Sometimes you just need to be yourself.
And that is exactly what songstress Lisa Carter felt eight years ago when creating the show Table for Two with piano man and crooner Matt Foster, coming to West Springfield’s Majestic Theater on July 19.
Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
“Lisa has been bringing her Cher tribute show to the Majestic for a number of years. She is stretching her horizons with this new show and isn’t content to rest on her laurels. She’s a hard-working woman and we are bringing this show to our stage for the first time as a way to offer something different to our audiences,” said Danny Eaton, founding producer of the Majestic Theater.
It is quite a change for the tribute artist to be playing herself and singing the songs of many other greats after years for being known as “New England’s premiere Cher tribute artist.”
“When you are a tribute artist, you are put into a box and that box is glamorous and filled with schtick, comedy and costumes. As a tribute performer you need to follow that particular artist’s regime. But when you strip down and take it all away, you see yourself and there is something liberating about that,” Carter said.
“Performing as Cher is like playing a part in a movie, you have to follow the script. But in Table for Two, you can just be yourself and interact with the audience at that level,” she added.
The two-hour show, including a 20-minute intermission, features a setlist of mainly jazz blended with some blues, postmodern jukebox and nostalgic standards. There are songs by Diana Krall, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dusty Springfield, Bobby Darin, Maria Muldaur, Dionne Warwick, Barbra Streisand, and Barry Gibb to mention just a few – popular tunes such as “The Nearness of You,” “Route 66,” “I’m in the Mood for Love,” “Peel Me a Grape,” “Midnight at the Oasis,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “I Put a Spell on You,” “Say a Little Prayer,” “It Hurts So Bad,” “Alfie” and many others.
There will be duets between Carter and Foster on “I Got You Under My Skin” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing” as performed by Lady Gaga with Tony Bennett, “The Start of Something Big” performed by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, and “Guilty” by Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb. Foster will solo on a variety of songs including “More” and “Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin, and “The Way You Look Tonight,” along with “The Lady Is a Tramp” by Frank Sinatra.
“Matt also does back-up vocals and is the perfect harmonizer. He has an incredible skill of being able to listen to a song just once, then going to his keys and playing it,” Carter said.
As a special encore, Carter noted they will perform “Love Is a Losing Game” as a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, which can be heard in the recent movie chronicling her short and tragic life as a prolific writer and performer.
“Table for Two started as a duo with just the two of us playing bars, restaurants and nursing homes, but I’ve always craved a bigger sound with a band,” Carter said.
Carter will have that big sound she was looking for at The Majestic with a band that in addition to Foster on piano includes Frank Varela on guitar, Mark Barowsky on sax, Ed Brainerd on trumpet, and Joe Fitzpatrick on drums.
“Each of these musicians is incredible … virtuosos in their own right … and I sometimes have to pinch myself and ask, ‘How did I end up with these guys?”
For those who want to see more of Carter, she will be bringing her Ultimate Cher Experience – featuring all the spectacle, humor, great music and glitzy costumes that are Cher, at the Majestic Theater on Aug. 18 with two shows at 2 and 7 p.m.
“I am dedicated to all of my different audiences who come out to hear what I am doing. It is my job to make them feel different and happy when they leave one of my shows. That is my goal. And if I can do that, then I’ve done my job,” Carter said.
Tickets for both Table for Two and the Ultimate Cher Experience – priced at $26 and $28 dollars – are available online at majestictheater.com or by calling 413-747-7797.
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