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FAVORITE STARS OF THE YEAR
Cindy
Benson:
The Tragicomic Super Diva of American Theater
By Maximillien de
Lafayette
Her
talent shines brighter than the whole damn lights of the city of New York, the
signs of Broadway and the 4th of July fire work! And her presence
on and off stage is larger than life…
This is a superb super superstar!
She acts, she sings, she dances, she teases, she mesmerizes,
she makes you explode in laughter, she makes you cry, she steals the show and
she triumphs! She is honored all over the world. Cindy is venerated like a
Dream Diva on Broadway, in Paris, at the Sorbonne, on the Champs Elysees and
in three quarter of all heavens…
There are so many outstanding performers and artists in the world who steal
the show, but
there are few who steal our hearts, tears and joy and leave a perpetual impact
on our psyche, the shadows of light in our eyes, the landscape of our
imagination and our burning desires which die and resurrect in the eloquent
silence of our wishes, dreams and childish fantasy. And Cindy is one of them…
There are four things in life you should see and acknowledge before you
drop dead: Venice, your past deeds, the face of your beloved ones and Cindy
Benson on stage. The history of drama-melodrama and mime theater witnesses
only three immortal geniuses: Two Frenchmen, Marcel Marceau and his teacher
Leroux and one American: Cindy Benson. Only these three magicians gave
dramatic-melodramatic mime its true human autonomy, the color of its psyche,
its transparent vocabulary and philosophy. Leroux called it the “ Dramatic
Corporal Mime”, but when you see Cindy on stage, you might decide to call it
the ” Melodramatic Verita Humana Mime”. Cindy Benson mastered the secrets and
techniques of the tragicomic, the theatrical structure, fabric and the
codification of the form, the style and the spirit which transcends, defines
and pervades melodrama. Cindy threw herself on stage, sized it up and ran
away with it. What an artist and what a comic philosopher. To me, she is a
fine cocktail of Bernard Shaw, Victor Hugo, Khalil Jebran, Edith Piaf and the
last warm ray of a sun shining over the hills of our childhood and the
intimate whisper of a wind telling the story of the first time we fell in
love. Cindy is a romantic magician on stage. She brings dignity and warm tears
to comedy…and laughter and joy to tragedy. In doing so, Cindy Benson prompts
us to laugh at the mockery of destiny, and energizes in us the willingness of
accepting the irrevocable with smiles, determination and a laisser faire
attitude, for really, we do not know when Cindy is serious in a comedy or
comical in a tragedy. Her talent is overwhelming.
Only
one thing is mightier than destiny. THE THEATER!
Photo,
left: Cover of Cindy's CD "Out On A Whim".
Because on stage, there are
some performers who can change the entire course of your life, the way you
look at your world and sense the place you occupy in the world of humans and
Gods. Cindy gives you this sensation and while she is performing, your rare
opportunity to grab the whole universe in your hand becomes reality. Theater
is where the hidden and the known, the sacred and the damned, the real and the
fantastic blend and confuse the hell out of us! And Cindy is good at that!
For, this superb singer, dancer, actress and entertainer transcends us to a
higher plane of fantasy and reality. She makes you feel good and lift you up
to the highest state of ecstasy, high enough to fly and touch the face of God.
Comedy was invented for her. Tragedy was created for her. Melodrama in her
voice echoes the “tragic”, the “fatal” and the “enchanted”. This woman makes
me think! This great woman trapped in a little body is a tempest, a pure
theatrical magic. I had to interview Cindy, see and feel for myself how this
delightful and superb artist thinks, reacts, shakes up life and throws over
it a robe of one thousands rainbows of laughter, irony, smiles, soaring
delight and magic.
LML Music recently
announced the release of Cindy Benson's debut solo recording OUT ON A WHIM.
Read pour review in World Art Celebrities Journal latest issue. Cindy Benson
is a tiny wisp of a thing with a voice that can break your heart one moment
and leave you laughing helplessly the next. She travels genres and
cross-pollinates cabaret with jazz and musical theater, injecting each style
with her unmistakable personality. She somehow transforms her voice to inhabit
an extraordinary range of material from the stratospheric intro of "Mr.
Paganini" to a rich contralto who "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man….." Listening to
her sing, you can feel each mood, each expression, each smile and sigh that
brings her music alive. This collection of songs is truly a journey through
the whims, the woe and whimsy of one of the most talented performers today.
To contact the artist
or to purchase Cindy's CDs, please write to:
End of the article.