The Cabaret Chronicles: Marilyn Maye, Cast Party, and more!

Happy Weekend, everyone! 

Wow, what an amazing week of entertainment it's been!  It all began last Saturday evening, when I headed over to The Metropolitan Room to see the marvelous Marilyn Maye in her new show, Mercer The Maye Way...and let me tell you, that "marvelous" in front of her name is not just there for the alliteration (although I do enjoy it!).  Marilyn Maye is, quite simply, one of the best performers in the world!  Full of charm, bursting with energy, and with one heck of a powerhouse voice, the 81-year old Ms. Maye can also put a lyric across like few others can.  This show, in particular, was a special treat, as it was a tribute to Johnny Mercer - or, as Ms. Maye called it, a "Johnny Mercer Party!"  Backed by a fantastic trio (musical director Tedd Firth on piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Jim Eklot on drums), Marilyn wove her way through the fantastic Johnny Mercer canon, managing to include over 30 of his songs!  Starting out with a high octane 6-song medley, she went on to include so many well-loved Mercer songs including "The Summer Wind,"
I Wanna Be Around" "Blues In The Night," and "Skylark," just to name a few!  Although hard-put to pick a favorite, I'd have to say her "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" was a standout among standouts.  She breathed fresh life into the well-loved standard by creating a very detailed scene and character, which she masterfully illustrated through her inflections, focus, and minimal gestures.  Simply amazing.  It was truly an incredible evening, and a stellar tribute to one of the Great American Songbook's greatest treasures. 

The following evening, it was off to The Algonquin Salon at the historic Algonquin Hotel.  Founded by Mark Janas, the Salon has rapidly turned into the hot spot for singers, songwriters and musicians to hang out, network, and perform on Sunday evenings. Producer Peter Napolitano was the guest-host this week and the optional theme was "FATHER OF THE BRIDE," celebrating both Father's Day and "the wedding month" of June!  There were tons of terrific entertainers on hand to join in the festivities, including Raissa Katona Bennett, Gretchen Reinhagen (and her dad - what a fun Father's Day treat!), Rob Langeder, Adam Shapiro, and Ray Jessel.  Unfortunately, I could only stay for the first half, but I had a great time while I was there! 

Monday night, it was over to Birdland for Cast Party...and whew - what a Cast Party it was!  The aforementioned Marilyn Maye, Paul Shaffer (yes, THAT Paul Shaffer, of Letterman fame), Kristine W. (who has had fourteen #1 hits on the Billboard dance charts!), and...drumroll, please...Martin Short were among the folks that came to perform.  Holy cow!  Now, there have been some amazing Cast Parties before, but this was definitely one of the best ever!!  I'm simply in awe of host Jim Caruso, who a) manages to attract all of this fantastic talent and b) is such a charming and gracious host and manages to stay calm and cool the whole time!  Simply unbelivable!!  And in addition to the celebs, there were some amazing regulars like Ray Jessel, violinist Aaron Weinstein, and guitarist Sean Harkness, who all showed up to join in the fun! 

Tuesday night, it was opening night for ME at the Metropolitan Room!  My new show is Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis, and I have to say, we had a pretty great opening night (no bias here, of course!).  I had an absolute ball doing the show and can't wait to do it again this coming Tuesday! 

On Wednesday evening, I was able to catch San Francisco-based chanteuse Veronica Klaus at The Duplex in her show, Something Cool.  In town for Pride Week, this statuesque diva lent her warm, husky vocals to many well-loved standards, including "How About You," "I Wish I Were In Love Again," "Old Devil Moon," and, of course, "Something Cool" and she was backed by a terrific trio.  She also performed a few original tunes, "I Can't Believe I Ever Loved You," and "Waiting For A Kiss," both of which were welcome additions and rounded out the program quite nicely!  

On Friday evening, I was pleased to be part of the lineup for Keeping My Composure: The Songs of Brett Kristofferson.  The hour-long show featured fourteen of Mr. Kristofferson's songs and boasted a fantastic lineup of performers including Christina Bianco, Brandon Cutrell, Natalie Douglas, Rob Langeder, Miles Phillips, Molly Pope, Dominic Sheahn-Stahl, Angela Shultz, Liz Strickland, Lennie Watts, Jonathan Whitton, and yours truly.   Under the direction of Hector Coris, the show simply flew by!.  The songs were terrific and the performances were outstanding.  I really enjoyed hearing all of the material and will definitely be requesting some more songs from Mr. Kristofferson!  

After that show, I hightailed it over to Don't Tell Mama, where I was filling in as a last-minute substitute in The Cocktail Show!  Produced by Danny Leary and Becky Donohue, The Cocktail Show is a weekly comedy/cabaret variety show and is always a blast!  Last night, the host was the hilarious Danny Leary himself, and the lineup was terrific!  The headliner was comedian Jodie Wasserman, who was fantastic, and in addition to some other great comedians, the lineup also included magician Nick Ignazzi, which was a really fun treat! 

That about wraps it up for now, but check back for another update next week! 

Where I'm going this week...  

TONIGHT: Saturday, June 27th:  Jason Sings Jason: The Songs of Jason Robert Brown at Don't Tell Mama.  Singer Jason Rosenbaum is tackling the tricky songbook of composer Jason Robert Brown, and I'm very happy that I'm going to be able to catch it!  Show is at 8 p.m. 

Sunday, June 28^th:  7:00 p.m. - The Algonquin Salon at the historic Algonquin Hotel.  Founded by Mark Janas, this is THE place for singers, songwriters and musicians to hang out, network, and perform on Sunday evenings.  No cover, no minimum, just a lot of talent!  Rita Gardner (who created the role of The Girl in The Fantasticks!) is the guest co-host this week - wow!!  The optional theme is "Richard Rodgers' Neighborhood," in honor of the 107^th birthday of one of Broadway's greatest composers - should be a fabulous night! 

8:30 p.m. - I'll be dashing from the Salon over to Feinstein's to catch singer/actor Steven Pasquale (of FX-TV's "Rescue Me"), who will be celebrating the release of his debut jazz CD, "Somethin' Like Love," backed by the John Pizzarelli quartet - should be quite a show!  

Monday, June 29^th:  Cast Party at Birdland.  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but again, make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!  

Tuesday, June 30^th: Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis at The Metropolitan Room!  Yes, it's MY show - we've been hard at work on it for quite a while now and I'm thrilled that it's up and running!  Directed by Lennie Watts with musical direction by Fortune Esposito (yep, my dad!), the show features big hits such as "Who's Sorry Now," "Where The Boys Are" and "Stupid Cupid," as well as some little-known gems.  

Friday, July 3^rd:  MetroJam at The Metropolitan Room.  This monthly open mic, hosted by yours truly, is a great way to kick off the weekend!  There's a terrific house band of John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums.  This month, the fabulous Lina Koutrakos will be the special guest, and will be performing a 15 minute set with the band - I can't wait!

Pictured: Marilyn Maye