There are several Sutton Fosters at the Café Carlyle. At times she’s a mellow, relaxed songstress, her style “Nice ‘N’ Easy.” Other times, she’s a vamp, demanding that any man wanting her attention had better have a big . . . appliance — the one that gives the comic song “Air Conditioner” its title.
And then there’s the innocent, carefree Foster we’ve known since “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” who sings “Georgia on My Mind” with an almost startling buoyancy. Finally, she’s a woman wounded by the “Lies of Handsome Men,” so bitterly disillusioned by romance that she swears she’s “Down With Love.”
So fasten your seat belts — such a schizophrenic evening can result in emotional whiplash.
From “Millie” to “Anything Goes,” and even TV’s “Bunheads,” Foster’s shown a winning blend of wholesomeness and sex appeal. But that same vibrancy only sporadically surfaces here. And her bland patter between songs — extolling the talents of musical director/pianist Michael Rafter, admitting her affection for her new home of Los Angeles — doesn’t exactly erase memories of Carlyle stalwart Elaine Stritch.
Nevertheless, her strong, versatile voice is amply showcased here in songs from many of the shows she’s been in, including “I Get a Kick Out of You” (“Anything Goes”) and “NYC” (“Annie”).
She generously brings her former “Little Women” castmate Megan McGinnis onstage for a hushed, a cappella medley of Paul Simon’s “Old Friends” and Bookends.” And her interpretive skills are undeniable, as evidenced by a medley of Stephen Sondheim’s “Anyone Can Whistle” and “Being Alive, ” which she infuses with a fresh emotional immediacy.
But the stylistic shifts, such as when she segues from Rupert Holmes’ rueful “The People That You Never Get To Love” to Harry Nilsson’s playful “Good Old Desk,” are more jarring than illuminating.
In trying to cover so many musical bases, she gives us a potentially beautiful tapestry that’s been raggedly stitched.