Lennie Watts

Review: Natasha Castillo Charms in DARIN TO BE DIFFERENT at Don't Tell Mama
by Brandon Garcia-Waldenmayer - Oct 18, 2026

A proud member of the Bobby Darin fan club, Natasha Castillo spent years exploring Darin’s life to craft a show that is one of a kind. Her show, overflowing with charisma, would surely make a charmer like Bobby Darin proud.

Interview: Deborah Zecher of BROADWAY BIBLE at Don't Tell Mama
by Rebecca Kaplan - Oct 6, 2026

Bistro Award winner and multiple MAC and Broadway World nominee Deborah Zecher returns to Don’t Tell Mama with a new cabaret show BROADWAY BIBLE:  A SERMON IN SEQUINS on 10/18, 11/1 and 12/9. We spoke about the upcoming shows.

Review: Linda Jackson's TEMPORARILY LOST at Don't Tell Mama Reveals New Depths
by Nicole Spano - Oct 4, 2026

Well-done cabaret feels like being invited into someone’s world and leaving with a deeper understanding of who they are. Linda Jackson’s debut show TEMPORARILY LOST delivers on that promise.

Interview: Helane Blumfield on INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE at Don't Tell Mama
by Rebecca Kaplan - Oct 3, 2026

On Thursday, October 8 at 7 PM, acclaimed New York City singer and cabaret performer Helane Blumfield returns to Don’t Tell Mama in an encore performance of INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE. Read a conversation with Blumfield.

Grace Peña to Bring UNDER THE INFLUENCE to Play Chelsea Table & Stage
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 30, 2026

Grace Peña, a 2026 MAC Award finalist, will present her one-woman cabaret at the 120-seat Chelsea Table & Stage venue in Manhattan, featuring jazz, blues, R&B and Broadway standards.

Liora Michelle to Reprise SONGBIRDS OF THE SILVER SCREEN
by Stephi Wild - Sep 15, 2026

Vocalist Liora Michelle will perform an encore of her cabaret tribute to Hollywood movie musicals at Don't Tell Mama, featuring songs from Helen Morgan to Lady Gaga with a live band.

Interview: Natasha Castillo Presents DARIN TO BE DIFFERENT at Don't Tell Mama
by Mia Mittag - Sep 9, 2026

MAC award nominee Natasha Castillo is returning to the stage with a new cabaret that takes an intimate look at the lesser-known parts of Bobby Darin’s life. The show runs 9/27, 10/11, and 10/24

Review: MAMA’S NEXT BIG ACT Crowns a Winner at Don't Tell Mama
by Nicole Spano - Sep 3, 2026

While I always mourn the end of summer as we flip the calendar to September, there is one tradition that softens the blow: the finale of Mama’s Next Big Act at Don’t Tell Mama, now in its ninth year.

Manhattan Association Of Cabarets Will Host MAC TO SCHOOL
by Stephi Wild - Sep 2, 2026

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets will host its annual MAC TO SCHOOL symposium at Don't Tell Mama and Open Jar Studios, featuring master classes, workshops and panel discussions on creating cabaret shows.

INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE Encore to Return to Don't Tell Mama With Helane Blumfield
by Stephi Wild - Aug 31, 2026

Helane Blumfield will present an encore of her cabaret show INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE at Don't Tell Mama, exploring reinvention, resilience, and self-discovery through storytelling and song.

Gerrilyn Sohn to Return to Don't Tell Mama with TIMELESS: A Tribute to Bernadette Peters
by Stephi Wild - Aug 25, 2026

Gerrilyn Sohn will perform her cabaret tribute to Bernadette Peters at Don't Tell Mama, directed by Lennie Watts with musical direction by Tracy Stark.

Natasha Castillo to Bring DARIN TO BE DIFFERENT to Don't Tell Mama
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 18, 2026

Natasha Castillo will explore the lesser-known life and music of Bobby Darin in a new show directed by Lennie Watts at Don't Tell Mama in New York City.

Review: Singers Compete at MAMA'S NEXT BIG ACT at Don't Tell Mama
by Nicole Spano - Aug 12, 2026

What do a kazoo, a 10-year-old, and a wooden spoon have in common? They could all be seen at Don't Tell Mama during Mama's Next Big Act last Monday. The multi-MAC Award-winning competition, co-produced by Lennie Watts and Don't Tell Mama, is now in its ninth season and remains one of the highlights of the summer cabaret scene. Over the course of eight weeks, more than twenty hopefuls compete for the title, gradually narrowing down week by week. The final winner receives $1,500 toward their solo show at Don't Tell Mama, along with a professionally designed poster by Frank Dain, an appearance at The Lineup with Susie Mosher, a feature in Cabaret Scenes Magazine- and perhaps the most coveted prize of all: a panini press.

Helane Blumfield Will Bring INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE Back to Don't Tell Mama
by Stephi Wild - Aug 11, 2026

Helane Blumfield will bring an encore performance of her cabaret show INVISIBLE TO INVINCIBLE to Don't Tell Mama, exploring reinvention, identity, and self-visibility through music and storytelling.

Photos: See Highlights of Trudy Carmichael's NYC Cabaret Debut at Don't Tell Mama
by Rebecca Kaplan - Jul 18, 2026

Las Vegas lounge diva Trudy Carmichael made her NYC cabaret debut with the premiere of her explosive musical tell-all. Catch the final performance of TRUDY CARMICHAEL: JUST WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS? at 4 pm on Sunday July 19. Check out photos here!

Photos: See Highlights from THE LINEUP WITH SUSIE MOSHER June 30 at the Green Room 42
by Rebecca Kaplan - Jul 8, 2026

THE LINEUP WITH SUSIE MOSHER is a wild, anything-goes variety show featuring artists from the Broadway, cabaret, music and comedy scenes. See photos from the June 30 edition snapped by photographer Conor Weiss and catch their return on July 14.

Review: AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY PRESENTS SIDNEY MYER at The Cutting Room
by Andrew Poretz - Jun 18, 2026

Sidney Myer was feted by Marilyn Maye, Charles Busch, Nicolas King and dozens more at a joyous sold-out American Popular Song Society Lifetime Achievement Award gala on June 15.

Trudy Carmichael To Make NYC Cabaret Debut At Don’t Tell Mama This July
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 11, 2026

Robin Rothman brings her Las Vegas lounge alter ego Trudy Carmichael to Don't Tell Mama in NYC for a limited two-performance run of mashed-up show tunes, 80s pop, and audience-inspired improvisation.

Review: Marcia Roney's THE WAY I SEE IT at Don't Tell Mama Worth Seeing
by Stephen Mosher - Jun 4, 2026

The affable and amusing Marcia Roney is laying them in the aisles at Don't Tell Mama.

DON'T CRY FOR ME, MY YESHIVA Will Come to 92nd Street Y
by Stephi Wild - May 13, 2026

The 92nd Street Y will present DON'T CRY FOR ME, MY YESHIVA, an award-winning musical memoir written and performed by Joe Fox, exploring identity, faith, and sexuality as the son of an Orthodox Rabbi.