The Cabaret Chronicles: Michael Feinstein & David Hyde Pierce, Maxine Linehan, Gretchen Reinhagen and More!

Well, here we are - the middle of December, can you believe it?!  Now, first thing's first - before I delve into the past week's shows, I invite you to join me in wishing a very happy birthday to two of the most celebrated singers in the history of American popular music: the legendary Connie Francis, as well as Ol' Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra!  Both were born on December 12^th - boy, what a red-letter day for music, not to mention the Italian-American community!  While Mr. Sinatra is, sadly, no longer with us, we are fortunate that Ms. Francis still is, and rumor has it that she's got some great gigs coming up in 2010!  I do hope you'll join me in wishing her the happiest of birthdays and a fantastic year to come! 

Boy, is it a busy December - between holiday parties, attending shows, and putting on shows myself, I've had a ridiculously full schedule!  Ah, well, 'tis the season, I suppose.  Luckily, the shows I've seen have been quite entertaining, so they've actually served as a brief respite from the holiday madness!  Last Saturday, I headed to Feinstein's at Loews Regency to see Michael Feinstein and David Hyde Pierce in their "Holiday Show."  What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night in NYC!  Both men are terrific performers in their own right, but what they managed to bring out in each other was simply spectacular!  David Hyde Pierce, best known for his role as Niles on TV's "Frasier," (for which he received multiple Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards), as well as leading roles in Monty Python's Spamalot and Curtains (for which he won the 2007 Tony Award) on Broadway, is making his nightclub debut in this show, and it was truly an honor to have witnessed it!  Blessed with an warm, easy baritone, he was not only a pleasure to listen to, but he was also incredibly funny. 

His dry, deadpan humor that worked oh-so-well for him on "Frasier" translated terrifically to the intimate confines of Feinstein's - in fact, it translated so well that not only was the audience in stitches, the band was, too, as was his singing partner!  His humor was showcased in songs such as Jerry Herman's "Penny in My Pocket" and "You Won't Succeed On Broadway (If You Don't Have Any Jews)" from Monty Python's Spamalot, which, after lamenting the lack of good Hanukkah songs, he proceeded to perform as such!  He also showed a softer, more vulnerable side in "Your Face," a beautiful ballad with music and lyrics by John Kander.  Michael Feinstein was phenomenal as well, bringing warmth and tenderness to his favorite Christmas song (which also happens to be one of my favorites!), "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas;" incredible passion and longing to "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" and just the right amount of bitterness and hurt to the Sadie Vimmerstadt/Johnny Mercer classic, "I Wanna Be Around."  Now, when I mentioned that what the two performers brought out in each other was spectacular, I truly meant it.  As good as their solo numbers were, their duets (including "You're The Top" and "The Best of Friends," among others) were over-the-top terrific.  Mr. Pierce's humor must have been infectious, for he brought out a fun, playful side of Mr. Feinstein that I'd never seen before.  And it worked the other way around, too - I think having Mr. Feinstein there as a support in his first nightclub show put Mr. Pierce at ease and allowed him to simply be himself and have fun!  Their between song patter was charming and clever, and showcased a wonderful rapport between the two entertainers.  It was truly a special show and a simply fantastic pairing of performers.  I truly hope that these two gentleman collaborate on more shows in the future - I'd be there in a heartbeat!  Kudos, too, must be given to the incredible band backing these two stellar performers: Musical Director John Oddo on piano, Mark Vinci on reeds, George Rabbai on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jim Saporito on drums, and Jay Leonhart on bass. 

Monday evening found me at my usual Monday night hangout, Jim Caruso's Cast Party at Birdland.  As always, there was a whole slew of talent on hand to keep the evening moving along merrily, including Lea DeLaria, Nicolas King, Angela Bingham, Maureen Taylor, Susan Winter, and (of course!) Jim Caruso himself!  Scott Siegel did a terrific job filling in as guest host for the first hour, and, as always, the Cast Party band (Tedd Firth on piano, Steve Doyle on bass, and Dustin Jensen on drums) was fab!  

On Wednesday night, I was very excited to be at the CD Release listening party for Irish songstress Maxine Linehan's Petula Clark tribute CD, What Would Petula Do?  I'd seen Maxine perform the tribute earlier this year, and loved it.  She's got a terrific voice, a charming, engaging personality, and great arrangements, not to mention a fantastic band and backup vocalists.  On Wednesday night, the invited audience had a chance to mill around the beautiful Tainted Blue recording studio (where the CD was recorded), sip champagne, and listen to the CD being played, and then we were all brought into the main studio, where Ms. Linehan treated us to a live performance of five of the songs on the CD, including the title track, which was written especially for this project by her musical director Gerald Stockstill, along with Ken Jones.  It was a really fun evening, and the CD sounded great - can't wait to get in on my ipod! 

Thursday night, it was off to The Metropolitan Room for Gretchen Reinhagen in Special Kaye: A Tribute to the Incomparable Kaye Ballard.  Directed by cabaret veteran Barry Kleinbort (who, incidentally, has worked extensively with Kaye Ballard herself!), the show was entertaining, informative, touching, and funny - all rolled into one well-structured, well-paced hour!  Ms. Reinhagen did a great job of covering Ms. Ballard's nightclub material, Broadway material, and the all-important "special material," for which Ms. Ballard is particularly well known.  Also woven in were some interesting anecdotes about several songs which were written for or given to Ms. Ballard first ("If," "My Coloring Book," "Maybe This Time"), but for one reason or another ended up getting made famous by someone else!  Ms. Reinhagen did a terrific job with everything, but she really seems to have found herself a special niche with the comedic numbers, such as "Teeny Tiny," "Name Dropping," and "Sara Lee."  It takes a special kind of talent to pull songs like that off, and she does it as well or better than anyone I've seen!  

Friday night, it was back to The Metropolitan Room for MetroJam, which is the monthly open mic I have the honor of hosting.  Despite the freezing temperatures in Manhattan, the room was full of incredibly talented folks, including the tremendously talented Tony DeSare, who was battling a cold but came through like gangbusters as our special guest for the night, performing an incredible piano version of "Autumn Leaves," a brand new Christmas song he'd just written last weekend, and "This Christmas," for which he brought up his friend, singer Adam James, to duet on.  Adam then stayed up onstage and did a beautiful "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," accompanied by Mr. DeSare!  Other talented folks who got up to the mic last night included Carol McCann, Mary Foster Conklin, David Goldman , David Nathan Scott, and Sarah Rice, among others.  It was a great evening, and, as always, the MetroJam Band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass and Bobby Sher on drums) did a truly outstanding job! 

Where I'm going this week...  

Monday, December 14^th:  Jim Van Slyke in The Sedaka Show at Feinstein's at Loews Regency.  I saw Mr. Van Slyke perform this show earlier this year and loved it!  Since then, he's gone on to garner rave reviews from Mr. Sedaka himself and added some additional material the show.  Can't wait to see it again!  

Cast Party at Birdland.  Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic usually runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but this week, it will be starting an hour late due to the S.R.O. Jason Robert Brown concert starting at 9 p.m.  I'm going to run over after seeing Jim Van Slyke at Feinstein's to continue what looks to be a great evening! 

Tuesday, December 14^th: Lennie Watts, Scott Coulter and Steven Ray Watkins  with special guest Karen Mack in 'Bout This Time Each Year, their acclaimed holiday show.  I've seen this show several times before and can't wait to see it again!  Featuring well loved holiday favorites as well as some less traditional songs, this show never fails to put me in the Christmas spirit.  Show is at 7 p.m. at Don't Tell Mama.

Pictured: Michael Feinstein and David Hyde Pierce

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi

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