On Dec. 1, the Lakeside Pride music ensemble Wilde Cabaret held an intimate concert in observance of World AIDS Day. The event, which took place at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St., was a benefit for the organization Season of Concern Chicago, which supports local theater artists in times of need.
The evening featured not only music but a wealth of personal reflections about how various individuals have faced the HIV/AIDS crisis. Former State Representative and House Majority Leader Greg Harris spoke about how the epidemic was responsible for his going into politics, while Season of Concern Managing Director Chris Pazdernik spoke about the evolution of his organization from one focusing on people with HIV/AIDS to one focusing on the larger theater community.
The Wilde Cabaret concert was a splendid evening with a lot of heart, but of the meat of the show came with the performances, song choices and accompanying anecdotes.
Lakeside Pride board chair Brandon Strawn started the evening with a quiet reading of “Living in the Shadows” from the theatrical version of Victor/Victoria, while fiancés John Bowen and John Pescitelli did a patient take on the chestnut “Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks.
Many performances likely triggered sad memories for the audience. Ren Perez’s slow nuanced reading of “I’ll be Seeing You/My Buddy” was emotionally overpowering, while his take on “Not A Day Goes By” from Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along was so tinged with longing and sadness that it hushed the room. Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” was treated with a skilled winsomeness by Joseph Myers, while “Walt Whitman in 1989” from The AIDS Quilt Songbook by benefited greatly from a nuanced reading by John Pescitelli.
Ebb and Kander’s “Walking Among My Yesterdays” was given a studied heartfelt reading by Jonathon Lewis, while Christy Zurcher’s take on “Goodbye My Friend” was heartbreaking in its delicacy. Adrienne Price’s full-throttle reading of the Sondheim classic “Being Alive” went for the tear ducts and was delivered with a restrained rawness and edge that opened up new shadings of the song.
Still, there were supreme segments of hope and joy that made this outing more than a sob fest. Laura Keating’s readings of Howard Ashman and Alan Menkin’s “Beauty and the Beast” and Jerry Herman’s “Time heals Everything” were refreshing and inspired, while Mx Holiday’s upfront take on Noel Coward’s “If Love were All” and the original “Leopard Print Life” had bite and electricity. David Friedman’s “Help is on the Way” was shot through with hope and just a hint of cheer by John Bowen while “Unlikely Lovers” from William Finn’s score for Falsettos delivered by Christy Zurcher, Daniel Eggert, Brandon Strawn, and Adrienne Price felt open.
Price’s take on “You Gotta Die Sometime” added a bit of snark to the proceedings, while her take on the Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer Sager hit “That’s What Friends are For” gave the night a shining beacon and wrapped the varying emotional strands into a whole. The finale, “Seasons of Love” from Jonathon Larson’s Rent, was presented in a stunning group performance which was harmonically rich and supple.
Above: Chris Pazdernik. Daniel Eggert and Brandon Strawn. Greg Harris. Photos by Vern HesterPhoto by Vern Hester
