Sunday, December 11, 2011

Applause! Applause! Review of Scott Coulter's "Remember The Magic" by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens

This review of Scott Coulter in a show entitled "Remember The Magic" at Don't Tell Mama was written and published by Dr. Thomas Robert Stevens and appeared in Volume I, Issue 4 (February, 1998) of Applause! Applause!

"Remember The Magic" - Scott Coulter
Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, NYC)
Reviewed 2/2/98 at 9:00 p.m.

Scott Coulter has the looks, personality and talent to become a major star. He is so proficient and professional that it is difficult for me to believe that "Remember The Magic" is Coulter's debut solo show. It is so well-constructed, moving and flawless that, in my book, it rates as one of the best cabaret shows I have seen in my life. Scott Coulter has a magnificent future ahead of him. He doesn't need to "remember the magic." Coulter has magic within him that enables him to give his audiences a reality of unparalleled perfection! He has a commanding presence on stage and a very powerful voice. He can deliver in a variety of musical styles which is evident by his performance in this show. There is no limit to his potential!

"Remember The Magic" was inspired by the novel "Boy's Life" by Robert R. McCammon which comments on the magic we experience as children that we often lose touch with as adults. Coulter singers songs based on this theme. He has assembled a talented team of musicians that play far more than a mere functional role. They are an integral part of the magic of the evening. Jeff Waxman, on piano, Marco Brehm on bass, and Andy Perkowski on percussion play so well together that even Scott Coulter commented that they belong together perhaps under the suggested names of the "Jeff Waxman Trio" or perhaps "The Hot Wax Band." They never upstage Coulter, despite the fact that their considerable talent is evident. Shawn Moninger on lights and sound is also deserving of special mention. In the opening number, Moninger shines a single light on Coulter's blond hair from behind which allowed the audience to fully concentrate on his angelic voice. What a great way to introduce a singer! The lighting in "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show", my favorite number, created the image of a preacher at a revival meeting spreading the "good news" to his flock.

Coulter's view of the magic we have inside us is that we all have a fist full of magic which influences us to a larger degree when we are children with small bodies, but that as we grow, the fist full of magic gets lost in our larger bodies, until we get old and our bodies get small again. Therefore, he believes that children and the elderly share a simpler, optimistic, awe-inspired view of life not shared by adults deeply involved in the daily drudgery and responsibilities of their lives. Reading from "Boy's Life", Coulter says that, nevertheless, "men and women are still children in their hearts. They like to feel free and that there is a mommy and a daddy at home to love them."

Scott Coulter brings an original perspective to every song. He is a major talent. There wasn't a single number I did not like. There wasn't a single arrangement that I thought could have been done better. There wasn't a moment I felt bored. Coulter's rendition of "Help?" (Music and Lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney), brought me to tears. I "heard" the lyrics of that song as I have never heard them before. Scott Coulter succeeds in transporting you to a place where you can be in touch with "your inner child."

Scott Coulter's "Remember The Magic" is a show I will not soon forget. It is a memorable experience and I guarantee you will become an instant fan of this extraordinary new talent. Do not pass up the opportunity to see "Remember The Magic" which will be performed again at Don't Tell Mama on Tuesdays, March 3rd & 10th at 7 p.m. and on Wednesday, March 18th at 7 p.m.. Catch Coulter while you can!!

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