Photos: Sarah Boone MOM BEFORE DAD: A YOUNG WOMAN OF THE GREATEST GENERATION at The Triad by Thomas Salus

Every New York City cabaret venue has its own look and personality. The Triad's dark motif, deep colors, narrow space, and tiered seating of the theater can take you back in time, if your imagination allows you. With a newsreel running on a screen as the audience makes their way to their seats to order their first cocktails, and viola, you are back in the 1940's. It is an ambiance perfectly suited to Sarah Boone's musical cabaret MOM BEFORE DAD... A YOUNG WOMAN OF THE GREATEST GENERATION.

Directed by Jean Tait with musical direction by Eugene Gwozdz, Mom Before Dad... introduces the audience to Sarah's mom, Doris, at a time that is probably unique for every person: that period of time in our parents' lives before they have ever met. Through a multimedia presentation conceived by Ms. Boone and designed by Rich Connor, patrons see written words from Doris' 1942 diary, as well as photos from that time in her life. This intimacy brings the audience into a story that is very personal to Sarah, whose admiration of her mother is the foundation upon which the musical program is built. In cabaret, one often hears songs curated by a performer around a common theme or songs by a specific songwriter. What Mom Before Dad... offers is a look into Doris's life, well before Sarah and her siblings were even a part of it.

The song selections throughout the program reflected the spirit of Doris, an independent, religious, working, spending (with a penchant for purses), young women looking for love. Through music arranged and performed by Musical Director Eugene Gwozdz and Sarah's vocals, the Triad audience was afforded a wonderfully enjoyable experience, one of the highlights of which was a guest appearance of the Brooklynaires Quartet, specializing in harmonies harkening back to the Forties.

After such a pleasant show, it was hard to step back into 2022 and the hustle and bustle of modern-day New York City but, given the opportunity, audiences would be advised to look for Sarah Boone's next performance of Mom Before Dad... and maybe ask family members to share their origin stories. The reward could be substantial.

The Mom Before Dad band was Musical Director Eugene Gwozdz on piano with Mariana Ramirez on percussion, Jeff Kock on Bass, and David Ashton on Saxophone and Flute.

-Tom Salus

Find other great shows to see at The Triad website HERE.

Thomas Salus is a New Jersey/New York-based photographer specializing in theater and sports photography. For close to ten years, Tom has been providing his photo talents to community and larger regional theaters, supporting their productions, and highlighting the performers through his images. In addition to theater, he works with area professional, college, and high schools sport teams to capture the action on their stages. Tom has worked with New York-based Cabaret artists, freelanced for local newspapers, and worked with organizations like Little League International. Tom's photography started when he and his wife Kelly were raising their four children and capturing moments of their theater and sports accomplishments. Tom is excited to be working with Broadway World as a contributing photographer and getting the opportunity to photograph some of the most amazing talent in that artistic community. Thomas Salus can be found on Instagram HERE and at his website HERE