Charm is not always found in abundance on the cabaret stage; nerves, ego, choice of material, lack of honest emotion, over(and under) singing, and other things can serve to diminish the charm of a performer or a show. There is no such problem with Story Songs, the new show by singer Chris Wells and guitarist Jeremy Bass that debuted recently at Pangea in the East Village.
Chris Wells and Jeremy Bass
From the opening lines of “Hello New York,” their easy camaraderie and the deceptive simplicity of melody and lyric provided what might be termed a charm offensive and it was worth its weight in cabaret gold. Wells writes and performs with a funny combination of braggadocio and self-deprecation that never wore thin; Bass provided the perfect balance with his excellent guitar work. The duo next gave us a glimpse into their theatre work with the opening number of Olsen Terror, a musical telling the tale of a man who discovers he is turning into the Olsen Twins (of Growing Pains fame) and the quirky tale left me wanting to hear more of the score and wishing for a revival somewhere Off-Off-Broadway. “Uli,” about young romance and first love with all the bawdy trimmings like sexual awakenings and nocturnal emissions, grew from ribald and sly humor to genuine, if unexpected, emotion. It may well have misted a few eyes in the audience.
Wells confessed to being a devout foodie and provided a couple of food-centric musical examples with a particularly effective and smile-inducing number, “Dig the Food,” about eating in L.A. He pursued the topic further with a winning blend of desire and hunger in “Eat It on the Street.” I was particularly captivated by “Getting Late,” made up of fragments of conversations creating a mosaic of life in New York City. One of the standouts of the night was a story song about a woman named Helen and what they imagine her life to have been. No spoilers here, but it was a character study that riveted the audience.
Wells and Bass turned simplicity into a show-stopping commodity. Towards the end of the evening, responding in turn to the audience’s enraptured response to their performance, Wells commented, “Isn’t it nice to be here together in a nice little cabaret in the East Village?” The duo’s pleasure and that of the audience matched perfectly. At another point, he asked if we thought that Story Songs was a good title for the show, to which I offer him a hearty “yes!” I could easily have listened to their special stories for another hour or so. They will be returning in December. Watch out for them!
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Presented at Pangea, 178 Second Ave., NYC, on September 19, 2026.
Gerry Geddes, critic for BistroAwards.com, is an award-winning director, writer, teacher, performer, lyricist, and a contributor to the podcast Troubadours and Raconteurs. He conceived and directed the acclaimed musical revues Monday in the Dark with George (Bistro and MAC Award winner), Put on Your Saturday Suit—Words & Music by Jimmy Webb, and Gerry Geddes & Company (in its five-year residency at Pangea). He has directed singers André De Shields, Darius de Haas, Helen Baldassare, and Lisa Viggiano. He has been active in the cabaret world for over five decades and has produced numerous CDs; his lyrics have been performed and recorded here and in Europe. Gerry’s workshop, The Art of Vocal Performance, is regularly offered to singers of all levels. His memoir of life in NYC, Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?, was recently published and is available at barnesandnoble.com. He is currently at work on his first novel.
