Feature: “Stars of Cabaret in Word and Song” Receives Encore Presentation When Richard Skipper Celebrates SO YOU WANT TO SING CABARET

The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) has sponsored one final book in a 20-book series that has gained popularity over the years, and, for that final publication, NATS has opted for a nearly 500 page (in total) volume titled SO YOU WANT TO SING CABARET. When it came to producing this Guide For Performers NATS had the benefit of two authors who have spent their lives immersed in the cabaret community as entertainers, as leaders, as teachers. David Sabella is a singer with an impressive resume that includes a stint as the original Mary Sunshine in Broadway's long-running revival of CHICAGO and Sue Matsuki recently celebrated thirty-three years of working as a nightclub singer in New York City. When not performing, Mr. Sabella is a voice teacher with a reputation that precedes him and Ms. Matsuki is a doyenne of the community who uses her position as "The Godmother of Cabaret" to support fellow artists and mentor young talents. If these parts of their life in cabaret were not enough, the close friends are colleagues in the running of Sabella's website CABARET HOTSPOT. The duo has, literally, given their life to cabaret (don't worry, each artist has a family life - Matsuki often talks about her ardent love affair with her husband, and Sabella shares many a tale about raising his children). Clearly, Matsuki and Sabella are devoted to the industry and to the art form that has nurtured their individual artistic souls, rendering them a natural choice for such an endeavor.

So You Want To Sing Cabaret has been released in the last week, and the NATS Youtube channel presented a 90-minute special titled "Stars of Cabaret in Word and Song" featuring Mr. Sabella and Ms. Matsuki, along with a number of their friends and colleagues from the industry. Speaking via remote from their homes where they are adhering to coronavirus safety protocol, Sue and David chat about the art and the industry of cabaret, what it is, what it isn't, and what the public can expect to find when picking up a copy of their book. They also spend the hour and a half interviewing artists and showing performances in pre-recorded videos. Each of the artists featured in the video is one with an interview to be found within the pages of So You Want To Sing Cabaret, including the author of the books forward, super glamorous Lorna Luft, and cover boy, ageless Jeff Harnar. Particularly special during their chat with the people who defined what cabaret has been for the past several decades is listening to reminiscences of a more sophisticated and esoteric time by the always elegant Andrea Marcovicci and Steve Ross, but for this writer, the highlight of the show is an original composition by the inimitable Ann Hampton Callaway (one of those improvised numbers for which the genius is well-known).

Throughout the presentation, audiences are given a chance to hear from venerated artists in the cabaret/concert industry through interviews (Karen Mason and Lina Koutrakos) and in videotaped performances (Sidney Myer and KT Sullivan), as well as being treated to film footage of the late Nancy LaMott and Miss Julie Wilson. With several beloved MAC Award-winning members of the cabaret family like Natalie Douglas and Lennie Watts, out of town viewers of the variety special will get a chance to see the artists that make cabaret one of the staples of the New York City entertainment industry. A particularly valuable part of the online presentation is Sabella and musical director Gregory Toroian demonstrating the effectiveness of a software that makes it possible for musicians in different places to create music for internet audiences. Many are wondering what the future of live performing has to offer and that one simple demonstration and software mention could be a game-changer for many. Since going into quarantine Sabella and Matsuki have worked tirelessly to find ways for the community of artists to evolve, to work, to stay relevant and in process. This is no mere career for these folks, it is their life, and the release of their book should be celebrated. Anything that puts a bigger spotlight on the club and concert community is important and, with the publication of SO YOU WANT TO SING CABARET and the video STARS OF CABARET IN WORD AND SONG, Sue Matsuki and David Sabella are the twosome at the lightboard.

An encore presentation of "Stars of Cabaret in Word and Song" can be seen on Friday night, July 3rd, at 8 pm on the Youtube Channel for Richard Skipper Celebrates. Click HERE for the link.

So You Want To Sing Cabaret is a Rowman & Littlefield publication and is available on Amazon and at the Cabaret Hotspot website HERE

Stars of Cabaret in Word and Song can be seen in perpetuity at the Youtube channels for Cabaret Hotspot HERE and Richard Skipper Celebrates HERE

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