Did the ambitious, 19-year-old MAC Award-winning performer-to-be Goldie Dver find New York City? Or, did the so-called “city that never sleeps” find her? No matter what, the end result was ultimately the Manhattan cabaret world’s gain. Bridges, the inspiring and empowering new show from Dver directed by James Beaman with musical direction by Michael Roberts, seduced the audience at New York City’s Don’t Tell Mama on Saturday, June 18th the same way the Big Apple first seduced Ms. Dver “back in the day”. As evidenced by the music from that era, it was a time in history when it seemed ANYTHING was possible.  For Dver, that dream still holds true…

Dver’s experience as a New Yorker, in fact, colors a great deal of Bridges, including her impeccably chosen set list. (More about that later…)  She kicked off the show with What About Today? segueing into Easy to be Hard. Her intro started out slow and soulful, gradually becoming more intense until it turned into an all-out jam. Later on, she gave her take on Cy Coleman and Dorothy Field’s musical bauble My Personal Property, segueing into Peter Nero and Carol Coates’ Sunday in New York.  It was indeed an homage to native New Yorkers from ages 9 to 99.  Dver’s funny and smart rendition will renew anyone’s faith in “old New York, New York”– even those with 30 years of riding the dirty subways with a Styrofoam coffee cup in hand on their resume. So many cabaret performers strive to expose themselves emotionally on stage, usually via an endless set list of big, wet ballads. Dver, on the other hand, is not so quick to show her vulnerable side.  When the singer does take on the role of, shall we say, the innocent ingenue, it’s clear that it’s being done just for laughs.  Such is the case with her take on the delightful Julie Styne/Frank Loesser classic I Said No.  When the song “reverses the roles” halfway through, it’s obvious that this spirited songstress is enjoying the song a lot more.  Dver clearly prefers to highlight the more sassy, strong, and sexy sides of her personality; at times during Bridges, she even takes on the take-no-prisoners attitude of a woman of rock and roll. (FYI: It works VERY well!) It’s probably no coincidence that Everything (“I want to learn what life is for; I don’t want much, I just want more.  Ask what I want and I will sing, I want everything, EVERYTHING!”), complete with a stunningly impressive note at the end, is probably the best display of Goldie Dver’s unique persona.  This doesn’t mean that she can’t show her tender side: Her haunting version of Carly Simon’s That’s the Way I Always Heard it Should Be is no less than a scorcher, as is her transcendant interpretation of Imagine later on in the show.

So, about that set list… Dver gets a lot of credit for choosing a transgenerational collection of popular favorites (from the likes of The Beatles, to Dusty Springfield, to P!nk and more) as weIl as some rare musical jewels just begging to be heard again.  At one moment in Bridges, Dver announced the release of her very first CD, named Sweet Beginning.  She declared, “Releasing my debut at 68 years old… Why not?!” The audience, of course, showed their overwhelming approval. Going with the theme, she launched into the wonderful I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore, set to a calypso beat and featuring some reowrked lyrics courtesy of Michael Roberts: “Not tied to my I-Phone like a drug; I’m perfectly fine with my Jitterbug!”  Another great moment came with Spooky, one of thsoe aforementioned musical gems just waiting to be rediscovered.  Dver’s vocals were perfectly accented by her trio of musicians.  This may be a good time to introduce those musicians: John Miller on bass, Marc Daine on guitar and sax, and Chip M. Fabrizi on drums. Speaking of surrounding herself with talent: Dver’s Special Guest that night was multiple Awrad-winning performer, producer, and director Tanya Moberly.  Moberly gave the audience Carole King’s Beautiful. When she sang that emblematic lyric “You’ve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face; And show the world all the love in your heart“, it was the e equivalent of a musical antidepressant. Tanya and Goldie joined forces for P!nk’s Bridge of Light.  The two women’s distinctively different voices (Mobely’s “vox” is notably higher.) work very, very well together.  In addition, the lyrics of the song– “That’s when love turns night time into day; That’s when loneliness goes away; That’s why you gotta be strong tonight; Only love can build us a bridge of light.”–couldn’t be more timely. 

Being June, Dver– an enduring ally of the LGBTQ community– paid homage to Pride Month with This is Mine, a song written by the show’s Musical Director Michael Roberts.  It was no less than stunning. The final number, Sometimes (by Felice Mancini and Henry Mancini) seemed patently written to show the singer’s appreciation for her cabaret community and for her audience at Don’t Tell Mama that night. And yes, there was indeed an encore. I won’t give away what it was, but I will say the audience was invited to join in. Love may be all you need, but let’s just say that souvenir kazoos can really make for a memorable sendoff.

Goldie Dver’s Bridges will return to Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th Street, NYC on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, October 8, both shows at 7:00PM. Dver’s CD Sweet Beginning is available now available from Footlight here.