Final Dress
by Joe Hanrahan
Directed by Joe Hanrahan
The Midnight Company
October 11, 2024
Kelly Howe, Paul Cereghino
Photo By Todd Davis
The Midnight Company
Joe Hanrahan and The Midnight Company have continued in their new venture into cabaret-theatre hybrid shows, with their latest, Final Dress, striking just the right balance between those two art forms. Featuring Hanrahan and frequent headliner Kelly Howe, along with strong support from actor and musician Paul Cereghino, this show manages to tell a clear and coherent story while highlighting some (mostly) well-known songs from various eras and genres.
The unfortunate aspect of this production is that its run–at Greenfinch Theater & Dive earlier this month–was entirely too short. It could use a revival, however, since I think so far, this has been the company’s most successful effort at staging a show that has cabaret elements, but genuinely seems like a play. It’s not a super deep story, but it’s an engaging one, as singer Betty (Howe) and her collaborator/accompanist Jimmy (Cereghino) rehearse for Betty’s new show the following evening, and the two share a believable, friendly rapport with a credible sense of musicality that highlights strong vocals from Howe and strong playing and vocals form Cereghino. The two performers are soon surprised by Harvey (Hanrahan), who calls Betty by a different name and seems to know her from a previous time when she was a more active performer back East. His approach is somewhat laid-back, but mildly threatening all the same, and soon it seems like Betty is essentially singing for her life, although the tone of the show doesn’t quite get as ominous as Harvey seems to imply.
It’s an entertaining show, highlighting music from different times and styles, including songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Carole King, Barbra Streisand, Amy Winehouse, Alanis Morrissette, and more. Howe’s voice is memorable and impressively versatile, and she has strong stage presence as well. Cereghino is affable and musically proficient as Jimmy, and Hanrahan has a slight air of menace as Harvey, but manages to be engaging as well, also performing a pleasant Jimmy Durante-like rendition of the classic “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)”, which is perhaps best-known for Sinatra’s version.
The setting is intimate, with just the three players, a piano, microphones, and some chairs. There’s a little in the way of “stage business” and one costume change, but this is a story simply told, and well-sung and performed. Aside from one song which I found to be dated and awkward, the repertoire is memorable and works well with the story, although it could be beefed up a bit and the stakes raised somewhat, since the “threat” never seems all that serious. As Hanrahan and Howe have also done with their Linda Ronstadt tribute show Just One Look, I hope they find more times and places to perform this piece. It’s worth seeing by more than just a few patrons over a few days.
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