The Cabaret Chronicles: Klea Blackhurst, Cast Party & MetroJam!

Happy Labor Day Weekend! Wow, where did the summer go? Well, mine was filled with great entertainment, so I guess the old adage is true: time really does fly when you're having fun!

I had a great week, beginning last Saturday with Klea Blackhurst in Everything The Traffic Will Allow, her acclaimed tribute to Ethel Merman. One word for you: WOW! What a fantastic show. Klea is phenomenal, that's a given. I've seen her perform many times before and am always blown away by her terrific voice, engaging presence, and witty patter. This show, however, just put her in a class all by herself. She had CLEARLY done her homework on her subject...as a matter of fact; she reveals in the show that she's been doing it since she was a little girl! She grew up listening to Ethel Merman, learning all she could about her, and loving every second of it. Her pure joy in singing the songs of her childhood idol resonated through the intimate Snapple Theater, and she had the audience in the palm of her hand from the get-go. And boy, were they in for a treat - Klea treated us to at least one number from each of Merman's FOURTEEN Broadway shows! Backed by a wonderful trio, Klea seamlessly wove in interesting anecdotes about Ms. Merman, and even treated us to a little-known scat solo as sung by Ethel herself on a recording of "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" (now, you don't hear THAT every day!). The show was beautifully constructed, perfectly staged, and expertly performed. The run is over for now (the last show was this evening at 5 p.m.), but let's keep our fingers crossed that it comes back for a well-deserved longer run!

On Monday evening, I hit my usual Monday-night haunt, Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland. As always, it was a blast, with lots of fabulous performers like Aaron Weinstein, Joan Crowe, Deb Berman, Sean Harkness, and the aforementioned Klea Blackhurst sharing their respective talents. Jim was as witty, charming, and dapper as ever, and Tedd Firth and Steve Doyle provided excellent accompaniment on piano and bass, respectively. And Steve actually emerged from behind the bass to do his own song, for which he accompanied himself on piano - what a talented guy!

Thursday evening, I was planning to go see KT Sullivan at Kathleen Downey's Granite Room, which is a brand-new downtown venue, but I had a last minute conflict come up, so I'm going to have to get there next week! Friday evening found me at the Metropolitan Room for MetroJam, which is the monthly open mic I host! I wasn't sure what kind of turnout to expect on a holiday weekend, but we had a terrific crowd and a whole slew of talented performers including Marya Zimmet, David Goldman, Darren Williams, Hector Coris, William Blake, and Danielle Grabianowksi (who was first runner-up in this year's MetroStar Talent Challenge!). The special guest star for the evening was Christine Lavin, who performed a terrific 3-song set that had the audience in stitches! The MetroJam band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums) was outstanding, as always, and they did an amazing, impromptu "In A Mellow Tone" towards the end of the evening, with John emerging from behind the piano to sing centerstage, backed by Ritt and Bobby on bass and drums. It was hip, cool, and completely spontaneous, which is one of the things I love about open mics!

That's all for this week, but check back next week for another update!

Where I'm going this week...

Monday, September 7th: Cast Party at Birdland. Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!

Thursday, September 10th: KT Sullivan at Kathleen Downey's Granite Room. This well-loved cabaret diva lends her lovely voIce To a new venue. Singing unamplified, with accompaniment by pianist John Weber, KT is sure to give this room a splendid christening! Show starts at 8 p.m., doors open for dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Pictured: Klea Blackhurst