Yanna Avis is a beautiful woman with a pleasant voice and loads of appeal in her performance of songs in French and English (with a touch of German). She exudes a lovely sensuality and is more of an entertainer than a singer. Sure, she stays on key, but it's her that's important rather than the voice. Some of the performance is in shprichtzimmer, and it works in the context of her musical vocabulary.
This show at The Metropolitan Room on W. 34th St. seems to try to create the intimacy of a dimly-lighted room, but I wanted to see more of her - I wanted lighting that reveals and enhances rather than obscures her. Her acting is top-notch, and it infuses her songs, as do her warmth and charm in this very enjoyable trip to the continent.
