When Oron Stenesh performs, he looks like an assistant district attorney who's just swallowed a handful of Mexican jumping beans. His arms are going in one direction while one hip is going on an entirely different trajectory. In his gray suit and red tie, he's all over the place.
The same can be said of the act he calls Olection — as of his just unleashing it on the Duplex Cabaret Theatre stage. Ostensibly, he's a political satirist whose idiosyncratic tactic is to put forth much of his commentary through standards he either parodies or sings as written. But the lanky, dark-haired lad with the quick and warm smile has all sorts of other things whooshing up from some molten talent core within him.
Shortly after introing with "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (John Lennon-Paul McCartney) and mixing up the familiar words with some jokey ones of his own meant to propel the election theme, he veered onto a lengthy tangent about coffee. It included newer ditties like the wonderful Marcy Heisler-Zina Goldrich "Taylor the Latte Boy" and oldies like "You're the Cream in My Coffee" (Buddy DeSylva-Lew Brown-Ray Henderson).
What this java jive had to do with politics beats the reviewer at hand, but there was something about Stenesh's nonlinear approach to things and his quaffing from various favorite coffee mugs that had me thinking maybe he's right and I'm wrong. There's something about his voice, too — a sturdy baritone — that holds the interest. He knows a bit about modulating the power of it to a charming sweetness, but he could learn even more, especially in the realm of microphone technique.
Stenesh did get back to the politics spoofery from time to time. He managed to wangle some remarks about Joe Biden into the George and Ira Gershwin "Bidin' My Time." (Get it?) He fired buckshot at Sarah Palin via Irving Berlin's "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun." Indeed, there was enough material focused on election 2008 that I momentarily wondered what he'll do now the historic election is over. Then I decided the guy's fast enough on his flat feet (his admission) that he'll figure out new ways to be funny.
From Kalamazoo and therefore armed with a really good reason to chant the Mack Gordon-Harry Warren "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo," Stenesh sings it and leaves the "gal" part and the other pronouns as is, but he's gay and doesn't shy away from saying so. Quite the opposite. He's one of those homosexual cabaret performers who all but gives out his cell-phone number and email address along with the tunes and banter. When he was camping through the Oscar Hammerstein II-Sigmund Romberg "Stouthearted Men," I thought he might take just that opportunity to vouchsafe the personal information. He didn't, nor at any point did the women in the audience cease cheering his energy and amiability.
Eager as a puppy to be liked, Stenesh needs to make some effort — or a director does — to rein in some of his impulses so he can let go of others. When he does that, there should be no stopping him. Any performer with a modicum of smarts can add polish, but not everyone has the abundant Robin Williams-like promise that the hyperkinetic Stenesh has.
Presented by and at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre
61 Christopher St., NYC.
Aug. 22, Oct. 10, and Nov. 3.