Those Cabaret cats really purr in `Christmas My Way'

Alec Harvey
News staff writer
12/04/03

"This cat really dug Christmas." Carl Dean is one of the only guys around who could say that in 2003 and get away with it. And get away with it he does at the beginning of "Christmas My Way: A Sinatra Holiday Bash!," Summerfest Cabaret Theatre's festive season closer.

Once again, Dean, Jan D. Hunter, Lonnie Parsons and Kristi Tingle Higginbotham, gather for a musical revue. And, as with 2002's "My Way," they sing the heck out of Frank Sinatra's songs.

"Christmas My Way" is 99 percent music, including unforgettable classics such as "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "The Christmas Song." The singing, as always with this group, is stellar, from Dean's perfect take on "The Way You Look Tonight" to Hunter's sultry and comic "The Man Who Got Away" and Higginbotham's jazzy "Ol' Devil Moon." But it's Parsons, fresh off a knee injury that has him performing with a cane, that nearly steals the show, particularly with crowd-pleasing renditions of "New York, New York" and "That's Life."

So head downtown to get in the spirit. Whether you dig Christmas or not, you'll get a kick out of these cats ...

Get Carl Dean to say that. It'll sound much, much better.


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