(Photo courtesy Orlando Fringe)
This show contains Adult Language and Mature Themes.
Janine Klein is a DIVA — all caps required.
Orlando’s belting queen returned to the stage with a voice as powerful as ever, delivering a John Ryan cabaret show that is hilarious, heartfelt and over far sooner than anyone in the audience wants it to be.
Klein has created the caricature of a slightly drunk lounge singer who has spent much of her life in gay bars, and she mines that character for plenty of laughs. But beneath the jokes, the sentiment is genuine. Her affection for Orlando’s queer community is authentic, and the community’s devotion to her is just as strong.
And then there’s that voice.
Klein makes powerhouse vocals look effortless. A Meghan Hilty-worthy rendition of “I Do It for the Gaze” is among the evening’s highlights, along with an emotional tribute to the local theater legends we’ve lost that reminds audiences there’s much more behind this diva than punchlines.
She brings it all home with special guest Ginger Minj for “Suddenly Seymour.” Two of Orlando’s biggest voices tackling the “Little Shop of Horrors” classic together? It’s every bit the powerhouse performance one would hope for.
Klein also demonstrates something important: allyship is an essential part of the queer community. Her years spent performing in queer spaces aren’t simply material for her act; they’re part of who she is.
She makes you laugh. She makes you cry. And she could keep singing for hours.
Janine Klein performs the kind of show you simply don’t want to end.
See “Janine Klein: Gay Bar Star” at the Renaissance Theatre Company on Sept. 13 at 3:45 p.m.
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