Sean Harkness News

It isn't called 'The Longest Running Nightclub Act on Broadway' for nothing. Terese Genecco and her eight-piece 'Little Big Band' are back at The Iridium (1650 Broadway at 51st Street) to celebrate their 99th and 100th performances at the venue on Tuesday, May 20th (shows at 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm.) The multi-award-winning singer/bandleader/comedian continues to light up Times Square with her unique brand of 50's-era Rat Pack-inspired musical mayhem.

The 7th Season of The Parks Concert Series, (formerly The Concert for City Greens), a free outdoor concert series, commences on Wednesday, May 28 at 6:30 pm (Rain date: Thursday, May 29 at 6:30pm.) at Tudor City Greens, and will feature professional performers from Broadway and the New York City cabaret, jazz, classical and opera scene. All performers donate their time and talent for these concerts, which are hosted by Tudor City resident and Broadway and cabaret veteran Raissa Katona Bennett.

I was just a little more than a year into my new side career as a cabaret show reviewer when I first saw a Karen Oberlin show. It was Valentine's Day night 2012 and Oberlin—with guitarist Sean Harkness and guest violinist Aaron Weinstein—would be performing her romance-laced set, Stringing Along With Love, at the Metropolitan Room. At the time, all I knew about Oberlin was that she was considered among New York's best female cabaret singers, and I hadn't researched her performing history pre-show. About a third of the way into her set I leaned over to my wife (it was Valentine's Day after all) and whispered, “You know, she has a real Doris Day quality in her voice and in the way she delivers some lyrics.” This immediately ratcheted up my appreciation for Oberlin since there are four passions I inherited from my Dad—baseball, reading the morning papers, sports writing and Doris Day (well, also Sophia Loren, but that's for another column). Since Dad had grown up during the prime of the Big Band Era of the 1940s, I heard the sultry sounds of a young Doris Day singing songs like “Sentimental Journey” on the family stereo more than a few times. Once I saw Day's strikingly adorable blondness on a record cover and her rocking body in one of her films, I knew what Dad was talking about. As popular, famous, and near iconic as Doris Day became, in my book, as a singer and screen beauty she's always been vastly underrated. Little did I know that Karen Oberlin had been doing a Doris Day tribute show so since 2001 at places like Firebird, Iridium, and the late Danny's Skylight Room, and produced a CD, Secret Love: The Music of Doris Day, in 2002. Karen Oberlin had instantly become my secret love.

Things Unsaid is an evening of three one-act plays revolving around the theme of words that have been left unspoken--the landlord who cannot bring himself to tell his tenant he loves her, the mother who returns from the dead to finish her conversation with her son, the couple whose fury finally releases after decades of things not spoken.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Susan Egan in her critically-acclaimed, one-woman show, "Susan Egan: The Belle of Broadway" on April 15 at 9:30pm (SOLD OUT) and (added by popular demand) April 18 at 11:00pm. Egan's 54 Below debut reunites her with audiences at the infamous Studio 54, where she portrayed "Sally Bowles" in Cabaret longer than any other actress during the previous revival, winning critical raves from every major New York publication. Her appearance also coincides with the 20th anniversary of her Broadway debut in "Beauty and the Beast," (4/18/1994) for which she was nominated for both Tony and Drama Desk Awards as "Best Actress." "The Belle of Broadway" showcases Egan's diverse acting chops, riotous humor and celebrated voice, which critics dub "the perfect Broadway instrument." Throughout the evening, Susan takes you on a journey from Belle to beyond, with hilarious personal anecdotes and magnificent music by classic Broadway composers as well as songs from today's hottest new writers. Susan has performed her concert throughout North and South America and will be launching a new tour with LML Music Presents in association with Live On Stage out of Nashville starting in fall of 2014.

Broadway songstress Sally Wilfert returned to 54 Below with a brand spanking new evening of music- featuring classic melodies and newer works, all seamlessly blended into the perfect, tuneful Wilfert casserole. One of New York's most dynamic voices, audiences have embraced Sally in everything from Broadway's Assassins to her acclaimed off-Broadway appearances in Make Me a Song and See Rock City, among others. In January, Sally knocked the socks off of 54 Below audiences with her breathtaking appearance in The Sound of Their Music: Rodgers & Hammerstein at 54 Below.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie. CLICK HERE for a full list of winners.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie. CLICK HERE for a full list of winners.

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, held their 28th Annual MAC Awards celebration last evening at BB King's Blues club in Times Square. Winners in twenty-five categories were announced. The show was hosted by the vivacious singer, band leader, multiple MAC Award winner and 2014 Nominee, Terese Genecco. The gala was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, the current MAC President. Don Rebic served as Musical Director. Presenters included Will Friedwald of the Wall Street Journal and designer Bob Mackie.

This spring the L.A.-based Joanne Tatham gives New York another whirl as she returns to the Metropolitan Room with her critically acclaimed cabaret concert 'Soundtrack New York.' Tatham's fast-paced guided tour of songs from films shot on the streets of Manhattan plays four nights -- Tuesday May 13 at 7pm, Saturday May 17 at 4pm, Sunday May 18 at 9:30pm and Sunday June 1 at 7pm.

Birdland Jazz Club has announced their wonderful line-up of excellent talent for March 10-16. Birdland will kick-off their outstanding week of programming with the following acts:

Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), dedicated to advancing the art and business of live entertainment, has announced the nominees for the 2014 MAC Awards. Winners in twenty-five categories will be voted by the MAC membership by anonymous ballot and announced at the MAC Awards Gala on March 27th at BB King's Blue Club in Times Square at: 237 W. 42 St between 7th and 8th Avenues. Tickets start at $50.00. For additional information on MAC, to become a member, or to order tickets to the event, visit: http://macnyc.com.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Kevin Dozier in 'It's About Time' tonight, January 22, 2014. MAC and Backstage Bistro Award-winning vocalist, Kevin Dozier, makes his 54 Below debut, on his 50th birthday.

54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents Kevin Dozier in "It's About Time" on January 22, 2014. MAC and Backstage Bistro Award-winning vocalist, Kevin Dozier, makes his 54 Below debut, on his 50th birthday. Featuring standards, Broadway, jazz, and pop songs from Kevin's studio recordings, 'Love-Wise' and 'Love's Never Lost', as well as new arrangements set for Kevin by the incomparable Marilyn Maye, You will be taken on a journey exploring love and the passage of time. Hear the singer The Huffington Post described as 'immensely likable...he brings to his crooning a tone remarkable for its simultaneous vulnerability and power. One of those romantic outings that might in an earlier time have been described as songs for swinging lovers.'

NiCori Studios and Productions in association with Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center announces a new installment of the monthly concert series, 'Music at the Mansion', on Sunday, January 26, at 3pm. Performers include Janice Hall, Sean Harkness and Stearns Matthews. The featured performer in the 'Young Musician Moment' will be Mollyjane Boyle.

n this space back in mid-July, BroadwayWorld.com New York cabaret reviewer Stephen Hanks offered up his list of the Best New York Cabaret Performances for the first half of 2013. Now, here is his list of the performers he feels were the best and most exciting in cabaret this year.

If you're wondering whether or not 2013 was a fantastic year for the cabaret art form in New York, all you have to do is scan the amazing list of nominees for this year's BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards and you'll know it was one of the best ever. So now it's time for all you cabaret performers and fans to vote for the best singers, musicians, songs, and shows of the year. Voting will continue until Sunday night January 5 and the winners will be announced later that week. We hope that all the winners will be able to perform in the Award show on Sunday night February 23 at Joe's Pub.

It turns out that when it came to Tanya Moberly cabaret shows and this reviewer, the third time was the charm. After being blown away by Moberly's powerful voice and stage presence when I first caught her one-song performances at the Sunday Salon Open Mics three years ago, I wasn't crazy about either of her full-blown cabaret shows the past two years (Tanya Moberly Sings Di Franco/Tanya Moberly Sings Jonatha Brooke in 2011 and Tanya Lorraine Moberly Sings Barbra Joan Streisand in 2012—in spite of her receiving MAC and BroadwayWorld.com Best Female Vocalist nominations for the latter). But her new show that opened this past Friday and Saturday nights at Don't Tell Mama, I Love New York Songwriters, pressed many of my cabaret buttons—in a good way. While there were still some minor flaws—owing to a certain stubbornness in her approach to a cabaret show—this eclectic set of original songs written by some of the city's best “unknown” composers was consistently entertaining. In this particular show, Ms. Moberly was Tanya Terrific.

As a prelude to playing three shows in Vermont on November 9 and 10 that will celebrate the 25th Anniversary of The Vermont Pub & Brewery (the state's first Brewpub), New York-based guitarists Sean Harkness (right in photo) and Brian Camelio (center in photo) will be joined by New Orleanian Chip Wilson (left in photo) for a New York show tonight, November 5 at Stage 72 at 9:30.

As a 20-year cabaret veteran and 10-time MAC Award nominee (winning three), Sue Matsuki is nothing if not ambitious and a tad pretentious. How else to explain someone with both the chutzpah and the checkbook to stage a run of four shows at the Metropolitan Room (soon to become six) in which each show covers a different musical genre with a totally different set list and employs different directors, musical directors and bands? Just writing that sentence has me clutching my checkbook for deal life.