Lauren Fox News

Downtown Cabaret Theatre has announced its Main Stage lineup for 2013-2014. Details below!

This week at Joe's Pub, Sept. 23-29, features ALBUM OF THE MONTH CLUB: RAY CHARLES BIRTHDAY BASH, SANDRA ST. VICTOR, GRANDMOTHERS OF INVENTION, THEO BLECKMANN: SONGS IN KEY OF D, JOSH ROUSE, REBELLUM CD RELEASE, JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND, KENYON PHILLIPS & THE LADIES IN WAITING, and STORIES I WANT TO TELL YOU IN PERSON.

In 1962, Ray Charles made history when he brought soul music and country music together in the same album: Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. Now, more than 50 years later, just in time for the late legend's 84th birthday, Joe's Pub and the Album of the Month Club expand the palette by adding jazz, cabaret, Broadway, folk music, and bluegrass into Brother Ray's classic mix. On Today, September 23 at 9:30 pm, Joe's Pub will present the first in a ongoing series of shows celebrating great pop and jazz albums, during which classic songs will be explored and re-examined by a rotating cast of singers and musicians in styles covering jazz, pop, Broadway, cabaret, and blues.

Monday, September 23, marks the first in a ongoing series of shows celebrating the great pop and jazz albums, in which classic collections of songs will be explored and re-examined by a rotating cast of singers and players from a wide range of styles: jazz, pop, Broadway, cabaret, blues.

In 1962, Ray Charles made history when he brought soul music and country music together in the same album: Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. Now, more than 50 years later, just in time for the late legend's 84th birthday, Joe's Pub and the Album of the Month Club expand the palette by adding jazz, cabaret, Broadway, folk music, and bluegrass into Brother Ray's classic mix. On Monday, September 23 at 9:30 pm, Joe's Pub will present the first in a ongoing series of shows celebrating great pop and jazz albums, during which classic songs will be explored and re-examined by a rotating cast of singers and musicians in styles covering jazz, pop, Broadway, cabaret, and blues.

For four magical nights in October, the Mabel Mercer Foundation will present a sparkling array of America's leading cabaret stars. Among the 60 outstanding artists who will take the stage at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center from October 7th through 10th are multiple Grammy Award winner Jack Jones, Marilyn Maye, Steve Ross, Karen Akers, Nellie McKay, and Barbara Carroll.

One of the biggest downers perpetrated by American culture is the characterization of Labor Day weekend as the 'unofficial end of summer.' But given what has passed for cabaret entertainment-at least the shows I was able to attend--since the 'unofficial start of summer' on Memorial Day weekend, the end of summer can't come soon enough. But my dismay over the hours lost watching average shows this season was tempered a bit by the pride and joy I felt watching the June performances of three strikingly attractive and talented 30ish brunettes with powerhouse voices-- Jackie Kristel, Karen Gross and Jodi Beck, who all staged entertaining shows as spring was turning to summer.

In cabaret, there are variety shows and there are VARIETY shows. Going on close to three years as a reviewer and attending a myriad of these affairs that can range in feel from Ed Sullivan to the Gong Show, I no longer have much patience for the lower case version. But every once in a while there's a multi-performer extravaganza that screams capital letters. It turns out that MAC-Award winning singer Lauren Fox has acquired the knack for staging 'Big V' variety shows because they are all about the themes, the stories, and the music, and not about the performers. And wouldn't you know it? With the egos being upstaged by everyone's joy and passion for the project, everybody wins . . . especially the audience. That was the case last night at 54 Below with the Fox produced 'One Night of Peace & Music: A Tribute to Woodstock.'

Coming up this week, 54 BELOW, the performance venue located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. 54 Below also launched its series of late night events. Joining Tuesday nights' popular 'Backstage' with Susie Mosher is 15:54, and more:

While Woodstock 1969 will probably forever be known as the ultimate rock n roll festival of all time, NYC cabaret hot spot 54 Below is lining up an impossibly impressive assortment of stars for a one night only Woodstock tribute in August, led by two-time Tony Award-winner Norbert Leo Butz and Broadway/Hollywood notable Raul Esparza.

The Major League Baseball All-Star break (the game is on Tuesday night) has always been considered the midpoint of the season and as a lifelong fan I've always enjoyed reading those analyses from writers that assess the best performances of the first half. Since July is also the middle of the calendar year, I thought it might be fun to present a cabaret equivalent of a baseball midseason report. So . . . (drum roll) . . . presenting the Best (and My Favorite) 20 New York Cabaret Shows and Performances of (the first half) of 2013.

A few weeks before BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Reviewer and Columnist Stephen Hanks was about to stage the opening night of his debut solo cabaret show on May 31, a number of cabaret performers asked him if he was going to write about the experience in some way, with some even encouraging him to keep a diary. 'It might be really interesting to read how your perspective about cabaret performers and performing might have changed and how it might impact your reviews now that you're doing it yourself,' commented one singer. 'It was a fascinating notion and one that I had already thought about,' Hanks admits, 'but between a full time job, attending shows, writing reviews, taking vocal lessons, rehearsing, etc., finding the time and the energy to keep even a weekly diary was not in the cards.' Hanks certainly didn't think he'd forget even the little things that have gone into making his journey what he calls 'an amazing, fantasy-fulfilling, almost surreal experience.' On the eve of his last performance of his three-show run (over three weeks) at the Metropolitan Room of Beyond American Pie: The Don McLean Songbook, BroadwayWorld.com sat down with our lead cabaret reviewer to get his insights and perspective on what's it been like to be on the performer end of things.

Town Hall was the setting in 1968 of the legendary dual concert of America's leading cabaret performers, the great international club and recording artist Mabel Mercer and the reigning prince of cabaret Bobby Short. In a tribute to these great artists, The Mabel Mercer Foundation presented a lineup of today's leading practitioners of the intimate and enduring art of cabaret. Check out photos from the concert below!

Town Hall was the setting in 1968 of the legendary dual concert of America's leading cabaret performers, the great international club and recording artist Mabel Mercer and the reigning prince of cabaret Bobby Short. In a tribute to these great artists, The Mabel Mercer Foundation will present a lineup of today's leading practitioners of the intimate and enduring art of cabaret. KT Sullivan, Artistic Director of the Foundation, will host the evening.

I thought about many happy childhood musical theater memories last night while I attended the Dutch Treat Club's Annual Gold Medal Tribute Dinner and Show at the Harvard Club in honor of the legendary 'Fiddler of the Roof' lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who received the Club's Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Arts.

York Theatre Company presents the musical I'm a Stranger Here Myself, written and performed by Mark Nadler with Franca Vercellonion accordion, Jessica Wright on violin and directed by David Schweizer. It opened last night and you can check out photo coverage below!

When you're a cabaret reviewer on the evening show prowl between Monday night and Saturday evening (although not every night, thank goodness), you'd like to think that the God of Cabaret would make Sunday a day of rest. No such luck, since the weekend allows clubs to book shows as early as brunch time. I learned this again early this month when I felt compelled to attend three shows starring charming female singers-Corinna Sowers-Adler at Stage 72 (the Triad), Eva Kantor at the Laurie Beechman, and Lianne Marie Dobbs at the Metropolitan Room. I didn't break my personal Sunday record of four shows in one day set in late January (yes, I should be committed), but there was a two-hour break in this mix so it still turned out to be an 8-hour cabaret extravaganza. (Thank you, oh God of Cabaret, for press comps!) While it would have been sweet for the musical marathon to have been a clean sweep of excellent shows, as Meat Loaf might croon, 'Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad.'

Marissa Mulder's stunning foray into the music and poetry of Tom Waits is coming back. The show that Stephen Holden called “far and away the season's best cabaret show” returns to the Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street, on Tuesday May 7 at 9:30pm and Wednesday May 8 at 7pm.

Town Hall was the setting in 1968 of the legendary dual concert of America's leading cabaret performers, the great international club and recording artist Mabel Mercer and the reigning prince of cabaret Bobby Short. In a tribute to these great artists, The Mabel Mercer Foundation will present a lineup of today's leading practitioners of the intimate and enduring art of cabaret. KT Sullivan, Artistic Director of the Foundation, will host the evening.