Don Rebic News

Starring four-time Tony nominated Tovah Feldshuh and others, SHOWSTOPPERS! Spring Awakenings celebrates the talents and achievements of the AEA Scholarship Program students. Joining the Broadway stars on the bill is scholarship success story, Stephen Mitchell Brown, making his Broadway debut in Jekyll & Hyde this April.

Leslie Uggams one-woman,autobiographical, musical show, 'Uptown/Downtown' was a hit with The Apollo audience on Monday, March 18th.

Tony and Emmy Award winner Leslie Uggams will present a special performance of her acclaimed one-woman musical autobiography Uptown Downtown at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem tonight, March 18 at 8 p.m.

Eva Kantor, 2012 MetroStar Finalist, will bring her first solo show 'The Way I Am' to The Laurie Beechman Theatre, March 29-April 21, 2013, directed by Eric Michael Gillett, with musical direction by Don Rebi and produced by Cookie Stark.

Tony and Emmy Award winner Leslie Uggams will present a special performance of her acclaimed one-woman musical autobiography Uptown Downtown at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem on Monday, March 18 at 8 p.m.

Eric Michael Gillett and friends will present We Lost It at the Movies, the premiere of a new bi-monthly series, beginning tonight, February 17 at 7pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42 Street.

At last year's Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) Awards, two of the big winners were T. Oliver Reid (photo left) for Male Debut and Eric Michael Gillett for Major Artist, Male (and both could very likely be MAC nominees again this year). Almost a year later, two of New York cabaret's leading men performed new shows one night apart at 54 Below; Reid on February 6 with Drop Me Off in Harlem, and Gillett the next night with Careless Rhapsody: An Evening Dedicated to the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart. Ironically, what the shows had in common--besides being a fairly good fit of material to singer--was that the majority of their sets featured songs written in the 1930s but in very different styles. With Reid it was the jazz, swing and blues of Harlem; with Gillette it was the romantic Broadway musical sensibility of Hart's lyrics (paired with the timeless melodies of Richard Rodgers). While neither Reid's 'Harlem,' nor Gillett's 'Hart' were stirring or spectacular shows, they were both solid and entertaining enough that both could be nominated for BroadwayWorld.com Awards in 2013.

Eric Michael Gillett and friends will present We Lost It at the Movies, the premiere of a new bi-monthly series, beginning Sunday, February 17 at 7pm at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42 Street.

In 'Careless Rhapsody,' award-winning vocalist, director and Broadway actor (The Frogs, Sweet Smell of Success, and Kiss Me, Kate) Eric Michael Gillett uses the wit and wisdom of Lorenz Hart to remind us all that, though love can be be experienced with abandon, to be careless with the heart can also have a price. George Balanchine called Lorenz Hart the 'Shelley of America' and, it's true, his lyric writing ranks with the greatest romantic poetry of all time. Though he, himself, was unlucky in love, his writing casts a spell that will always survive the test of time, inspiring generations of lovers to come to follow their hearts. His 54 Below show continues February 26 & 27 at 7pm and you can check out photo coverage from the concert below!

Eric Michael Gillett's Careless Rhapsody: An Evening Dedicated to the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart, will play 54 Below, tonight, February 4 at 7pm, February 7 at 9:30pm and February 26 & 27 at 7pm.

Christine Andreas continues her highly acclaimed Cabaret show 'Bemused' at 54 Below through tonight, February 2nd. At last night performance pianist/songwriter Kenny Asher filled in for Don Rebic. Paul Williams his co writer on 'Rainbow Connection' was also in the audience. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the engagement below!

Even her biggest fans among the opening night crowd were likely befuddled, slightly bothered, and even a tad bewildered when they heard that Christine Andreas' first cabaret show at 54 Below was called "Bemused," and not exactly sure what that meant. But they would ultimately end up being thoroughly bewitched by a wonderfully engaging show by this totally entertaining pro. While most current or former Broadway stars who are staging shows at 54 Below are performing what amounts to mini-concerts, the lady who first became a Broadway audience favorite as Eliza Doolittle in the 20th anniversary production of My Fair Lady (and is two-time Tony Award nominee) knows her way around cabaret and developed a charmingly creative conceit for this run (continuing on Jan. 29, Feb. 1, 2 at 8:30 pm and Jan. 30, 31 at 7 pm), which included songs from Broadway, pop, the Great American Songbook, and even Edith Piaf.

Cookie's Corner, an ongoing party celebrating life and new talent, hosted by Cookie Stark, Eric Michael Gillett's newest discovery, will feature special guest star, 2012 Julie Wilson Award Winner Shana Farr.

Cookie's Corner, an ongoing party celebrating life and new talent, hosted by Cookie Stark, Eric Michael Gillett's newest discovery, will feature special guest star, 2012 Julie Wilson Award Winner Shana Farr.

With a long and prestigious 33-year history that has catered to the likes of Liza Minnelli, Brooke Sheilds and Mandy Patinkin, non-profit vocal academy Singers Forum moves into the 21st Century with an expanded mission, a new look, and exciting new classes.

When it comes to the number of award shows staged in a given season, the film, TV and recording industry no longer leave New York Cabaret in the stardust. Kicking off a 10-week period during which the Big Apple cabaret scene will now feature four award ceremonies (including the first-ever BroadwayWorld.com Awards on February 21, the 28th annual Bistro Awards on March 4, and the 27th annual MAC Awards on March 21), the 11th annual Nightlife Awards (voted on by a select group of cabaret and nightlife writers and critics) was staged at The Town Hall on January 14 and, for the most part, was a pleasantly entertaining event. Co-produced by Max Weintraub and nightlife impresario Scott Siegel (Broadway by the Year, 11 O'Clock Numbers at 11 O'Clock, Broadway Ballyhoo, et al), this year's show featured the usual mix of nightclub singing legends, budding cabaret stars, solid veterans of musical theater, outstanding jazz vocalists, stellar instrumentalists, and quirky comedians, almost all delivering the goods under the smooth direction of Scott Coulter.

With a long and prestigious 33-year history that has catered to the likes of Liza Minnelli, Brooke Sheilds and Mandy Patinkin, non-profit vocal academy Singers Forum moves into the 21st Century with an expanded mission, a new look, and exciting new classes.

Eric Michael Gillett's Careless Rhapsody: An Evening Dedicated to the Lyrics of Lorenz Hart, will play 54 Below, February 4 at 7pm, February 7 at 9:30pm and February 26 & 27 at 7pm.

By the last August, I had fallen so far behind on writing reviews of cabaret shows from the spring and early summer (I guess it's a positive when there are more performers and shows in New York than days in the week) that I decided to play catch up by combining a bunch of critiques into one big column. I hadn't planned on doing that again, but this fall there were so many shows that once again I couldn't keep up. but at least I've beaten my self-imposed deadline New Year's Eve deadline of posting these reviews of 12 shows, all staged between September-December by lovely, attractive women (okay, so one is a gender-bender) of varying talents and levels on the cabaret depth chart, from established stars to MAC and Bistro Award-winners to comeback 'kids' to interesting beginners and occasional performers who are in the game to follow their bliss. Whether their performances were rave-worthy, earning of qualified praise, or not quite up to snuff, they all deserve kudos for taking the plunge.