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Swing at big band era connects 'The All Night Strut' Tuesday Apr 25, 2017 at 8:44 PM Apr 25, 2017 at 9:47 PM By Jeffrey Gillespie For the Tidings I don't know of many people for whom a finger-snapping night of grand old standards from the '30s and '40s would not be a wildly enjoyable experience, and if I did know those people, I probably wouldn't want to — cynicism and sourness aren't really my bag. I'm an old-school romantic at heart, despite my best efforts to keep current and follow the iCrowd into Instagram oblivion. Gimme a pigfoot and a bottle of beer, and I'm anybody's. As such, for me, Oregon Cabaret Theatre's latest offering, "The All Night Strut," can only be described as a delightful onslaught — nearly 30 songs in a couple of hours, delivered by a crew of creative professionals with a real gift for catching and keeping an audience's attention. Both my date and I were bowled over by Lucas Blair, Anastasia Talley, Natasha Harris, and Keenon Hooks; a fabulous foursome who delivered classic standard after classic standard with a zest and intensity sufficient to keep even the hoariest heads in the audience bopping late into the evening. Decked out in period costumes, with one quick change during a short intermission, the cast — backed by some stellar musicians on keyboard, drums, double bass and reed — croon their way into our favor with songs like "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing," and Johnny Mercer's "GI Jive." There are soulful renditions of such tear-jerking favorites as "I'll Be Seeing You" by Irving Kahal and Hupfield's "As Time Goes By." Choreography is as tailored as a three-piece suit, with jive and jitterbug aplenty. And of course, there's tap-dancing, courtesy of Harris and Hooks. While the whole group has particularly strong moments and opportunities to shine — director Michael Jenkinson has made sure of that, giving each performer their individual moment in the spotlight during the course of the evening — there are a couple of standout performances. Anastasia Talley is a jewel of a find for OCT. With a casual elegance that serves her gangster moll character well, Talley is a shimmering vision on stage, but underlying that frivolous ingenue persona is clear evidence of a classical training. Moments of vocal transcendence pop up from behind even the lightest of melodies; a quick dive into her artistic background confirms that Talley has indeed been schooled as an operatic soprano and has been prolifically featured as such, having worked significantly on her Massenet and Gluck before making her saucy foray into the Cabaret universe. She is definitely one to watch. Another standout performance comes from Lucas Blair, now officially a veteran of the OCT stage, with a diverse range of roles that have run the table from square-jawed leading male to gyrating satyr. It's unclear as to whether Blair has been directed into the center of this production, or whether that happens naturally; either way, he's anchoring the stage with great singing, strong acting and an obvious historical familiarity with his environment. Natasha Harris and Keenon Hooks have many good moments; the aforementioned tap routine is a lot of fun to watch, and both performers step up to the plate with aplomb when it comes time for their featured vocals. These four performers are already showing up as a pretty seamless crew on the second night of the run, enough so that patrons can relax into the group professionalism and enjoy the music. "The All Night Strut" is classic Oregon Cabaret Theatre fare — fast-paced, polished, and fun. An all-out gas, to be sure, and well worth whatever dime a brother can spare. "The All Night Strut" runs at Oregon Cabaret Theatre at 241 Hargadine St. in Ashland through June 25. — Ashland resident Jeffrey Gillespie is a Daily Tidings columnist, arts reviewer and freelance writer. Email him at [email protected].