Having rapport with an audience is an immeasurably valuable thing for a cabaret singer—arguably more important than musical virtuosity or construction of the perfect song list. We know many of the ingredients that help singers stay in good graces with their listeners: confidence, a bright (and possibly devilish) sense of humor, a dash of vulnerability, and a knack for staying centered when your shoes pinch your toes, your mic seems wonky, and your heart is not just pounding but absolutely sledgehammering. The trick is sometimes finding the right amount of each ingredient. Screw up the proportions and…whoops, the compote is kaput.
Photo: Helane Blumfield
At the first performance of All That Matters, her show at Don’t Tell Mama, Corinna Sowers Adler seemed to have the recipe just right. She had the audience on her side from the first measure of her opening song to the last note of the encore. Some would say, Well, she’s good at simply being herself onstage. And that’s probably so. But, as others have pointed out, being oneself is only an asset when that self is inherently likeable. My hunch is that Sowers Adler is enjoyable to be around most of the time.
She also seems to know “all that matters” to her listeners in this era when anxiety is rising faster than coffee prices. The show’s theme concerns the things in life we care/worry about, and how we eliminate many of those things as our lives progress. A popular saying these days, is “I no longer have any f**s to give.” Sowers Adler plays with that profane witticism by substituting “ducks” for “f**s.” She subsequently includes some shtick involving those waterfowl. At the first performance of this show, that proved to have some liabilities when a tossed rubber ducky (or was it plastic?) nearly cannonballed into a customer’s cocktail glass.
All That Matters features a mix of song genres, with emphasis on poppy contemporary titles from the likes of Sara Bareilles and musical theatre’s Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. There are echoes in these performances of the folky singer/songwriter sounds of the 1960s and 1970s. Sowers Adler’s sweet, billowing, steady voice is quite suited to this particular song style, and she mostly sounds great while flying in Judy Collins / Joan Baez airspace. Occasionally, though, I detected some slightly strained moments, as in the opening number, “All I Know So Far” (Pasek & Paul, along with Alecia Moore, aka Pink). Unsurprisingly, these moments happen when a song turns both high and loud, which is true of this opener. In contrast, on the introspective “Most of All” (Brandi Carlisle, Phil Hasenroth, Tim Hasenroth), her vocals sounded gentle and easy.
With songs coming from or influenced by the American Songbook, Sowers Adler seems to rely on a more “legit” aspect of her musicality. Her measured breath control easily supports the notes, whether she’s singing loudly or softly. She seems more focused. Her rendition of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg’s “If I Only Had a Brain” is delightful. Then there’s the comedic “What Did You Do to Your Face?” (Susan Werner). It seems a surefire laugh-getter, and it has become very familiar to cabaret-goers in recent years. I found her take to be one of the best I’ve heard.
The most innovative selection in this show is the mashup of two songs with the same title: “True Love.” This pairing highlights that vocal dichotomy I’ve been describing. She starts with a musical-theatre-singer’s take on the uncharacteristically treacly Cole Porter number from the film High Society. But that song soon finds itself intersecting with the sassy pop tune by Alecia Moore, Greg Kurstin, and Lily Rose Cooper.
A nod is due pianist Shane Turner, whose exuberant playing is one of this show’s greatest assets. I particularly appreciated his blazing solo during “Curious Thing” (Amy Grant, Wayne Kirkpatrick). Turner also proves to be a slyly amusing sidekick for Sowers-Adler.
Guest vocalist DC Anderson duetted with her on Bareilles’ “You Matter to Me,” adding some piquant harmonies.
All told, this was a buoyant, well-received opening night.
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Presented at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 W 46th St., NYC, September 13, October 5 & 11, 2025.
Mark Dundas Wood is an arts/entertainment journalist and dramaturg. He began writing reviews for BistroAwards.com in 2011. More recently he has contributed "Cabaret Setlist" articles about cabaret repertoire. Other reviews and articles have appeared in theaterscene.net and clydefitchreport.com, as well as in American Theatre and Back Stage. As a dramaturg, he has worked with New Professional Theatre and the New York Musical Theatre Festival. He is currently literary manager for Broad Horizons Theatre Company.
