May 1996

Opera's Loss

by Peter Leavy

If you're going to sing opera, you have to sing it with a straight face. Angela LaGreca had a problem--in the midst of the arias, she kept thinking funny thoughts.

    Happily, opera's loss of a promising young soprano with a much coveted huge voice is cabaret's gain. And it has pleased a whole lot of people--both audiences and fellow performers--that she elected to give up her shot at the Metropolitan for a shot at the MAC awards.

    Five-time nominee and twice winner (including this year - 1996) of the prestigious MAC award for Musical Comedy Performer as well as recipient of a Backstage Bistro award, Angela turned towards show business during her Smith College days. At a time when her studies were intended to culminate with admission to the legal bar, not the piano kind, she realized law school was not about to satisfy her any more than her major in government and political science, and switched to classical voice.

    Angela's was an impressive voice. Her college voice coach, formerly a coach at Milan's La Scala, pointed Angela in the direction of the Metropolitan and convinced her to study opera. But her sense of humor kept interrupting, and eventually she bid adieu to that career track also.

    Following her graduation, Angela was no dilettante wondering what to do with a silver spoon while she wandered about the fringes of the New York entertainment scene. She found a job as assistant to the editor of a national photography magazine, rapidly working her way through the ranks of assistant editor and associate editor to become the publication's managing editor. Now, that achievement would have been amply rewarding to most young professionals in the 80's. Except that this high-level publishing job had a fatal flaw--interfering with her attempts to get established in show business. Throwing caution to the winds, she quit to devote her full attention to creating and performing her routines.

   That watershed moment was just a decade ago. It's clear from conversations with this effervescent gamine that the omnipresent sense of humor that had overwhelmed her classical music training has not diminished. Complementing, if not overshadowing her exceptional voice, is her topical humor. Angela's become a specialist in a comic-theater-of-the-absurd. Alix Korey calls Angela's comedy her "wonderful, twisted view." As a stand-up comic, or a warm-up act for a TV talk program, as she was for the syndicated "Rolanda" show, she's a sure bet to leave the audience laughing and relaxed.

    When Angela breaks the comedy patter with a song, the audience is treated to--albeit briefly--her beautiful voice. Asked if there is not at least some Pagliacci lurking behind every comic's performances, Angela does not deny the assertion but says that she tries to keep any sadness out of her act, not allowing it to intrude on what is her chief aim in entertaining: to make the audience happy. Listening to that exceptional voice that occasionally shows itself a few bars of "straight" music, one might, however, imagine the pleasures of an act in which that side of Angela was allowed more expression. In the meantime, the occasional disclosures of the serious Angela supply an added dimension to her talent.

    Her early specialty--a succession of impersonations of high-visibility celebrities, focusing on what Angela viewed as their vulnerabilities, gave her wide room to range. Cher, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Julie Andrews and others were apt subjects for her parodies. More recently, as good as the impressions were, Angela has moved on to be more of her own person and now uses the celeb bits primarily as exclamation points in her music-and-comedy showcases.

    Increasingly, although she speaks earnestly of a strong desire to do more singles, she's becoming one of New York cabaret's newest and most successful impresarios--organizing and actively hosting a full evenings of entertainment using other talented cabaret-ites.

    Her group shows range from her regular but ever-changing "Monday Nite Madness" series at Eighty Eights to variety show benefits for such causes as Hearts & Voices (which sends cabaret shows into the AIDS wards of New York hospitals). Her success at conceiving and producing them says a lot about this woman. The evenings showcase a wide spectrum of talent, from the up-and-coming crowd to the long-established entertainers. Her attention to balance--to avoiding overshadowing one entertainer with another, to being a performing host without taking over the show--is a mark of her professionalism. But beyond that, what is there about Angela LaGreca that makes everyone want to say "yes" when asked to perform with her and for her shows?

    It certainly isn't the money. Angela's shows, including the benefits which don't pay the performers at all, most often are offered in a variety of modest-sized boites in the city. But the entertainers include big-money draws familiar to the Rainbow and Star and the Algonquin audiences.

    One immediate clue to everyone's availability is the way those who have worked with Angela describe her. Her peers have no hesitation in voicing their confidence in her and her judgment. Baby Jane Dexter, the 1996 MAC award winner for Female Vocalist, and a friend of several years standing, says of Angela, "She's honest. You can trust her." Baby Jane's concerns, evident in many of her performances and in her choice of songs, reflect an intense need to believe in the loyalty of those close to her. Angela "takes care of people who work with her. If she says a number is right for me, I believe her. She'd never mislead anyone," she adds, apparently indicating that this trust cannot be given to everyone in the cabaret field. It is, it might be noted, Baby Jane who has said of Angela's development over the years that "she's given up the obvious stuff. She's become a terrific performer."

    Alix Korey, one of cabaret's most appreciated singer/comediennes and the subject of Cabaret Scenes' April (1996) cover story, frequently works with LaGreca. Within the past few weeks, they've shared the spotlight several times both in and out of New York. "She's a really nice person," this accomplished singer and laugh-getter declares. "She's funny." And Korey confesses that when the two of then are on a bill together, she never misses watching Angela perform. "She always makes me laugh."

    The much-loved Julie Wilson is a frequent member of the audience when Angela performs in New York clubs and, from time to time, a willing addition to her troupes. Wilson's characterization of Angela seems to voice the feelings of most. "She is totally honest." And, again, the refrain "you can trust her." Wilson hurries on with "I love the way she feels about her family. I love the fact that she has humility. When she's on, I find her magical."

    It may be that Angela LaGreca will successfully make the move towards more spots as a single performer. She's amply demonstrated that she's good at achieving what she aims for. And, if she does, audiences will be delighted because on her own she is an accomplished singer, a charming, funny and winning performer. But her additional accomplishment in gathering two, three or a half-dozen other entertainers to create a night to relish makes me--and a gaggle of others on the New York Cabaret scene--hope she'll continue to produce such nights and continue to exercise this very special ability.

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