Laura Benanti @ Sarasota Opera House

[Saralou]

Posted: 9/22/18 at 10:56am

I just wanted to share the wonderful evening my husband and I had at Laura's cabaret show in Sarasota last night, and see if anyone else was there.

The 90 minutes flew by, a nice mix of hilarious stories and an eclectic group of songs beautifully sung. She has a wonderful way of making you feel like she's just talking to a group of friends. She opened with "She Loves Me in 15 minutes" including Tonight At Eight, which was fun to hear sung by a woman.

I have been a longtime fan, but have never seen her perform live because I live in Florida and can't get to Broadway very often. I am so disappointed that I wont be able to make it during her run at MFL so I was delighted that she performed I Could Have Danced All Night for us. It was a gorgeous rendition of it.

She also talked about taking on the role, and not auditioning for it when the revival first came up. She said it was an instant decision, but a difficult one to come to terms with. It was very genuine and understandable. Her daughter was less than a year old, it's very difficult to be a present mother at that age and tackle your dream job at the same time. Just thought I would share that since I know some people here have been skeptical or even negative about it.

We also got to meet Laura after the show, as she was signing CDs in the lobby. She was so warm and genuine, taking the time to talk and connect with each person. I got my CD signed for my young son, and we talked about our kids. We got a nice picture and she apologized for having a table between us. She's just very down-to-earth and likable as a person, which added so much to the cabaret show experience.

I know this is long, but I thought other fans might enjoy hearing how great her cabaret shows are. If you were there last night, I'd love to hear your thoughts too!