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Video may take a minute or two to load. Thanks for your patience. In Life is Wonderful., Hector explores the musicality of mortality through the songs of Christine Lavin, Jason Directed by Angela Shultz. Musical direction by Ray Bailey with Dale Henderson on cello. |
"WOW, WHAT A SHOW! Thoughtful, thought-provoking, at times humorous, at times poignant, the show was filled with excellent material, and Hector's delivery was spot-on. Major kudos, too, to Hector's director, Angela Shultz, and musical director Ray Bailey." "UNUSUAL AND WELL-EXECUTED. This solo creation is no ordinary cabaret show." "The concept of the show is outstanding. It's unique, original, and Hector just kicks it right over the goalpost. It's a thought-provoking hour of entertainment." "Coris brings both an irrepressible sense of humor and a poignant sensitivity to the songs he sings." |
NITELIFE EXCHANGE REVIEW BY DARYL GLEN TALKIN' BROADWAY: SOUND ADVICE REVIEW BY ROB LESTER: Seen in a couple of revues with his own clever lyrics (alas, none in this debut solo show), Hector is good at directly communicating with an audience, as can be gleaned from this live recording from his Life Is Wonderful show which has had several performances at the popular club Don't Tell Mama in Manhattan's theatre district. On the more tenderly crooned and pensively rendered songs, he reveals a gentle, attractive sound imbued with vulnerability. He is perhaps at his best with wry observations in song and those which tell little slice-of-life stories like "Another New York Afternoon" by Christine Lavin. An interesting choice that gives him a chance to act and question life and consider death is David Caldwell's "A Tomb with a View" about buying a cemetery plot. "Every Day with You" is another satisfying choice; its music and lyrics are by Brett Kristofferson, the young songwriter honored at this year's Bistro Awards, and he's someone whose work Hector has had on his plate as a director of cabaret shows with singer Angela Shultz who, in turn, directed his act. There are humorous moments here, too, with a couple of slices of ham and some that happily insinuate themselves into the story-songs and the included patter. The Drowsy Chaperone's "As We Stumble Along" starts off in a low-key, sweet way that is surprisingly effective and builds to a blustery, brash conclusion. Here, Hector shows his musical comedy side, something loopy in case we feared things would get droopy. But the mood is more life-affirming than mournful. Having two songs about the deaths of animals lets us stay on topic with some variety and whimsy. This is a performance which has as its key strength its thought-provoking communication rather than bravura or weepy singing or anything grand scale. (Accompaniment is just pianist Ray Bailey and Dale Henderson on cello, who generally keep things appropriate intimate—and there are bursts of energy when needed.) While taking us on some diverting side trips, Hector still keeps the focus on the spoiler alert news flash that we are all destined to die so we need a little carpe diem when we can get it. In other words, he never ignores the subject at hand of Death, the "elephant in the room." That is literally addressed with his plucky performance of "The Elephant Song," from Kander & Ebb's 70 Girls 70 about the demise of a favorite zoo animal, and confronted plainly in William Finn's "You Gotta Die Sometime." But Hector wisely keeps coming back to the here and now, savored as something more precious with the sober reminder of limited time ... tick-tick-tick. - Rob Lester, Talkin' Broadway # # # CABARET SCENES REVIEW # # # "It's always exciting to find recordings by performers that celebrate its history in new and imaginative ways. One such recording is Hector Coris' Life is Wonderful. recorded live at Don't Tell Mama in New York City. Coris named his delightfully original cabaret show Life is Wonderful. but, ironically, that was a decision to sugarcoat the fact that his chosen songs are really about death. Mr. Coris is best when performing famous and lesser known Broadway gems. Life is from Kander and Ebb's Zorba, The Elephant Song from Kander and Ebb's 70, Girls, 70, My Dogs from William Finn's song cycle Elegies and You Gotta Die Sometime from Finn's Falsettos are standouts. If you love Broadway and beyond then MAC Award-winning performer Coris shows us that there is definitely life (and its possible repercussions) off of The Great White Way." - Joseph Gordon, Gilbert Examiner, AZ "By the time this genial and neuroses-filled disc has ended, listeners will probably find themselves agreeing with its title. Coris brings together a grand array of tunes -- both well-known and obscure -- to celebrate just makin' it through. Some highlights include a gentle, yet still forceful, take on William Finn's "Gotta Die Sometime" (from Falsettoland), a dynamic "As We Stumble Along" (from The Drowsy Chaperone) and the thoroughly hilarious "Snow White," which describes one particularly bad day at Disneyland." - Andy Propst, Theatremania.com |
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PRAISE FROM MY PEERS "LIFE IS WONDERFUL. SHOULD BE SEEN BY ALL AS AN EXAMPLE OF TRUE CABARET." "F***ING FANTASTC!" - Laurie Krauz (MAC & Bistro Award winner) "LIFE IS WONDERFUL. was the best cabaret show I have ever seen! Flawless timing, moving story, and simply charming." - Shawn Ryan (MAC Award winner) "I LOVED IT! We laughed and cried, mesmerized by the material, the performance and the voice. THRILLING SHOW! REAL CABARET!" - Cynthia Crane (MAC Award winner) "I was so moved and impressed with LIFE IS WONDERFUL. Hector is a wonderful performer. His work is what cabaret is all about - taking yourself, your own, unique persona and expressing it through the music to create a work of art that isn't theater, that isn't a concert, that isn't a solo show. So what is it? CABARET! " "I was utterly moved by your honesty, humor, great musicality and voice -- and I loved the idea and arc of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed it - it was a fantastic, truly unique show." - Karen Oberlin, (MAC, Nightlife Award winner) "Only Hector has that special spark necessary to pull these songs off." - Linda Amiel Burns (MAC Award winner)
BOOK LIFE IS WONDERFUL. |
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| Hector is a proud member of MAC... © 2009 Hector Coris. All rights reserved. Header photo by Ben Strothmann | ||