By Richard Ades, The Other Paper

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Watching Killer Blues isn’t quite like being back at the old 2Co’s Cabaret. It’s more like attending an old 2Co’s show at Shadowbox Live.

Of course, that’s exactly what it is. Shadowbox’s new Stage 2 series is meant to re-create the feeling of the quieter 2Co’s, which had a five-year run in the Short North before folding because it was too small and expensive to support itself.

So you’re watching the same type of intimate program-one-act plays, monologues, poetry readings and non-rock numbers–but you’re doing it in the roomy quarters of the new Shadowbox. It’s kind of a strange experience.

But it’s a nice experience, because it gives the singers, actors and musicians a chance to show what they can do besides overacting their way through skits and belting out rock anthems. It’s a reminder that these people have a lot more subtlety at their disposal than they can generally put to use.

The show’s one-act centerpiece, Killer Blues by Roy Berkowitz, is a particularly good showcase for Julie Klein. As Mae Bertha, a borderline-crazy homeless woman living in a subway, she’s wonderfully expressive, conveying as much through glances and body language as she does through her voice.

The play also is a prime showcase for Tom Cardinal, who stumbles into her “home” as William, a psychoanalyst waiting for a train. Cardinal’s portrayal brings out the man’s discomfort and buttoned-down uptightness, but also his essential decency and underlying unhappiness.

Director Stev Guyer allows the piece (a repeat from an old 2Co’s show) to develop at its optimum pace, with thoughtful pauses (Pauses? At Shadowbox?) interspersed among the dialogue. Even the lighting plays a role in its effectiveness by keeping William largely in the shadows, just as his true nature remains for much of the play.

Truthfully, the play is a bit long-winded and, at one point, emotionally manipulative. But it sure is done well.

The evening’s monologues and poetry readings aren’t quite as rewarding, but they’re short and painless. The best–and funniest–is It’s Not Just a Cubicle, written by Martha King DeSilva and starring Mary Randle as an woman with a work-related grievance and a short fuse.

Beyond the Berkowitz one-act, the evening’s real treat is its blues numbers, which allow familiar vocalists and musicians to reveal a side of their talent that seldom surfaces at regular Shadowbox shows. Klein and Stephanie Shull unleash their rich voices on “Stormy Monday” and “At Last,” respectively, and Jennifer Hahn shares a sexy “duet” with hubby/guitarist Matt Hahn on Led Zeppelin’s “You Shook Me.”

Ending it all on an infectiously joyful note, Guyer croons and powers his way through the Joe Cocker classic “Unchain My Heart” with help of a robed, female choir. The number is a bit bigger than the fare that was generally found at 2Co’s, but fans of the old cabaret won’t mind. They’ll be too busy swaying and dancing in their seat to get sidetracked by nostalgia-correctness.