PROJECT 2026: BLUE TSUNAMI! at Don't Tell Mama

PROJECT 2026: BLUE TSUNAMI! Cabaret Variety Fundraising Series for Democratic Congress Candidates, produced and hosted by Stephen Hanks, is scheduled for May 7, June 13, September 1, and October 20. All shows at 7PM at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th St, New York, NY, 10036). Tickets: $30. Minimum: $20 (Must include two drinks). Cash only.

The cast for the June 13th show features: April Armstrong, Peter Calo, Terri Dannenberg, Natalie Douglas, Amy Engelhardt, Lauren Fox, Rosemary Loar, Sue Matsuki, Kati Neiheisel, Geri Palast, and Can Yasar. Music Director: Gregory Toroian.

Seven months prior to the 2018 midterm elections, long-time Cabaret Show Reviewer, Producer, Publicist, and Performer Stephen Hanks launched a series of five cabaret variety shows as fundraisers for Democratic Senate, Congress, and State Legislature candidates. The critically acclaimed CABARET CAMPAIGNS: RIDE THE BLUE WAVE 2018!, performed at Don't Tell Mama and featuring 28 different performers, raised more than $6,000 divided among 30 candidates. Election Day 2018 was indeed a “Blue Wave,” as the Democrats flipped 40 seats in Congress. After presenting two Blue Wave Victory Shows at Don't Tell Mama in January 2019 and one Blue Wave Greatest Hits show at Urban Stages in June 2019—all of which received rave reviews from the Cabaret press—Hanks and his “Blue Wave Group” hit the cabaret club campaign trail again in January 2020, May 2022, and May 2024 with shows that raised money to support national voting rights groups and New York Democratic Congressional candidates. In September 2024, Hanks and his “Blue Wavers” were back at Don't Tell Mama with the 12th variety fundraising show, this time to raise money for the Presidential campaign of Vice-President Kamala Harris.

“I was hoping that after the 2024 Presidential election, I wouldn't need to produce these shows again,” Hanks admits. “But given the current dangers to our First-Amendment Rights, Voting Rights, Health Care, Personal Freedoms, National Security, the attacks on Immigrants, and More, it is imperative that Democrats win both houses of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. Hence, the new series PROJECT 2026: BLUE TSUNAMI! I'm hoping these fundraising shows will also energize audiences to support Democratic candidates however they can. As in times past, the cabaret art form is an ideal vehicle to get this important message out, while at the same time also supporting those on the front lines of the fight.”