CABARET THEATER REVIEWS

As a young veteran of the New York cabaret scene and someone who rests comfortably in that performer's purgatory between celebrity and what the folks at the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) calls “Major Artist,” Marieann Meringolo certainly doesn't need validation from a Stevie-...

As a YouTube sensation, many are familiar enough with Natalie Weiss' voice and face, and the largely teenage/early 20s audience last night couldn't be more enthusiastic to see her perform live. Yet, somewhere along the way, her abrasive personality overshadowed her vocal talent....

In the late '70s, Vivian Reed captured a Tony Award nomination and won a Drama Desk Award for her work in the Broadway musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, and although Reed has delivered some critically-acclaimed work in the many years since (a Tony nomination for the 1992 musical The High Rollers Social ...

'A man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?' once wrote the poet Robert Browning. The line is about setting goals, striving, and ambition, all of which can be commendable desires. But sometimes in the world of cabaret, the desire to achieve the next level or to raise one's person...

To witness---and, yes, hear---Tony Award-winning legend Patti LuPone on a stage live-belting the bejesus out of a note (well, several notes, really) is just another not-so-subtle reminder for newbies and veterans alike why she's such a one-of-a-kind, ultra-talented star in the first place. She can, ...

Ted Stafford and Lorinda Lisitza find plenty of humor in this dark-themed cabaret at Don't Tell Mama....

This past Tuesday evening Maude Maggart, a celebrated young veteran of the cabaret scene, started her debut run at the Cafe Carlyle (which ends tonight with shows at 8:45 pm and 10:45 pm) and her new show certainly didn't disappoint, at least not in the singing department. Throughout a 16-song set, ...

The Music Box Theater is proudly closing its third year with their latest musical revue MORE BROADWAY AT THE BOX. Rebekah Dahl, Brad Scarborough, Kristina Sullivan, Cay Taylor, and Luke Wrobel masterfully entertain Houston audiences with the inventive cabaret revue, earning copious amounts of cheers...

In 1996, several up and coming performers made their Broadway debuts in a show that would make musical theater history. The show was Rent and two of those performers were Adam Pascal and Daphne Ruben-Vega. Some very lucky Austin area Rentheads, myself included, got a chance to see the two reunite ...

Renee Gentle offers a tour de force performance, switching to and fro between so many diverse characters in a high energy production....

This show is raunchy, emotional, crazy, and hilarious....

It is Scala's strong, warm and amazingly expressive voice which steals the show...

Palmer's wonderful humour is a mixture of the finest dad jokes and fantastically humorous, breast related observations....

Just as exciting as the annual summer concert presentation of a more-or-less forgotten hit musical from yesteryear are Bayou City Concert Musicals' fundraising cabaret performances. Kicking off their 2014 season, Paul Hope has programmed an evening of Irving Berlin's hit songs for the 1930s. In this...

Versatile is one way to describe Ms. Olivera's talent....

Before the finale of Tuesday night's Café Carlyle show celebrating the varied compositions of Frank Wildhorn, the Grammy and Tony Award-winning composer quoted his frequent collaborator, lyricist Jack Murphy, as once offering that “Great singers are a songwriter's best friends.” Even though Mur...

On Sunday January 26 divine singer Nita Whitaker brought her brand new show Love 'n Stuff to Sterling's Upstairs at the Federal. Looking positively stunning in a black and white pageant dress accentuated with sequins - she was Miss Louisiana in the Miss America Pageant some years ago - and displayin...

Dynamic talents, such as triple-threat Chita Rivera, rarely give up. They are having too much fun to retire. Passionate, warm, funny and forever loyal to her art, Miss Rivera has always captivated her audiences and is still very much doing so, based on her performance on Saturday January 25 at the V...

Tucked away in a corner of the Nikko Hotel is Feinstein's - a 140 seat, intimate nightclub with cozy banquettes and tables graced with crystal chandeliers and a stage on which the Steinway holds pride of place. As the 8 o'clock hour approached, smartly dressed San Franciscans along with tourists i...

On Thursday January 16 Blake McIver showed a whole new side to his musical art when he premiered selections from his new CD at Don't Tell Mama in WeHo. Set for release in February, the CD is pop, R&B based and is a showcase for McIver's own compositions, many of which are quite poignant, some downri...

Beautiful actress/singer Laura Benanti, Tony Award winner for Gypsy, performed at 54 Below in New York during 2013, and the live concert was recorded on Broadway Records. To celebrate the release of the CD entitled In Constant Search of the Right Kind of Attention, Chris Isaacson Presents booked Ben...

New York City has 54 BELOW, Broadway's living room, where big name acts do acclaimed intimate cabaret concerts. Since it's inception, I have longed for a similar experience in my neck of the woods. Producer Tyce Green, along with Houston's The Music Box Theater, is gifting Houston audiences with the...

It seemed only natural that the bodacious British cabaret chanteuse Barb Jungr would bring a new show to New York that could be staged in the small theater environment of 59E59 (December 22-29). While Ms. Jungr's forays definitely are in the cabaret mold, they are also part theater-style performance...

'I have played behind Frank Sinatra all around the world and in the recording studios in Hollywood since 1959. Now along comes Robert Davi who, in my opinion, is the only one that comes close to having the voice, the acting chops, and the charisma that the Ol' Man had. Listen and become a life-long ...

For the Record: Baz Luhrmann in Concert is the brainchild of Christopher Lloyd Bratten (musical director) and Shane Scheel (producer) who have previously produced concerts incorporating the music from the films of the Coen Brothers and also John Hughes and Quentin Tarantino, among others. The Luhrma...