The Cabaret Chronicles: Maude Maggart, Tudor City Greens Concert & More!

Happy Friday, everyone!  This was somewhat of an abbreviated showgoing week for me, as I was out of town for the Easter weekend, but I did manage to pack in some great entertainment over the past few days - keep reading for the details!

I had a great start to my week by heading to Cast Party at Birdland on Monday, April 13^th.   The room was bursting at the seams with talent - cabaret diva Baby Jane Dexter brought the house down with her blues-y "One Eyed Cat," violinist Aaron Weinstein wowed the crowd on "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," teenager Alex Getlin (who's getting to be quite a regular!) did a terrific "I'm Not at All In Love," Fortune Esposito (yep, that's my dad!) had everyone rockin' on his Elvis medley ("Heartbreak Hotel" & "Blue Suede Shoes"), jazz vocalist Hilary Kole had everyone enchanted, and superstar Alan Cumming treated us to a fun, clever tune (for which he accompanied himself on the piano!).  And that's just the tip of the iceberg!  It was a terrific night and, as usual, host Jim Caruso and the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Tedd Firth on piano, Steve Doyle on bass and Steve Bakunas on drums) were at the top of their respective games! 

On Tuesday, April 14^th, I headed over to the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel to see Maude Maggart in her new show.  Having only seen Maude at various open mics and not in a full length show before, I was eager to see a full performance of hers, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.  The show was an exploration of family, and of the changing roles of family members as one makes the transition from child to adult.  An enchanting performer, Maude wove interesting personal stories about her family throughout the evening, seamlessly linking them to the songs she performed.  The room was packed, yet she somehow managed to make each story seem like a one-on-one conversation with every person in the room (I know that sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but somehow, she pulled it off!).  One part of the evening that I found particularly touching was Maude's rendition of Maury Yeston's "My Grandmother's Love Letters," which she paired with Robin Williamson's "First Boy I Loved." These two songs were preceded by a story about Maude speaking to her grandmother about her grandmother's early love life, which made them all the more poignant.  Other favorite selections of mine were "Billions of Beautiful Boys," which is a funny, charming song with music by Joseph Thalken and lyrics by Marshall Barer, and "The Man I Love," which she sang in a lower register than most of the other material, giving it a strength and a passion which made it stand out from the material performed in her sweet, wistful soprano.  She closed the show with "Love Is Here to Stay," which she referred to as a song about "sibling love" and, as she had sisters in the audience on the evening I was there, it was especially moving! Beautiful accompaniment for the evening was provided by John Boswell on piano and Yair Evnine on cello and guitar.  The show runs through May 23^rd - I'm definitely hoping to catch it again before it's gone!

The Tudor City Greens concert which had been scheduled for Wednesday, April 15^th got moved to Thursday, April 16^th due to the inclement weather on Wednesday, so last night I headed on over to Tudor City for what ended up being a terrific (albeit chilly!!) concert!  Because of the change in date, the lineup of talent was slightly altered, but from top to bottom, it was a fantastic concert!  Entitled "Make Our Garden Grow" the show was hosted by Tudor City resident and Broadway/cabaret chanteuse Raissa Katona Bennett (Phantom of the Opera, Chess) and featured performances by comedian Richard Cramer, Rosemary Loar (Cats), Sarah Rice (Broadway's original "Johanna" in Sweeney Todd, The Fantasticks), singer/actor Philip Chaffin, and cabaret artists Rob Langeder, Tanya Moberly, Maureen Taylor, Jenna Esposito (yep, yours truly!),and Karen Oberlin, as well as cabaret newcomers Candy Benge and Tom Vaughn. The musical directors are David Caldwell, Mark Janas, and Bill Zeffiro.  I was truly impressed by the talents everyone had to share, and I commend the audience for braving the blustery evening and providing excellent support! 

Where I'm going this week... 

Saturday, April 18^th:  Rob Langeder at the Metropolitan Room.  2007 MAC Award winner Rob Langeder is bringing his brand new show, Anyplace I Hang My Hat..." to the Metropolitan Room and, lucky me, I get to join in for a few duets and some backup singing!  Featuring songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole and Elvis Costello, among others, the show is a "raucous" romp through all-time song favorites as well as some lesser known gems.  Very fun!  Show starts at 5 p.m. 

Sunday, April 19^th:  The Algonquin Salon - FREE singer/songwriter/musician soiree in the lobby of the famed Algonquin Hotel.  This Sunday's guest go-host is the aforementioned Rob Langeder (boy, he gets around, doesn't he?!), with host Mark Janas.  The optional theme for this week is "Frankly Frank" - a tribute to two of Rob's favorite "Franks" - composer Frank Loesser and Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra.  All other "Franks" (Zappa?!) are welcome, too!  From 7-10 p.m., be sure to arrive early to sign up if you want to sing! 

Monday, April 20^th:  6:30 p.m. - Dinner and show at Patsy's Italian Restaurant!  This is actually one of my own shows - I'm thrilled to be joining forces with singer Sal Manzo for a performance at Frank Sinatra's favorite restaurant!  This is a completely new venture for me, so I'm very excited about it!                                   

10:00 p.m. - Cast Party at Birdland!  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but again, make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!  I'm hoping to make it after the Patsy's show!

Have a great week and check back for another update next Friday!

Pictured: Maude Maggart

 

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