A little bit of good, a little bit of bad, but fun for all.
Everyone in theatre has a list of parts they want to play before they die. Kira Gaudynski and Kelsey Marlowe Jessup took their lists and rolled them into one evening of song. Before I Die: A Musical Theatre Cabaret is two young women’s life stories set to the songs of their dreams. From Wicked to Heathers to Shrek, this cabaret has something for everyone. Despite a few stumbles, it’s a fun and entertaining way to pass an evening.
Kelsey Marlowe Jessup is a born performer. Her acting (can you call it that when you’re playing yourself?) is very natural, her expressions are subtle but effective and she connects brilliantly with the audience. She is a breathtakingly beautiful singer, effortlessly hitting every note. She is the type of performer who reaches in and touches your heart. Kira Gaudynski has potential but the songs selected for this show didn’t suit her and she often lost the words and the timing. In soprano parts, Kira excelled but the majority of her songs were alto which seemed out of her range and ill-suited to her voice. She lost the words in several of her songs and absolutely butchered “I Say No” from Heathers. As an actress, she is quite enjoyable. Amusing and energetic, with a charming quirkiness that really makes you want to like her. I think she is a talented performer but she failed to design a show suited to her skillset.
As a duet, Kelsey and Kira were cute. Their energy paired well, creating the sort of kitschy characters you’d find at a standup comedy show. Their voices paired decently enough, but they had timing issues when singing together. Pianist JJ was the force that kept the duets on track. Their closing songs “What I Did For Love” and “Thank You For the Music” were by far their best, though I did thoroughly enjoy their rendition of “The Wizard and I” as each woman made it her own.
There were a few high points in the evening. Kelsey’s performance of “A Place Called Home” from A Christmas Carol was magical; the intimacy of seeing her direct her words towards her partner standing in the back of the room was so lovely. Also sung by Kelsey, “So Big, So Small” from Dear Evan Hansen had everyone in the room crying including Kelsey herself. It takes talented performers to get an entire theatre singing the way these two did; it was so much fun to hear everyone singing and swaying along. I have to give dues to JJ on piano who spoke a maximum of four times the entire show but had the entire audience laughing each and every time. Before I Die: A Musical Theatre Cabaret is a quirky evening of living out every theatre-nerd’s dream. The show itself is a wonderful idea but it falls short in execution. With more rehearsal and the altering or cutting of certain songs would serve this show well.