When accomplished concert singer and cabaret performer Lisa Jason was a child, her family moved from Long Island, New York to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and the transition would not be a happy one. A self-admitted "ugly duckling," Lisa endured relentless bullying from other kids-both mental and physical-from early grade school through her high school graduation. At a time when social media has contributed to making bullying a major American societal problem, Lisa Jason wants tell her poignant story through the music of the 1970s that she loved throughout her childhood. Her delightful voice and self-deprecating humor makes BULLIED TO BEAUTIFUL a cabaret show that audiences not only will identify with, but that will also send a powerful message that bullying needs to be stopped. Lisa premiered this show last October at the Metropolitan and now brings it to the Laurie Beechman Theatre (downstairs in the West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues).
When late last year BroadwayWorld.com announced its 2015 New York Cabaret Award nominees for "Best Alt Cabaret Show," Raquel Cion was named a finalist for her stunning show Me & Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie for performances that generated standing ovations from SRO crowds at The Slipper Room, 167 Orchard Street. After Bowie's death in January, Cion decided to bring back a revised version of Me & Mr. Jones . . . to the popular Lower East Side burlesque/variety club, for a three-show run that launched on March 24 and will continue with shows at The Slipper Room on April 21 and May 15 at 8 pm.
In her latest intimate and in-depth conversation with a New York cabaret star, BWW reviewer/writer Remy Block learns more about veteran singer/performer Meg Flather, who has just won a 2016 MAC Award for Best Original Song and is currently performing a critically acclaimed show PORTRAITS at Don't Tell Mama.
Rosemary Loar has been performing standout cabaret shows in New York City for more than 30 years and she was recently named a 2016 Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) Award nominee in the "Special Production" category for her recent show STING*chronicity. In 2012, MAC recognized Rosemary's continued excellence with their prestigious "Hanson Award." Since 2012, besides her cabaret shows, she has written the book and music for two Off-Broadway Musicals, Spoolie Girl and her most recent production, Water From the Moon, which ran two weeks at Urban Stages. Now, at the height of her talent as a singer, musician, storyteller, and comedienne, she'll be reviving her celebrated 2006 show The Quando Swing (with Musical Director Frank Ponzio) on April 13 at 7 pm in Producer Stephen Hanks' monthly New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits series at the Metropolitan Room. The series' Associate Producer is Fr Jeffrey Hamblin, MD.
Cabaret performers and musicians and fans of the art form tend to refer to the people in this tight-knit niche as "the Cabaret Community." Well, that community is really coming together for one of its own with a benefit concert to raise funds for the extremely popular actor, director, and cabaret performer Erin Cronican, one of a very rare group of women in her 30s who is staging a fierce battle with breast cancer. The star-studded show, billed as Cabaret Beats Cancer and a call to arms to "Crush The Beast" is at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, 212-757-0788) on February 27 at 5 pm.
After performances that generated standing ovations from SRO crowds, and subsequently earned a 2015 BroadwayWorld.com New York Cabaret Award nomination for "Best Alt Cabaret Show," Raquel Cion is bringing Me & Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie back to The Slipper Room, the popular burlesque/variety club on New York's Lower East Side (167 Orchard Street), for a three-show run beginning Thursday, March 24 at 8 pm (with additional shows on April 21 and May 15, also 8 pm). Tickets are $15 General Admission; $25 for Reserved. www.slipperroom.com
This March, Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. Scroll down for details!
There are milestones in everyone's life--events that are so strongly embedded in your memory that you can actually recall the date, the time, the place, and the feelings you had when they occurred. Events like a joyful marriage, the birth of a child, or the loss of a loved one all help to define us as human beings. For a woman you can add to that list a diagnosis of breast cancer. Erin Cronican, a young professional singer, director, writer, show business coach, and self professed “Actor and All-Around fun gal” is a beloved member of the New York theatrical and cabaret communities who is currently undergoing 28 radiation treatments (having previously completed three months of intense chemo therapy) for breast cancer.
Cabaret performers and musicians and fans of the art form tend to refer to the people in this tight-knit niche as “the Cabaret Community.” Well, that community is really coming together for one of its own with a benefit concert to raise funds for the extremely popular actor, director, and cabaret performer Erin Cronican, one of a very rare group of women in her 30s who is staging a fierce battle with breast cancer. The star-studded show, billed as Cabaret Beats Cancer and a call to arms to “Crush The Beast” is at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, 212-757-0788) on February 27 at 5 pm.
Next 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, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.
Jeff Macauley loves Dinah Shore. That's usually the case when a cabaret performer devotes an entire show to a star's body of work. But there's affection and admiration, and then there's all-encompassing passion and adoration that informs the performer's every note, lyric, and anecdote, and thereby imparts that love to us (whether or not we were previously fans). By that standard, MWAH! The Dinah Shore Show, Macauley's 1998 Backstage Bistro Award Winner for 'Outstanding Theme Show' (revived last Saturday night as part of Stephen Hanks' monthly New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits series at the Metropolitan Room--is one of the most successful shows of its kind I've seen.
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.
Stephen Hanks' Cabaret Life Productions (with support from Associate Producer Fr Jeffrey Hamblin, MD) presents cabaret performing veteran JEFF MACAULEY for the February 2016 installment of the BroadwayWorld.com Award nominated NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS at the Metropolitan Room on February 13 at 7 pm.
Concert and cabaret performer LISA JASON--who has earned raved reviews for her singing from Provincetown to New York to the Caribbean--will make her debut at the celebrated “Broadway Supper Club” Feinstein's/54 Below on Friday, March 4, 2016 (9:30 pm) with her heartfelt Judy Garland Tribute Show called THE WISH. Featuring Manhattan Transfer Musical Director Yaron Gershovsky as Musical Director, Arranger, and Pianist--Lisa Jason celebrates the true essence and artistry of the legendary singer and movie star, not only through Garland's classic songs, but through her poignant poetry and revealing interviews and monologues, creating a new understanding of her timeless interpretations and her iconic persona.
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.
She's been married and not. She's had serious relationships, flings, and romances with men of all ages (but mostly younger). She's experienced all the charms, foibles, and idiosyncrasies of the opposite sex--and loves them anyway. Actress and comedian Charlotte Patton brings all of that worldly wisdom to her sensual, provocative, and playful show . . . Celebrating Men (Bless Their Hearts) back to the Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) on February 20 at 7 pm. Patton's show is Directed by Award-winning cabaret performer Karen Oberlin with Music Direction by MAC Award winner Barry Levitt and Jon Burr on bass. Peter Napolitano contributes as Creative Consultant.
Karen Oberlin's original performance of Heart & Soul: The Songs of Frank Loesser in 2010 (Loesser's Centennial celebration year) at The Algonquin Hotel's legendary Oak Room earned her a MAC Award nomination for “Best Major Artist” (as well as an award for the Live CD) and sterling reviews. Hence, the show's inclusion in Producer Stephen Hanks' monthly Metropolitan Room series, New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits (which launched last August and runs through 2016). Oberlin's captivating performance Wednesday evening showcased not only her acknowledged prowess with plumy ballads, but also her flair for comedy and an aptitude that handles nuanced jazz with seamless transitions. The vocalist was joined by her original collaborators, Musical Director Jon Weber on piano and Sean Smith on bass, while the show was directed by the piece's original helmsman, Eric Michael Gillett.
Stephen Hanks' Cabaret Life Productions is proud to present cabaret performing veteran Jeff Macauley for the February 2016 installment of the BroadwayWorld.com Award-nominated NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS at the Metropolitan Room on February 13 at 7 pm. Macauley is bringing back his 1998 Backstage Bistro Award Winner for 'Outstanding Theme Show'--MWAH! THE DINAH SHORE SHOW-- during the month of the legendary singer and TV show host's 100th birthday.
On December 13, Meg Flather revived her 1993 solo show Portraits as part of Stephen Hanks' Metropolitan Room series NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS. Backed by Paul Greenwood on piano and John Mettam on drums, and with Lennie Watts on board as Director to tweak the former show, Meg mesmerized the Metropolitan Room audience with what has been hailed as a critically acclaimed performance, perhaps one of her best ever. Now Flather is bringing Portraits to Don't Tell Mama for three shows on Mondays--February 1, March 7 and April 4, all at 7 pm.
Urban Stages Founder and Artistic Director Frances Hill and Producer Peter Napolitano last night officially launched the 2015 'Winter Rhythms,' a 20-shows-in 11-days festival featuring more than 100 star cabaret performers and musicians. The opening night show was ANY WEDNESDAY SINGS AGAIN, an homage to the old cabaret series favorite, ANY WEDNESDAY, which was a popular CD release concert series from June 2005 (the first show featured Ann Hampton Callaway) to late 2011 and was staged at Tower Records and then Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Center.
