The Cabaret Chronicles: Jason Rosenbaum, Steven Pasquale, Doug Acosta and More!
By: Jenna Esposito Jul. 05, 2009
Happy 4th of July weekend, everyone! Hope you're all enjoying a lovely holiday weekend. As we celebrate our country's independence, let me give you a recap of my adventures in the world of cabaret over the past week!
Last Saturday, June 27th, I headed over to Don't Tell Mama to hear Jason Rosenbaum in his show Jason Sings Jason: The Songs of Jason Robert Brown. Being a fan of both Jason Robert Brown's music and fun, catchy show titles, I was very much looking forward to this show! This was my first time hearing Mr. Rosenbaum sing and wow, what a voice! He has a beautiful, warm quality which he infuses with great depth of emotion - perfectly suited to the dramatic compositions of Jason Robert Brown. Covering songs from Songs For A New World, Parade, Urban Cowboy and 13, Mr. Rosenbaum did a terrific job of delivering the material, truly connecting with the lyrics, and letting his voice soar. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more from him in the future!!
On Sunday evening, it was off to Feinstein's to catch singer/actor Steven Pasquale (best known for his starring role on FX TV's "Rescue Me") in his one-night-only CD release show. Backed by the fantastic John Pizzarelli Quartet, Mr. Pasquale glided effortlessly through a selection of mellow jazz tunes, including the title song from his CD, "Somethin' Like Love," (written by John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey), "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning," and "Laura." Mr. Pasquale has a lovely, smooth voice that sounds fantastic on this type of material, which, in combination with the phenomenal band, made for a lovely Sunday evening!
Tuesday evening found me at the Metropolitan Room for the second performance of my new show, Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis. We had another terrific crowd and I had a ball doing the show - can't wait to do it again on the 7th!!
On Friday night, I did a double-header at the Metropolitan Room - first up, it was Doug Acosta in his show South of the Border: Songs of Sinatra and Jobim. This show was Mr. Acosta's first solo show in NYC, and the Sinatra/Jobim theme was his way of paying tribute to his favorite singer (Frank Sinatra) and his favorite album (Stan Getz - Gets Plays Jobim: The Girl From Ipanema). The show was mostly a mix-and-match of songs associated with Sinatra and songs associated with Jobim - all highly enjoyable! Interestingly, Mr. Acosta shared with us, the two legends did collaborate on an album together: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. Even more interesting than that is that on the album, they actually cover two Cole Porter tunes: "From This Moment On" and "Let's Do It" - so, of course, those two songs were included in the show! I really had a great time at Mr. Acosta's show - the combination of Sinatra and Jobim worked very well, especially with the cool, jazzy backing of the Sean Harkness quartet. Mr. Acosta's sound is reminiscent of Sinatra and other old-style crooners, and he has a very easygoing manner on stage, which makes this show an especially good fit for him. The band was also terrific - kudos to musical director/guitarist Sean Harkness for great arrangements and a very polished sound!
Next up, it was MetroJam, the Metropolitan Room's monthly open mic, which I now host! I wasn't too sure what to expect, crowd-wise, since it was the beginning of a holiday weekend, but we actually had a terrific turnout, with nearly 30 singers! Lina Koutrakos was the special guest for the evening, and she brought the house down with her 3-song set...and she even coaxed tech director J.P. Perraux out of the booth to play a rockin' guitar on her closer, "Kansas City!" Other performers included Michael Garin & Mardie Millet, Rob Langeder, Fortune Esposito (yep, my dad!), Gretchen Reinhagen, Sarah Rice, Lee Cadena, Kathleen France, Maureen Taylor, Ray Jessel, Deb Berman, and the aforementioned Sean Harkness, all of whom brought their A-game out and contributed to a great holiday weekend kick-off! The MetroJam house band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass and Bobby Sher on drums) was fantastic, as always! I'm so looking forward to next month's MetroJam!
That's about all I managed to squeeze in this week, but check back next week for another update!
Where I'm going this week...
Monday, July 6th: Well, if it's Monday, you can almost always find me at Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland. This fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. - make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!
Tuesday, July 7th: 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 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. Lennie Watts
Thursday, July 9th: The 19th Birthday Party Of Cabaret Hotline Online. Celebrating the 19th birthday of Stu Hamstra's Cabaret Hotline, this show has a great lineup and promises to make for an entertaining evening. Already announced cast members include cabaret legend Tom Andersen, recent cabaret newcomer Terrell Baker, cabaret/Broadway favorite Raissa Katona Bennett, Grace Cosgrove (host of GRACE NOTES: A Singers' Soiree), the delightful Moira Danis, the all-girl vocal group The Delivery Girls, singer/dancer Ryan Greer and the inimitable singer/actor Jim Speake. Musical director for the show is the 2009-double-MAC-Award winning Tracy Stark. Also, this year's Jeff Matson Award (given annually to a person(s) who has done extraordinary work in supporting, mentoring and giving leadership to others in cabaret) will be presented to cabaret favorite Sue Matsuki, and the Dottie Burman Songwriter Award will be given to Brett Kristofferson (whose fabulous music I just wrote about in last week's column!).
Shows I Can't Make It To This Week, But Wish I Could!!
Sunday, July 5th: Carol Channing In Concert Starring Richard Skipper at Tim McCloone's Supper Club in Asbury Park, NJ. Endorsed by the legendary Carol Channing herself, Mr. Skipper has performed his act to rave reviews all over the country. After 15 years of touring as Carol, though, Richard is "hanging up the sequins" to focus on other projects, and this is his farewell performance. Should be a very special night!! Show starts at 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 5th: Nashville at the Metropolitan Room. Starring Daryl Glenn and Jo Lynn Burks, this tribute to Robert Altman's 1975 film won the triple crown of cabaret awards this year - a Bistro, a Nightlife, and a MAC! I saw it last year and fell in love with the heartfelt, spirited show - if you're in town, it's definitely worth checking out. Show starts at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 8th: The Concerts at Tudor City Greens. Hosted by Raissa Katona Bennett, this concert series always boasts an impressive lineup of Broadway and cabaret performers. Scheduled to perform this month are Spider Saloff, Julie Reyburn, Ricky Ritzel, Daryl Glenn, Eric Michael Gillett, Nina Hennessy, Philip Chaffin, and guitarist Sean Harkness, and David Caldwell serves as musical director. The show is free and open to the public, with an opportunity given to support the park conservancy with a donation.
Pictured: Doug Acosta
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