces with wedding cake that happens to be there. We hear their moans of ecstasy ... about food. The group's closing offering, "I'm the Only Gay Eskimo in My Tribe," brings delicious rhymes and shtick.

In the past month, positive cabaret experiences in Chicago have included the return of the classy Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention, the outrageously funny Amy Armstrong, and the intimate salon hosted by Bob Moreen. The joy of it all is that the art of cabaret gives pleasure in many different keys.

THE THEATER BUILDING is located at 1225 West Belmont Avenue, Chicago, IL - 773-327-5252 - http://www.theaterbuildingchicago.org/ .

Copyright, 2006 by Carla Gordon

 

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