The first music we heard in Patti Bottino-Bravo’s inspirational, earnest, and highly entertaining new show Act 3 at New York City’s Laurie Beechman Theatre on Sunday, June 24th were a few verses from Free Again, which was one of Barbra Streisand’s most beloved hits.  Looking at the lyrics on paper, it may seem like an unambiguously happy song (“Free again, independent me, free again; Time to call up all the crowd, Raise the roof and shout out loud, Time to have a party… A party…!”). The way that Ms. Streisand sang those lyrics, however, gave the now-classic song an undeniably bittersweet flavor.  And “bittersweet” indeed describes the feelings Ms. Bottino-Bravo had upon retiring from her proverbial “day job” as a dedicated teacher.  Put another way, she wasn’t as deliriously happy as she thought she’d be.  However, the performer now had the chance to commit herself full-time to, as she mirthfully calls it, “this singing thing!” So, Free Again segued into I Wanna Be Where You Are, which became something of a musical promise that she’s back on the cabaret scene again: now full-time, and hopefully forever.  Welcome to “Act 3”…

Directed by Lina Koutrakos and featuring musical direction by Gregory Toroian, Bottino-Bravo’s Act 3 may be a comeback of sorts, both personally and professionally… but Patti Bottino-Bravo is hardly a “new” singer.  As she points out early on in Act 3 (and as verified by her many family members in attendance that afternoon), she has been singing since age 5.  Most recently, she has made a name for herself as a favorite performer at some of New York City’s more prestigious Open Mic events. She is also a huge supporter of her fellow cabaret singers. Act 3 may be first “big” solo show since the re-launch of her performance career, but it soon comes across that she is no less than a seasoned professional, with the confidence to match.  Her voice is clear, smooth, sweet, and inviting, and she has many opportunities to hit some impressive notes.  An example of the killer notes comes early on in her show with I Got the Music in Me, which was a real crowd-pleaser.  She also brings the crowd to tears with If He Walked into My Life Today, a song which was an homage to her idol Eydie Gormé.  Later on in the show, her version of Amanda McBroom’s No Fear left the packed crowd at The Laurie Beechman speechless. The voice, however, is only part of Patti Bottino-Bravo’s appeal.  The singer has a very engaging presence, thanks at least in part to her banter with the audience between the songs.  Her onstage persona is earthy and organic, with a smart and sassy side which comes out when you least expect it.  Her joy of performing is very evident.  She has also surrounded herself with three fine musicians: Gregory Toroian on piano, Skip Ward on bass, and David Silliman on percussion.

As mentioned earlier, Patti’s story is mostly centered around her retirement from the New York City Department of Education, although we also get to hear about the absolutely true love story between the singer and her husband Carlos– set to music, of course (Strangers in the Night slow-dancing into Frenesi, which Bottino-Bravo sings in Spanish).   For full disclosure, I am a bit biased towards teachers. I have always believed that they were always among the most underappreciated of professionals, and I always enjoy hearing their stories.  In one segment, Bottino-Bravo explains just what made being a teacher so rewarding, followed by a medley led by Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All.  Indeed, Act 3 is unabashedly personal. In front of a live audience, one-person shows based too intensely on personal stories can run the risk of being too, shall we say, “precious”.  Thankfully, Ms. Bottino-Bravo seems to know one of the axioms of cabaret success: finding the balance between sharing your own unique story and yet being relatable to a wide audience. 

And then, of course, there are Bottino-Bravo’s choice of songs.  Early on in the show, the lyrics of I’ve Got the Music in Me so perfectly capture the spirit of the show ahead: “I feel funky, I feel good; I’m here to tell you I’m back in the neighborhood.  Gonna fly like a bird on the wing; Hold onto your hat honey! Sing, sing, sing, sing!” The set list includes many eternal pop culture favorites, among them a jazzy version of Wouldn’t It Be Loverly from My Fair Lady (which she does great justice to) and The Way We Were, which she truly makes her own. But there’s also some bona fide fun stuff thrown in as well.  It just doesn’t get any campier than Relax Ay Voo (originally performed by Dean Martin [!]) or Napoleon, from the obscure 1957 musical Jamaica.  How could you not love these lyrics: “Columbus is a circle and a day off, Pershing is a square. What a payoff! Julius Caesar is just a salad on a shelf. So listen, sister: Get wise to yourself!” The closing number of Patti’s show was the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim masterpiece Something’s Coming.  It was yet another example of a song seemingly patently made for her show.  There indeed was an encore, but I won’t give it away. I will say that with New York City all decorated with rainbows for Pride month, it was very fitting…

In an afternoon filled with one great song after another, it was fascinating that one of Patti Bottino-Bravo’s most emblematic quotes of the night wasn’t even from a song. Early on in the show, she declared, “I have no other choice than to be exactly where I am right now!” The audience at The Laurie Beechman Theater that day were indeed grateful for that!

See more at http://www.PattiBottinoBravo.com.