THE BOITE AND WHATNOT

When I’ve heard people talking about going to cabaret shows this month, I’ve most often hear them saying, “I’m going to see Marilyn Maye!”  What I’m starting to hear quite commonly is that sentence with extra excitement and an extra word added on at the end of it: “I’m going to see Marilyn Maye again!”  They don’t usually mean that they saw her last engagement a few months ago and are going because it’s a mostly different set of songs (which it is) but that they went this time and are going back before her final performance on Wednesday, April 16. The entertainment factor and the feel-good factor are so strong with her super-high-energy, good-time show that some audience members have become so addicted that the attentive Metropolitan Room staff might consider a 12-step program.  But don’t count on it.  I’ve also heard the staff there, very used to talented singers night after night, rave about her as rabidly as the fans cheering for the Maye way of tearing into a song with such fond ferociousness.  She’s cheering and cheered, rousing and revered; a good time is had by all thank to this good-time gal with a voice like a bugle, and dressed in bugle beads.  ”There’s the kind of walk you walk when you feel like crowing,” goes to lyric to one of her new choices, “Walking Happy,” and she is crowing and glowing, owing to her celebration of her April birthday (a biggie like her smile) and a few other reasons to be especially happy.  One is the swinging singer’s ongoing musical relationships with her partners in time: the trio with brio--  her drummer of over 40 years standing (well, sitting) Jim Eklof; newish-to-her bassist New Yorker Tom Hubbard; and Billy Stritch, whose smart arrangements, piano flair, banter, and a some vocal duets (like “Walking Happy”) are the yin to her yang (or the zing to her bang).       

And the icing on Marilyn’s birthday cake was getting the Lifetime Achievement Award on April 7 at the BackStage Bistro Awards.  The event, held at the attractive Gotham Comedy Club (which spawned the Metropolitan Room in an immaculate conception), was an evening chock full of faves and raves. Honorees voted on by a panel of judges (as of this year, now including those beyond those associated with the publication) were almost all present and performed.   Many thanks to BackStage editor Sherry Eaker, also a cabaret lover (obvious from watching her joy during performances).  In part, then, the night reflected the “taste of Sherry” (conveniently the name a Marilyn Maye album) but clearly the taste of the judges was often judged as wise, judged by prolonged applause given many acts.  As major cabaret artist, Tony DeSare was thusly received for his singing, super piano solo, and gracious acceptance speech.  The evening honored the many facets of cabaret entertainment--- European antecedents, razzamatazz, gender illusion (Arnaldo pulling off a switcheroo and puling out everything from 45 rpm records to a tennis racket from cleavage while singing).  There was entertainment of almost every color: Pinky Winters, Ronny Whyte, and definitely some blue humor, and a song called “Something in Red,” by Marianne Challis epitomizing cabaret singing with emotion and telling a story through song with a beginning, middle and end.  

There were high spirits and many highlights to the Bistro Awards night.  One was definitely the performer billed as Poor Baby Bree.  One of the most mesmerizing shows I’ve seen, I highly recommend it.  She’ll be back at Don’t Tell Mama this Thursday, April 17 and again on May 21.  She creates her own startling long-ago world that is quite eerie (in the best way possible), singing songs that are old and odd (in the best way possible).  Dressed in her ragged dress, like an orphan or old rag doll left at the doorstep or a sister of The Little Match Girl crooning novelty songs she heard while lingering just outside an old vaudeville theatre and imagining the dance steps, she’s agile, fragile, and fascinating.  Very theatrical and very emotional, the show (oh, it feels odd to call it a “show”) also provides a wealth of material that turns up as rarely as one turns the handle of an old Victrola.  And she can handle them all, even when audiences are not initially sure how to take this rare Twilight Zone flashback into a time that might be only slightly familiar.  Winning as “Unique Artist” at the Bistros, she’s all the more evidence that cabaret includes a little bit of everything and a blending of things.

Speaking of blends, take one part cabaret and one part jazz and you get Jazzaret, also the name of the open-mic night being reprised at The Reprise Room at Dillon’s at 245 West 54^th Street, getting a reputation for eclecticism in its bookings, too (this month has seen not just cabaret shows but revues like the currently-running Ziegfeld Midnight Frolics 2008  with songs from The Ziegfeld Follies and Back To The Movies, both major productions with large casts, including those with Broadway credits).   Jazzaret’s first night showed the wisdom of the concept of having a blend beyond that of jazz and cabaret: the blend of the planned and the unplanned.  Trusting to pot luck can be risky even for church suppers.  But audiences will be glad to know that a pretty good night will be in the cards at this series--- not just relying on the luck of the draw, the deck is stacked in their favor.  Established singers commit to participating in addition to the wild card possibilities of the show-up-and-sign-up open mic policy.  Regulars at other open mic nights recognized some regulars at other open mic nights, and a few surprises and drop-ins and new faces are part of the picture.  (Why not try it next Saturday, April 19 from 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.?)  The reliably versatile, ready-for-anything ace Barry Levitt Trio is on hand to accompany the jazzy and cabaret types and the hybrids.  A high point for me was the superb singer Lynn Loosier bringing the room to a spellbound hush and taking command of the stage and songs, her two samples both from the first of her three excellent albums.   Performing for the first time since throat surgery, John De Marco made a welcome return to an enthusiastic reception, with his elegant manner and style, but with plenty of real feeling sealing the deal where the effect is a combo of polish and transmitted emotion.  These two are pros in ways my prose can’t praise sufficiently in this limited space.   New to me was a guy named Zachary Mordechai. This son of a gun who is the son of a rabbi is a manic madcap.  He was the electric jolt wake-up call late, late in the night with his fearlessly frantic energy.  Literally jumping all over the stage, this comic character crackerjack jack-in-the-box is a daredevil, devil-may-care addition to the New York scene.  It’s all part of the anything goes/everything goes goings-on experienced in cabaret-going that I am going to report on in this ongoing series of columns.  And now I must be going myself.

Off to the next cabaret.

CATCH-UP ON CABARET

THE BOITE AND WHATNOT

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Since the MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) Awards for this year haven’t even been given out yet (that’s May 6 according to reliable sources), I suppose it’s too early to think about next year’s nominees.  But if you want a head start and a heads up on someone who might be up for Female Debut, may I present one to make note of and make tracks to see. 

First-time cabaret acts are a bit of a risk— untested, unproven commodities and oddities bucking the odds…Oh! The trepidation!  Before things begin: the sweaty palms, the crossed fingers, the clenching of teeth, hoping for the best…   And that, of course, is just the audience!  But with cabaret debutante JULIE STIRMAN, no worries need cloud the sky.  By the time she’s halfway through with her refreshingly atypical opening song (no spoilers here!), you know all is well is Cabaretland. End of Worry #1. She connects and captivates right away, and it’s gonna be fun and cute, if nothing else.  But, yahoo!: there’s plenty else. With her second number, “Happy Girl” she pulverizes Worry #2: does she have vocal power? She has voice to burn. You could say there’s a little Merman in Stirman; she can belt and strut (and rock out, too), but it’s a warm sound, too.  Seen on opening night, very occasionally, it was hard to catch some words, and on a couple of songs the endings seemed rushed with the crucial very last moments not realizing their full potential of impact (as in just before a blackout).  However, I suspect that with a few performances now under her belt, the fine points have been fine-tuned, too.  Julie also has a very down-to-earth way of chatting with the audience, with a touch of self-deprecation avoiding any self-aggrandizing or fake modesty.  She should talk a little more; her comic timing is good.  

Highlights were the songs and arrangements that gave her the most space to be a bit loose—to show her musical comedy panache and/or vocal strength.  A particular hit is “Metropolitan Scat” (no relation to her venue, The Metropolitan Room, but a spectacular piece of monkey business with music by Michael Duff, lyrics by Cheri Coons) wherein she is a hoot as an opera singer gamely but lamely trying to sing jazz.  She nails it.   Doing a smashing job throughout, musical director/pianist STEVEN RAY WATKINS joins her on vocals for Curtis Moore and Amanda Green’s witty indulgence, “Overestimated” even if it seems a bit adulterous or like he’s stealing from himself since he’s been doing the same number as a duet with another musical partner, the spicy and splashy Jonathan Whitton (a double nominee for this year’s MAC Awards, which, by the way, are on May 6 and tickets are on sale).   Julie’s more serious songs show her heart and a reflective side, plus a comfort level with contemporary theatre writers, and though a couple of songs could use more personalization in the phrasing, tempo and accompaniment, she never seems to be on automatic pilot.  She sounds involved, in touch, and I think she’s super.  This is an impressive debut--- Julie Stirman sparkles and shines.   She continues on Mondays through May 5, one of three Julies at The Metropolitan Room these days, with JULIE WILSON and JULIE REYBURN also on the calendar.  She continues on Mondays through May 5.  Her show is directed smartly by Lennie Watts, who has his hands full directing other shows, booking the club, teaching a workshop for teens on Long Island, and directing an event I may as well mention here:  the MAC Awards show (he’s a nominee as a performer himself), coming up right around the corner on Tuesday, May 6 at B.B. King’s. And what a corner it is---West 42nd Street in Times Square.

That’s just spittin’ distance from The Laurie Beechman Theatre inside the West Bank Café where I spent part of my Sunday seeing TELL ME ON A SUNDAY.  The one-character song cycle (music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Don Black) about a young English woman’s romantic adventures in the USA became the first half of Song and Dance on stage (seen on Broadway in the 1980s, where it was directed by Richard Maltby, Jr., who wrote some additional lyrics).  Jeff Talbott directs this version of the complete-on-its-own sung half in a way that takes advantage of a more close-up experience that works so well in this space.  There’s subtlety and charm coming through, taking a relaxed pace, so that little moments can sink in.  He does not overdo the angst of confrontations with unseen lovers for this unlucky-in-love lady.   Bombast and grand gestures are banished.  This is a plus.  The excellent accompaniment is an on-stage trio, also making the Lloyd Webber music warmer and gentler. And that’s a good thing, too. Bravo to musical director/pianist Chris Tilley, cellist Summer Burgess, and Jeremy Clayton playing flute, clarinet and sax.  MAXINE LINEHAN is a graceful presence who does not wear out her welcome despite the burden of singing all the songs (come to think of it, that’s what cabaret singers do, presenting a journey (I hate that word) through songs.  The character, named Emma, is sympathetically portrayed, and is really seen developing and changing as we watch her deal with her ups and downs and lessons learned.  (One is: be careful when dating a married man.  Another is: never assume anything.)  Maxine’s singing is lovely and focused, and her tone shifts depending on the character’s confidence in a given situation-- whether she’s singing her running thoughts, having it out with a boyfriend, or writing a letter to her mother and anticipating her disapproval. Her hesitations, little bursts of joy, pauses where her character struggles to compose herself, shrugs of acceptance, looking around a room before exiting, and moments of decision are quite well timed.  She makes the most of the dramas in some songs, painting details rather than only broad strokes of Big Emotion. The anguish, self-pity, and melodrama that’s entrenched in some of the songs can’t be fully sidestepped –you can’t make a suit of armor seem like feathers and lace—but these elements are downplayed in the singing and playing.  Technical director John Keitel lights the show sensitively but theatrically, and the sound balance was excellent. The musicians are heard clearly and distinctly, with the actress wearing a problem-free clip-on mic. Hats off to all, including Ellen Christine who designed the series of fashionable and grand hats that are removed from underneath cloth covers, then worn-- one by one, punctuating the episodes.     

I stayed on at the Beechman for songs by BOBBY CRONIN.  He thinks big.  In all ways.  Writing in a contemporary musical theatre vein, the songs are passionate and powerful in a take-no-prisoners way that will knock your socks off, which I guess is OK because it’s warm out.  He was at the piano for most of them.  A large cast of theatrical singers with steel-belted vocal chords were on the bill, with many numbers blasted to a faretheewell.  Most were from two musicals he’s been working on, the rocking and raging B.R.A.T.T. Camp, about troubled teens, and ‘Til Death Do Us Part, plus there was a teaser of a preview about a show being written for KATE PAZAKIS who was there to sing it.  (She’s a familiar face to cabaret folk; those frequenting The Duplex on Friday nights know her from their ongoing “Mostly Sondheim” open mics, for one thing.)   The cast gave their all to the songs, some of them having been involved for a long time with the show about teens.  It was a one-night-only event, but just a sample of the  programming at the Beechman that often plays host to evenings of songwriters, established (a great revue recently of Craig Carnelia’s work) and the up-and-coming.  The room (where you can order food from the restaurant upstairs and/or drinks) is presided over by the indefatigable KENNY BELL and PHIL GEOFFREY BOND, who metaphorically wears almost as many hats as the character in Tell Me On A Sunday. Booking acts, writing plays, producing and directing shows, he’s a multi-tasker.   Now he’s the published author of the just-off-the-press My Friend, The Cat.  His book launching is Sunday at the Beechman.  (The true story, previously presented there as a staged presentation of how Bond bonded with his pet, had him reading the tale with cabaret singers presenting songs about animals in between chapters.  It is nominated this year for a MAC Award, as is Phil for directing last year’s MAC show.   This gives me pause to recollect that this year’s MAC Awards is on May 6.)  Bistro Award-winner GABRIELLE STRAVELLI takes over the Laurie Beechman Theater with her red-hot band on Saturday and Monday (April 26 and 28).  This exciting singer could be dubbed Miss Eclectic, as her act truly contains a bit of everything---pop, standards, folk, blues… all done with energy and joy.  She’s not just a dabbler---she seems truly comfortable and happy in each style, and somehow makes it all work.  Her delight in the music is infectious.  I confess to tapping my feet to a few songs I wasn’t madly in love with, and smiling a lot, because she makes them all kind of fun.   And I admire her ability to infuse all kinds of music with her vibrancy, goodwill, good spirits, and good Lord, a whole of vocal stamina.  Her voice can be clear as a bell or gutsy.  Real stage presence and charisma and an individual sense of fashion literally brighten the room.  Forget the concept of the chanteuse in the simple black dress with tiny earrings.    

Just a few blocks away, on West 46 St., is another newsworthy person drawing crowds and attention.   This week’s headlines of “Pope Hits New York; Crowds Surge” were not really about cabaret loose cannon MOLLY POPE and she’s not about to be canonized any time soon, but she makes a Friday night a blast.  You don’t have a prayer of not bursting into laughter when attending her impish, snappy-happy show at Don’t Tell Mama.  Deliciously daring and darling as she is devilish, she’s got a high voltage show that’s packed with pow.  She can deliver a hammy double whammy by selling schtick or tearing through a torch song.  Hopefully, the exposed brick on the walls of the newly refurbished room at the club can withstand the earthquake that is Molly Pope and her showy show tunes.  She’s a winner: a grinning, talented, big-voiced gal who bites into her material like a starving fast food junkie in McDonald’s grabbing a Big Mac.     

That reminds me…have I mentioned the big MAC Awards show is on May 6?  A special award is going to Bart Greenberg who produces the “Any Wednesday” series of mini-concerts at Barnes & Noble on West 66 Street and Broadway.  This week, the new CD being previewed is Hallways, the new collection of songs written by CAROL HALL with terrific guest singers, some from the cabaret world (TOM ANDERSEN, SCOTT COULTER, TIM DiPASQUA, STEVEN LUTVAK, SALLY MAYES—all of whom will be there at 6 pm, along with the writer-singer.    The series is FREE!  No admission, no cover charge, no two-drink minimum, no drinks, no pressure to buy the CD, but there’s always a signing/meet-and-greet if you do. 

Another FREE event is next week: Tuesday, April 29, at 6 pm.  It’s one of the monthly “SONGBOOK” full-length concerts held at the Donnell Library at 20 West 53 Street.  Featured this time are songs from two musicals never seen in New York.  Both were written by the late composer Wally Harper (pianist/music director for Barbara Cook) and Sherman Yellen  (bookwriter for the musicals The Rothchilds and Rex). This Fair World takes place at the 1939-40 World’s Fair of 1939-40, mixing musical comedy fun and political satire, and Josephine Tonight! is based upon the early life of Josephine Baker, described as “a ragtime to riches story.” MICHAEL LAVINE is Music Director.  The singers include PENNY FULLER, MALCOLM GETS, MARCUS NEVILLE, CHRISTIANNE TISDALE.   Christianne sang Nick Levin’s  touching “Another Christmas” at the recent evening at Broadway Baby Bistro featuring the songs nominated for this year’s  MAC Awards---which reminds me, before we know it, it will be time for….yes, Christmas!  (You didn’t think I’d plug the MAC Awards again, did you?)  It was great to hear the songs performed live, nominated by a panel of judges including JOHN ZNIDARSIC who produces and hosts the series at the Donnell and yours truly.   The night of nominated songs was hosted by SHARON McNIGHT who won an award the first year the MAC Awards were given.  She appears Friday and Saturday at The Metropolitan Room. 

And that’s where I came in.   

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