Search - Faith Prince :: Leap of Faith

Declaring herself "a cabaret virgin," Faith Prince presents her first solo show, recorded live at Joe's Pub in New York in January 2000. You'd never know it from this vastly entertaining recording that combines terrific song selection with a lot of fun patter. Best known for her Tony-winning portrayal of the ditzy Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Prince covers that sort of comedy and more in this career retrospective: "On the Other Side of the Tracks" from Little Me, Mary Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim's bossa nova spoof "The Boy From..." from Hey, Love, and On a Clear Day's "What Did I Have That I Don't Have," a less charged but no less effective rendition than Liza Minnelli's recorded a week earlier at the Palace. Other highlights include "The Man with a Horn," which incorporates an anecdote of how Prince met her trumpet-playing husband (who provides a solo here), and a rendition of "Something Wonderful" as Miss Adelaide herself would sing it. When the familiar screwball voice starts to intone the Rodgers and Hammerstein standard, the audience can't help laughing, but the combination of lyric and character soon becomes surprisingly poignant. A Leap of Faith is recommended for Faith Prince fans as well as anyone who wants to become one. --David Horiuchi