Cabaret Theater Reviews

Review: Laura and Linda Benanti Take A Glorious Trip Down Memory Lane at 54 Below
by Sharon Ellman - July 23, 2024

Together Laura and Linda Benanti, a truly remarkable mother-daughter singing duo, took to the stage and brought an unsuspecting audience into their own unique world filled with love, laughter and of course, song. The sold-out run continues with two more shows tonight and tomorrow....

Review: Lucie Arnaz Celebrates A Life On Stage with I GOT THE JOB at 54 Below
by Analisa Bell - July 22, 2024

Lucie Arnaz has had a long and varied career. The crowd at 54 Below on Thursday, July 20 was treated to a setlist of songs from a bevy of roles she has played or desired to play. Overall, Arnaz proved why she indeed got so many jobs, and how she continues to shine on stage today!...

Review: Nicole Henry's Return Engagement Plays To A Packed House At Birdland
by Bobby Patrick - July 19, 2024

Singing to a completely packed house (if there had been any more patrons, they would have had to hang them from the ceiling, my lambs!), La Henry stayed on the older jazz back roads with a set list to please any American Songbook aficionado....

Review: Talia Suskauer Heats Up Joe's Pub with SONGS FROM MY SHOWER
by Analisa Bell - July 15, 2024

The premise of Talia Suskauer's July 8th show was simply songs that Suskauer sings in the shower, and judging by the crowd’s enthusiasm, all were thrilled that she was bringing them to the stage!...

Review: Liz Callaway & Jason Graae's HAPPILY EVER LAUGHTER Is a Hit at 54 Below
by Rob Lester - July 05, 2024

There's a perfect pair this week at 54 Below: a dazzling, delicious, dynamic, dynamite duo. Decades-long friends Liz Callaway and Jason Graae sparkle with real chemistry and connection. The opening on the night on July 3rd had plenty of fireworks of its own. Their bang-up job continues on July 5 and...

Review: Jenn Bornstein's Touching Tribute DIARY OF A PIZZA BAGEL'S DAUGHTER at Don't Tell Mama
by Analisa Bell - July 05, 2024

Entering with a rousing mash-up of Michael John LaChiusa’s “Welcome to my Party” and “I Love Being Here with You” by Peggy Lee and Bill Schluger, Bornstein set the tone with a hilarious and touching homage to her father, who sadly passed away during the pandemic. The show is a touching homage to a w...

Review: Shannon Daley Thrills in LOVE AND LET DIE: CONFESSIONS OF A BOND GIRL at Don't Tell Mama
by Analisa Bell - July 04, 2024

On Friday June 28, the audience at Don’t Tell Mama was taken on a journey of theatrical storytelling by singer and actress Shannon Daley. This highly original, intriguing piece of theater (which worked surprisingly well in a cabaret space), was well worth another run. This reviewer hopes Daley and h...

MONTHLY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to a major music figure!
by Rob Lester - July 01, 2024

He was known as 'the man who owned Broadway': Born the first week in July, he wrote/produced/starred in dozens of Broadway shows and a statue of him stands in a key spot in the theatre district. His legacy still shines every 4th of July. We salute this writer, dancer, singer, actor, and producer, Ge...

Review: James Beaman Is Full of Love & Laughter in LIVED EXPERIENCE at the Triad
by Rebecca Kaplan - June 28, 2024

James Beaman is fabulously himself in his new solo show. LIVED EXPERIENCE takes a tongue-in-cheek look at everything from Gen Z’s and millennial’s obsession with “safety” and trigger words to Beaman’s own life and long career in acting, cabaret and drag performance....

Review: Alexis Michelle Shines in HEROINE WORSHIP at Joe's Pub
by Nathan Johnson - June 27, 2024

Michelle paid tribute to Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Stockard Channing, Dionne Warwick, and many others, each song revealing new sides of Alexis and showcasing her range as both a singer and an actress. With the change of a lyric, she could shift from funny to touching, from charm...

Review: Zoë Van Tieghem's OUT OF THE BOX at Green Room 42 Was Joyously Queer
by Rose Singer - June 26, 2024

Zoë Van Tieghem, no stranger to the performing arts, gracefully strode onto the stage on June 18th, where she hosted a wonderfully gay evening at the Green Room 42. From the first note of her opening number to the final notes of the closer, she makes performing look effortless....

Review: Death of Classical Presents BEETHOVEN STRING QUARTET OP. 132 at Green-Wood Cemetery
by Eliana Sara - June 26, 2024

Death of Classical is known for curating classical music and opera performances throughout NYC’s prettiest crypts and cemeteries. This performance of Beethoven’s Final String Quartet was a part of DoC’s Angel’s Share concert series, which took place at Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery from Thursday th...

Review: Linda Eder is Breathtaking at 54 Below
by Nathan Johnson - June 22, 2024

Linda Eder is a talent so magnificent, she doesn't seem real. Song after song, with a constant sparkle in her eye, Eder drops to the lowest lows and soars to the highest heights with ease. To be in a room with that voice is a privilege. One moment, her rich tones carry you away; the next, they break...

Review: Broadway's Own Honor Their Italian American Heritage at 54 Below
by Sharon Ellman - June 22, 2024

This reviewer was thrilled and still humming the tunes while leaving the famed venue after THAT'S AMORE on June 20th at 54 Below. Bravissimo, I say!...

Review: TRIBUTE TO MALTBY & SHIRE Is a Triumph at The Cutting Room
by Rob Lester - June 21, 2024

A 'Big' salute to songwriters Maltby & Shire, hosted and music-directed by Michael Lavine, brings us 'Closer Than Ever' to perfection. As tributes go, the one filled with the songs of Maltby and Shire, as they were bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award, was tops. Filled with theatre and cabaret pe...

Review: ALICIA WITT The Coolest Of Cool at Joe's Pub
by Stephen Mosher - June 17, 2024

One of today's best and most poetic singer-songwriters played one of her rare New York appearances and it was a cool night of groovy storytelling....

Review: ONE FOR JOHNNY MERCER at Dizzy's Was One Fine Show
by Rob Lester - June 18, 2024

ONE FOR JOHNNY MERCER at Dizzy's was another treat in the Songbook Sundays series. Johnny Mercer had a way with words. Stritch, Blackhurst, Stravelli and Lee have a way of singing and winging them. Duke Ellington's turn comes in August....

Review: Robert Bannon's PRIDE PLAYLIST at 54 Below Is a Celebration!
by Nathan Johnson - June 16, 2024

Robert is a party and always has a genuine smile on his face, as if, in his own impish way, he is inviting anyone with joy in their hearts to join him. I will say, there is one major flaw with every Robert Bannon show, at least the two I’ve seen: they aren’t long enough!...

Review: GAVIN LEE STEPS OUT WITH FRED ASTAIRE Is Toe-Tapping Fun at 54 Below
by Sharon Ellman - June 15, 2024

This reviewer was thrilled and overwhelmed by Gavin Lee's talent and showmanship at his Fred Astaire tribute show on June 14th!...

Review: Susan Mack Shines Bright in NO MORE BLUES at Birdland
by Analisa Bell - June 14, 2024

Susan Mack played to a sold-out crowd at Birdland on Monday night. Overall, Mack delivered a wonderful night of music, which transported the audience away from the stresses of the day and melted the blues away....

Review: Haley Johnson's A DECADE IN SONG at Don't Tell Mama
by Rose Singer - June 12, 2024

What did our critic think of A DECADE IN SONG at Don't Tell Mama?...

Review: High-Powered Garland Tribute NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS at Joe's Pub
by Rob Lester - June 11, 2024

The 12th annual NIGHT OF A THOUSAND JUDYS at Joe's Pub had no shortage of pow to wow its eager audience. The annual event drew a big crowd and money for the Ali Forney Center, a non-profit benefitting homeless LGBTQ+ youth. The June 3rd show turned on the energy to the max....

Review: Marissa Mulder's SWINGIN' ON A STAR Swings & Soars at The Cutting Room
by Rob Lester - June 08, 2024

A wonderful singer, wonderful Jimmy Van Heusen melodies, and Jon Weber as M.D.: An ideal combination. What can I say about Marissa Mulder's June 2 performance of SWINGIN' ON A STAR at the Cutting Room? In a word, bravo....

Review: Norm Lewis Brings a Touch of Broadway to 54 Below
by Sharon Ellman - June 07, 2024

This reviewer left the theater this night with the phenomenal music still humming in my head. The show continues its run on June 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13 at 54 Below with different guests each night, including Marc Shaiman, Alice Ripley, Will Swenson, Seth Rudetsky, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Nova Pa...

Review: TAKING NOTES Takes a Look at Learning at The Green Room 42
by Rob Lester - June 08, 2024

TAKING NOTES is a cabaret show with laughs and lessons learned in life and school. with a lot of pop and musical theatre along the way. Andrew Bova is the student taking it all in. The May 31st show was a promising NYC cabaret debut by a gregarious guy with teachable moments....