When vocalist Todd Murray discovered several of the musicians for his excellent show Croon were unavailable for their scheduled Valentine's Day appearance last Sunday afternoon at the Metropolitan Room, he asked Sean Harkness (the guitarist in the show) to join him for a two-hander. The fortuitous accident yielded a terrific presentation of romantic material from sentimental to ardent, a pared down sharing of unadulterated heart and high musical craft that deserves wider audience. “It's our goal to put you in the mood,” Murray tells us. They do.
Liliane Montevecchi presented her autobiographical one-woman show Be My Valentine at Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club last night and BroadwayWorld was there.
Carole J. Bufford opened her show in The Royal Room of The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach last night and BroadwayWorld was there. Check out the photos below.
After BroadwayWorld launched its New York Cabaret Awards in 2012, the cabaret section's editors realized that the selected categories and the popular vote nature of the election didn't adequately recognize some great performances and shows for that particular year. So in 2013, BWW added "Editor's Choice Awards" to the mix to not only reward special performances but also to acknowledge people who have helped grow cabaret and foster the spirit of the art form.
This year, BWW New York Cabaret Editor Stephen Hanks and his reviewing staff-including Alix Cohen, David Clarke, Billie Roe, Rembert Block, and John Hoglund-selected seven stars of cabaret for this special honor. Now that the Awards for 2015 performances and shows are official, we wanted to tell you a bit about this year's "Editor's Choice Award" winners and offer them a chance to thank the New York cabaret community. Congratulations to all these worthy Award recipients.
Breaking News! The fourth annual BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards results are official and for 2015 some bold-faced Broadway names, long-time cabaret stars, and some exciting newcomers were the people's choices this year. More than 32,000 votes were cast for performers and shows in 14 categories.
Scott Siegel's The Greatest Pop Songs of All Time played Feinstein's/54 Below on January 9, 2016 at 7pm, showcasing, 'Songs from The Beatles to Lesley Gore and from Petula Clark to The Animals - and a whole lot a shakin' inbetween!' Peruse our photo gallery from the event below!
In celebration of Black History Month, actor/vocalist Richard Johnson will perform the premiere of his one man play, 'Pappy on Da Underground Railroad,' directed by Keith Allen, accompanied by musical director Terry Wallstein. Johnson is best known for his cabaret shows on the music of Nat King Cole and as a stylist of antique gospel music and Negro Spirituals. In the play-which ascends into soaring spiritual music-a 'conductor' the Underground Railroad educates and prepares a group of runaway slaves for their journey northward with him. He is met with the daunting challenge of selling freedom to men and women who don't believe freedom exists for them. Performances will be February 11 to 27 at Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street, Manhattan.
With just two weeks remaining in the voting for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards, three performers are leading in two different categories, while two Broadway stars--Alan Cumming and Betty Buckley-- are winning the vote in their respective "celebrity categories.' Voting for the awards ends on New Year's Eve, December 31.
In her recent cabaret show, More Than You Know (November 23 at The Triad's Stage 72), Arlene Wolff continued a comeback that has been 50 years in the making (which started last November when she performed at the Waterwheel Café in Milford, PA). Revisiting her youth and those turbulent political years, Wolff offered up a smorgasbord of delectable “Tales from the City” over a two-hour long concert of some 22 songs, presented in a two-act format with one intermission . . . Relying on an impressive repertoire of standards, Wolff vocally revisited the classics with a smoldering propensity, impeccable phrasing and articulation--never once dropping a lyric.
On Thanksgiving Day, BroadwayWorld announced the nominees in 14 categories for the 2015 BWW New York Cabaret Awards. BroadwayWorld's cabaret editors and reviewers congratulate all the deserving nominees and everyone who performs in the great art of cabaret in New York. But today, as you munch on the leftovers from last night's dinner, it's time to actually vote for that one performer who you think is the absolute best in each category. Voting ends on December 31 and after a review of the ballots, winners will be announced officially early the week of January 4, 2016. (Note: There will not be a BWW Awards Show this year.)
Happy Thanksgiving Day, Cabaret Fans! Here's some breaking news you can discuss and debate in between courses at tonight's dinner: It's the final nominees for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards. This year, the cabaret editors and writers at BWW have cited 116 nominees (including duos and variety show/recurring series producers) in 14 categories. In addition, this year six performers or musicians have been cited for special “Editor's Choice Awards,” led by veteran New York cabaret stars Karen Mason and Mark Nadler who have been named “Performers of the Year.”
This week FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visitwww.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.
MUSIC AND ART FOR CITY GREENS concludes Season 8 of Concerts to benefit Tudor City Greens with Carole Demas, Bernard Dotson, Forte, Lorinda Lisitza, Sarah Rice, Jay Rogers, Amy Wolk, Barbara Porteus and more.
MUSIC AND ART FOR CITY GREENS concludes Season 8 of Concerts to benefit Tudor City Greens with Carole Demas, Bernard Dotson, Forte, Lorinda Lisitza, Sarah Rice, Jay Rogers, Amy Wolk, Barbara Porteus and more.
With new Sunday evening Jazz Party host Carole J. Bufford performing elsewhere last night, the Birdland Jazz Club recruited drummer Ray Marchica and his vocalist wife Nina Hennessy (right), who rounded up some of their talented friends for an evening of vocal and instrumental jazz, new compositions, and golden standards. Marchica's band featured Sean Harkness on guitar, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Bob Quaranta on piano. Special guests included vocalist Marissa Mulder and composer/pianist Ian Herman.
One of the New York nightclub and cabaret scene's most talented couple--Vocalist/Actress Nina Hennessey and Drummer Ray Marchica--have been booked by Birdland, New York's premier jazz club, for a special show on August 2 at 6 pm (doors open at 5 pm). The married musical team has put together a stellar band for this set of jazzy standards, including Sean Harkness on guitar, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Bob Quaranta on piano. The show will also feature Award-Winning vocalist Marissa Mulder as a special guest. To purchase tickets, go to: www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/919343
On July 5, Carole J. Bufford erupted onto the stage at Birdland for her first Sunday evening as hostess of the club's weekly Jazz Party (which had been helmed most recently by Natalie Douglas and Jane Monheit). The formidable vocalist, glamorous in clingy red, was aided and abetted by a top-notch (also well dressed—Bravo!) quartet featuring Joel Frahm on sax, Ray Marchia on drums, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Musical Director Ian Herman on piano. Special guests for Bufford's inaugural session were Janelle Velasquez and Lianne Marie Dobbs. With Bufford's audacious performance, smart choices, and attention to detail, Sundays promise to be a great deal more fun in midtown Manhattan.
At a ceremony held last night in New York, the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs announced the winners of the 2015 MAC Awards. The show was hosted by Karen Mason, with musical direction by Barry Levitt, and was produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts.
Just when one thinks Carole J. Bufford has thoroughly plumbed the genre for which she has so much affinity, the artist comes up with an audacious new show whose distinct focus, original format, and unblushing presentation delivers a fresh take. Heart of Gold: A Portrait of the Oldest Profession (this past Saturday night at 54 Below) offers a cavalcade of women who get paid to provide 'pleasure'--madams, streetwalkers, dancehall girls, and kept women from salty to sensuous, weary and bitter to a view from the catbird seat, enmeshed or looking back.
