Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Review: Let's Have a CuCu

By Michael Block

When you have a heart as big as the sky, it can fill a room, let alone a stage. Cynthia Lee Fontaine's heart is what propels Intimate CuCu Confessions at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. Making her New York solo debut, if you ask more Amore, she will absolutely deliver.
Best known as RuPaul Drag Race Season 8's Miss Congeniality winner, Cynthia Lee Fontaine comes in with genuine personality and excitement through all the nerves. Guided by pianist to the drag stars Christopher Hamblin, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, the stage name of Carlos Hernandez, showed off the talent she didn't get to showcase in her three episodes. Oh, and those infamous shorts make a cameo. Her cabaret tells intimate stories from her childhood where the discovery of her falsetto leads her to love Maria Callas and Sarah Brightman to the discover of Stage 1 liver cancer following her stint on Drag Race. Intimate CuCu Confessions is filled with love, honesty, and conviction. And a lot of improvised moments. Cynthia Lee Fontaine has a great rapport with the crowd, silencing when sharing her vulnerability, including the dedication to two friends lost in the Pulse shooting.
This may have been her first New York cabaret but it likely won't be her last. Cynthia Lee Fontaine proves just why she deserved the Miss Congeniality crown. Cynthia Lee Fontaine's Intimate CuCu Confessions is a simply stated, pleasant, intimate night amongst friends and fans.