Maria Von Nicolai

Anyone who lives in New York City, or visits (people from South London and Scotland were in the house) knows that the hottest spot on a Tuesday night is Susie Mosher’s “The LINEUP” at the Birdland Theater, downstairs of the legendary Birdland Jazz Club. I must also share with you that the staff are wonderful, as are the cocktails, service and food menu.

Last night, playing to a packed room at the legendary BIRDLAND Jazz Club, an auspicious solo musical  debut happened for a young man named Sam Gravitte.

You can go to the Museum of the City of New York to relive our town's exciting history or you can walk into Patsy's Italian Restaurant on 56th street and sit at the same table that Frank Sinatra and his pals dined at.  Dean Martin also had his spaghetti at Patsy's. Last night his daughter Deana Martin enjoyed some Pasta (although she doesn't look like she ever touched the carbs) topped with Patsy's great sauce (also on your grocers shelves) during the establishment's 75th Anniversary  invited guests only celebration.  You can also sit at the tables where present celebrities such as Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Madonna, George Clooney, Sean “Diddy” Combs, David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Lopez, Barbara Streisand, Tony Bennett, Robert DeNiro, Michael Buble, Don Rickles, Josh Groban, Jacklyn Smith, Phyllis George, Calvin Klein, Jerry Seinfeld, James Gandolfini, Christie Brinkley, Jon Bon Jovi, Liza Minelli, Chris Noth, Tony Danza, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Hudson, Chevy Chase, Cheryl Ladd, and Patty LaBelle,  regularly enjoy arguably some of the finest Italian cuisine in the world.  Geno Vento, Owner of the Philadelphia Original Geno's Cheesesteak even flew in for the event to get tips on how to successfully serve food for 75 years.  Who knows, maybe they served Italian baby food in 1944 when “Patsy” Scognamillo opened the place and my parents took me along with them.

I don't think a day goes by that I don't hear Dean Martin's voice in my head coupled with a flashback of an image of how cool he looked in his tux walking out on stage. Last night at Lorenzo's Cabaret in the Hilton Garden Inn his daughter Deana brought Dino's music and charisma back to life in Richard Nicotra's Las Vegas type supper club located on Staten Island in NYC.

Last night Le Cirque welcomed it's creator Sirio Maccioni back to the legendary restaurant.  Sirio's many friends turned out for the occasion and enjoyed a Tuscon dinner from the recipes of his wife Egidiana  Maccioni. 

There was only high comedy and some serious wine from one of the highest mountains in Greece at the Friars Club last night as Laura Slutsky hosted 'Whine Women & Wine'. 

Yankee Stadium has it's 'Legends Seats' and Monuments prominently displayed in the 'House That Ruth Built'.  Then the current team takes the field and future legends start to play ball.  In the Friars Club show biz past and present are always in the house.  Their photos are on the wall and names are engraved on the chairs in the Frank Sinatra Dining Room.  Then as so often happens an 'insiders' great show is produced for the members and those legends current and future entertain their fellow Friars.  So it happened last night as the Friars Club honored Bobby Short, the legendary cabaret singer/pianist who was best known for his three decade plus music residency at Cafe Carlyle in New York City.  The music of Bobby Short was brought to life by some current Cafe Carlye and Bemelmans Bar stars in a spectacular evening produced and hosted by Friar Jeff Leibowitz and Co-Produced by Friar Will Friedwald.

The word Artist is never more accurately applied to an entertainer then when it is used to describe Clint Holmes.  Clint starts with a familiar song title on a blank music  page, and then goes on to create something you never thought that tune could become.   His vocal, jazz, acting ability, combined with his creativity cross every music red, blue, black and white music line you ever laid down.  Most of the audience at Jim Caruso's Broadway at Birdland Series were already 'educated consumers' at his performance celebrating the CD Release of 'Rendezvous'  last night.  However, for all, it was a reminder of what a truly great performer can brilliantly accomplish with the same 12 notes and combination of beats that all vocalists have at their disposal.  

It isn't just her New Year's Eve Party that launched the start of a great new New York City Cabaret year.  Marilyn Maye is also keeping the musical festivities going at the Metropolitan Room on Jan. 6,7,11,12,13, and 14th.  It's become one of the hottest tickets in town.  Her song selection may be a little different than New Years but the excitement and excellence of her performance are the same.  The Metropolitan Room is also launching their new menu selections for 2017.

Usually the microphone he holds is used for talking, but Emmy winning talk show host and interviewer supreme Bill Boggs sang to a packed house at Le Cirque last night.  

Sabrina Wender and her trio sang for their supper at Le Cirque last night and BroadwayWorld was there!  Sabrina sang jazz and international favorites from the American Songbook accompanied by Alberto Pibiri, piano, Paul Gill. bass, and Brian Floody drums.  Sir Maccioni's legendary restaurant is located at one Beacon Plaza.

James Naughton hosted, wrote & directed the current offering of the 92Y Lyrics & Lyricists presentation titled Battle of The Airwaves! When The Songbook Met Rock & Country. BroadwayWorld was there for Sunday afternoon's performance. The cast included Everett Bradley, Kevin Osborne, Solange Prat, and Vaneese Thomas. John Oddo was music director and Keira Naughton, co-stage manager. Deborah Grace Winer is the series artistic director.

Last night, having won critical praise for his previous Cafe Carlyle residencies, Tony Award-winner John Lloyd Young returned with an all-new show titled Yours Truly, and BroadwayWorld was there. After seeing his first appearance at the storied venue, where he performed selections from his debut album My Turn, Stephen Holden of The New York Times said Young 'has a disciplined one-in-a-million high tenor shading into falsetto that he can direct through the stratosphere.' Upon his second residency, Mr. Holden praised Young for '[tapping] into the raw feelings and intensity of a teenage romantic dreaming out loud.' Yours Truly, his first engagement back in NYC since starring in Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys film, will feature a fresh set of lushly romantic '60s-era R&B ballads and a few brand new songwriting collaborations. Performances will take place Tuesday through Saturday. Reservations made by phone at 212.744.1600 are $85 ($135 for premium seating, $55 for bar seating) Tuesday-Thursday; and $95 ($150 for premium seating, $65 for bar seating) on Friday and Saturday. Cafe Carlyle is located in The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel (35 East 76th Street, at Madison Avenue).

It's a tradition at the Metropolitan Room to Celebrate New Years Eve for as long as Marilyn Maye stays in the room and this year the party is lasting until January 10th.  BroadwayWorld was at Marilyn's party with Billy Stritch on piano last night.  Check out the photos below. 

Last night in a Long Island star studded event The Gold Coast International Film Festival and Arts Center held it's 2015 Gala at the Tilles Center. The Gold Coast Arts Center's honorees this year were, Vince Giordano, Artist of Distinction - Music, Actor Navid Negahban, Artist of Distinction, Film, and Director Patricia Riggen, Director, Woman of Influence Award.  The evening's presenters were Will Friedwald, author & music editor, Michael Cuesta, Screenwriter, director of Showtime's "Homeland" and Lou Diamond Phillips, Actor Director and the star of the upcoming fiom "The 33" The Gala Emcee was Award winning WABC correspondent Kristin Thorne.  Regina Keller Gil is founder & executive director of The Gold Coast Arts Center and Caroline Sorokoff is an associate director of the Gold Coast Arts Center and Director of the Gold Coast International Film Festival.  The festival will run November 9-15th.

Abingdon Theatre Company just celebrated its 2015-2016 Season with ABINGDON: REFLECTIONS OF STARLIGHT, last night, October 26 at Espace (635 West 42nd Street in Manhattan). Richard Jay-Alexander, best known for directing Barbra Streisand and other artists in concert, directed the event, honoring Tony Award-winning costume designer Jane Greenwood, who designed Abingdon's acclaimed production of Hellman v. McCarthy; Abingdon Theatre Company's Vice Chair and former Managing Director, Heather Henderson; and one of New York's most prominent lawyers in entertainment, Mark Sendroff.

GRAMMY Award-winning jazz vocalist Kurt Elling made his Cafe Carlyle debut last night with Elling Swings Sinatra and BroadwayWorld was there. 

Scott Coulter brought the music of Studio 54 to Below 54 last night as the club celebrated it's 3rd year on that famous NYC street. In the legendary club's heyday the guest  list was a who's who from the world of entertainment - Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, John Travolta, Michael Jackson - and the music played kept them dancing all through the night. It was dancing through the night at 54 Below yesterday and Max at the entry door was much more accommodating than those guards at the 1970 Studio 54. Happy Anniversary to 54 Below and also to Steven & Eda (Baruch)

An Evening With Steve Tyrell was presented by the Friars Club last night and the Grammy and Emmy Award winning artist and producer had a chair named in his honor in the legendary Frank Sinatra Dinning Room. Check out photos from the event below!

Just because the English developed the first operational Radar system doesn't mean that the actor/singer Giselle Wolf who has a home in London should be under it. There was a celebration last night as this wonderfully unique cabaret performer stepped out from under the radar and became visible to a jam-packed Metropolitan Room. Check out photos from the event, below!