Reviews of the Accidental Club at Boulder Fringe Festival

The Accidental Club

The heavens of pop music are filled with shooting stars who dazzled us with brief bursts of wonderment and then flamed out in self-destructive moments. In the world premiere of this lively musical drama, chanteuse Sherrie Scott, with Ricardo Pena on keyboards, sends up Billie Holiday ("Good Morning Heartache"), Janis Joplin ("Kosmic Blues"), and Amy Winehouse ("You Know I'm No Good")—who reflect on their lives, their demons, and their careers—mixed in with her own songbook, to deliver an entertaining and thoughtful hour-long exploration of fame and addiction, life and death.

Sherrie Scott and Ricardo Pena

From the top, after a stirring rendition of "Wayfaring Stranger," Scott, who plays the role of Mira, hooks us with the gripping tale of her journey to the other side. Her imitations of Holiday and Joplin giving her advice are spot-on, poignant, and funny, as are her vocal and physical inhabitations of those two famous songstresses, as well as that of Winehouse. Scott's own songs bind the music and story into a cohesive journey.

Her lyrics bite:

I love too much and I go too far I got leaky eyes and a broken heart Well, I’m no angel, I got no wings I like tall cowboys and silky things And I’m filled with desire I’m still a woman, and I’m still on fire, still on fire --from STILL ON FIRE

Pena is a wizard on the keyboards, juggling complex lines of melody and rhythm, at times a one-man piano and orchestra, with tasteful adornments, riffs, and counterpoints.

Bob Bows