Current Reviews

BACKSTAGE
Bistro Bits
July 9, 1999 by John Hoglund

Star Presence

At the molten core of stardom is presence — that quality which seizes and holds the listener in an immediacy of feeling that long reverberates in memory. Some entertainers project presence only on recordings. On personal appearances, they seem to be only half there, the rest having been left in the control booth. Other performers can mesmerize an audience in a nightclub or at a concert, but are disembodied on disc. Rare are those whose presence is commanding in all contexts.

I recently caught two very different performers who are worthy of stardom and serious attention. While both have impressive new albums, each must be seen live to be fully appreciated . . .

Connie Pachl, celebrating the release of her new CD, "Coming Through" (Thoroughbred Records), is making big waves, up at Don't Tell Mama and needs to be spoken to firmly. No one this good should be allowed to stay away for so long. (She left cabaret a few years ago to pursue musical theater.)

Pachl's range a subtle vibrato, which encompasses everything from a textured alto to the highest and purest notes on the Bergmans' "On My Way to You," would alone make for a musically superior evening. But her skills with both the dramatic and comic subtexts of her material, combined with an enchanting stage presence, elevate her to the loftiest peaks of cabaret. More than once, I was reminded of Nancy LaMott or Streisand. Pachl rivets you to your seat with a seamless medley of "Autumn" fused with "All Things to One Man," then floors you with the campy ditty "It Would Never Have Worked." This last catalogues the woes of dating the wrong man: "I like big, hunky men — and so do you, dear!" Her sultry reading of "Miss Celie's Blues" ("Sister") is a mainstay in her shows and was a crowd-pleaser. Several songs were written by her musical collaborator, Michael Brill. While most were appealing tunes, I particularly like "Shadows and Air," a poignant ballad about childhood fears, given a flawless delivery.

Connie Pachl, who still has one more show, Friday, July 9 [webmasters note: her show was extended ] at 7 pm, is one of today's most exciting cabaret performers. Her voice is a gift. The ovation from the SRO crowd was so long and loud at the close of her show, she's lucky they let her go home. Catch this fast-risisng cabaret star.

TimeOut Magazine
New York

A TASTE OF HONEY
Connie Pachl's sweet, luscious voice can
be heard on her new CD, Coming Through, and at
"Don't Tell Mama".

Tuesday , June 29
THE CIRCUIT
9pm Connie Pachl. It's the last night to catch this sweet-voiced Ozarks native. Her latest CD, Coming Through, showcases her vocal strength and savvy lyric interpretations. Don't miss her belterrific rendition of the rumbling "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" — you'll be blown away.

Voice Choices

Connie Pachl: She keeps her supple, powerful voice under control and yet full of emotion and richness. The songs will probably be taken from her strong Coming Through CD. Some of them, like the title tune, are by her pianist, Michael Brill. If the crowd is lucky, she'll also tear into the Larry Grossman-Ellen Fitzhugh "All Things to One Man." Don't Tell Mama, every Tuesday at 9, through 6/29. (Finkle)

Previous Reviews:

BACKSTAGE
Bistro Bits
October 24-30, 1997 by Roy Sander

After a several-year absence, singer-actress Connie Pachl is back on the cabaret scene, in a splendid show directed by Bill Daugherty (Eighty Eight's, returning Tuesdays, November 4-18, 8 pm; November 25, 10:30 pm). I could make this a one-word review: Wow! Perhaps I should expand on this. Pachl gives every song a highly focused, emotionally centered interpretation, with nothing uncertain or accidental, and no choices deviating from or compromising her intent. Her program includes an exquisitely detailed, perfectly realized "The People That You Never Get to Love", a "Baby Mine" that is both pretty and lovely - aurally pretty, and lovely because her performance comes from someplace inside; and very good songs by musical director Michael Brill, among them "Coming Through," which celebrates perseverance and optimism, and the dark, intense "Look for Me." A pairing of "Something's Coming" and "Before the Parade Passes By" is artfully structured, the arrangement and the instrumental accompaniment giving the medley forward momentum and urgency. Pachl's handling of comic material is equally masterful. In fact, so rich and varied is her artistic palette, so strong her interpretive skills, and so beautiful her voice, that she could easily sustain a two-hour, two-act evening.

Roy Sander and John Hoglund, Back Stage's cabaret reviewers, write this column on alternate weeks. Press releases and other information may be sent to them c/0 Back Stage, 1515 Broadway, 14th fl. NYC 10036

"A stunning singer with a voice that makes you sit up and take notice."
Bob Harrington,Back Stage

"...perhaps the best voice I've heard...since Karen Mason."
Gerry Geddes, Michael's Thing