Happy New Year!
Greetings, everyone, and Happy 2008!
Sorry it's been so long since the last post - with the holiday hubbub, I did not have a spare second to devote to my blogging...ah, well. Luckily for me, I had a dinner cancelled at the last minute tonight, so I was able to get home to my computer and (finally) do an update!
December was a fun month for showgoing - I saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular one night, followed by Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk the next...and what fun they both were! I'd only seen the Christmas Spectacular once before, and I was sitting in the last row of the last balcony, so, while enjoyable, I did not walk away from it as thrilled as I did last month! There is just something magical about seeing the Rockettes and hearing Christmas music and going shopping at Rockefeller Center beforehand (with a tall skim extra hot light whip peppermint mocha in hand, of course)...I might have to start making it an annual tradition! Seriously, though, seeing that show was such a joyous occasion - there is a reason tourists flock to it and show after show after show sells out each year: it is pure entertainment! Where else can you see an ice rink rise up in the middle of the stage or a double decker sightseeing bus full of Rockettes driving across a stage? And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Really, if you haven't seen the Christmas Spectacular, or it's been a while since your last visit, it's worth checking out next year - it put me in a good enough mood to stop grumbling at tourists under my breath for almost a full day afterwards!
As I said, the night after that, I saw Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk at Madison Square Garden. It was my first time seeing Cirque du Soleil, and I had a wonderful time. I was truly amazed, not only at their acrobatic feats, but at some of the beautiful, tender scenes they created using the power of movement and dance. Very, very cool.
Cabaret-wise, I saw Andrea Marcovicci's lovely Rodgers and Hart show at the Algonquin, and I participated in Cynthia Crane's holiday benefit, "If I Hear Another Song About Christmas." Andrea, as usual, was gorgeous and charming and worked the Oak Room like the true master she is! It is such a hard room to work, and she manages to draw every single person in with seeming effortlessness! And of course, the song material suited her perfectly. With the fabulous Shelly Markham as musical director, it was truly a fantastic evening out for me. Cynthia's benefit at Don't Tell Mama was a LOT of fun, and I was honored to be a part of it. The money raised was donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids/Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic. The lineup included Cynthia Crane (of course!), Mychelle Colleary, Me :), Rob Langeder, Karen Mack, Sidney Myer, Miles Phillips, Marcus Simeone, and Nancy Witter.
The following night, I was at that favorite haunt of mine, the Metropolitan Room to see the fabulous Baby Jane Dexter in her show, "You're Following Me." It was my third time seeing the show, and honestly, it seemed as fresh, if not fresher, than the first time I saw it. In addition to her big, rich voice and commanding stage presence, Baby Jane has that rare gift of bringing true joy to her singing, and that joy is simply infectious. I had a blast (for the third time!) at the show, and can't wait until she's back with another one!
The next day, I headed over to Cafe 50 West to hear Mychelle Colleary doing a jazz set with guitar and bass, and I must say - it's one of the more enjoyable early evenings I've spent in the city. With no cover and no minimum, I was free to just sit there and sip a leisurely glass of wine and enjoy the music. It was also fun to see Mychelle just having fun with her music outside of the more strict confines of a "show." Another gig definitely worth checking out - I know she'll be back there at some point, so I'll try to let you know when!
Tomorrow night, I'm headed back to the Metropolitan Room for Metrojam, the open mic night hosted by Joe Bachana. With John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, Bobby Scher on drums and the dapper Mr. Bachana presiding, it promises to be a most entertaining night out. Scheduled to perform so far are: Jenna Esposito, Sue Matsuki, Kristen Sergeant Rob Langeder, Shaynee Rainbolt, Susan Wynter, Cynthia Crane, and Laura Hull - should be lots of fun! If you're in town and can make it, it starts at 10 p.m.
I've got a bunch of shows coming up - you can check my website or my myspace page for all of the details - but the one I really want to get the word out about is my February 6th appearance at Barnes and Nobel at Lincoln Center. I'll be there as part of there "Any Wednesday" series, doing a free concert at 6 p.m., followed by a CD signing. This is big news for me, so if you're able to come out and support me, I'd be most appreciative!
I'm signing out for now (going to watch another episode of Cheers -woohoo!), but will do my best to get another update done soon!
Sorry it's been so long since the last post - with the holiday hubbub, I did not have a spare second to devote to my blogging...ah, well. Luckily for me, I had a dinner cancelled at the last minute tonight, so I was able to get home to my computer and (finally) do an update!
December was a fun month for showgoing - I saw the Radio City Christmas Spectacular one night, followed by Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk the next...and what fun they both were! I'd only seen the Christmas Spectacular once before, and I was sitting in the last row of the last balcony, so, while enjoyable, I did not walk away from it as thrilled as I did last month! There is just something magical about seeing the Rockettes and hearing Christmas music and going shopping at Rockefeller Center beforehand (with a tall skim extra hot light whip peppermint mocha in hand, of course)...I might have to start making it an annual tradition! Seriously, though, seeing that show was such a joyous occasion - there is a reason tourists flock to it and show after show after show sells out each year: it is pure entertainment! Where else can you see an ice rink rise up in the middle of the stage or a double decker sightseeing bus full of Rockettes driving across a stage? And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Really, if you haven't seen the Christmas Spectacular, or it's been a while since your last visit, it's worth checking out next year - it put me in a good enough mood to stop grumbling at tourists under my breath for almost a full day afterwards!
As I said, the night after that, I saw Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk at Madison Square Garden. It was my first time seeing Cirque du Soleil, and I had a wonderful time. I was truly amazed, not only at their acrobatic feats, but at some of the beautiful, tender scenes they created using the power of movement and dance. Very, very cool.
Cabaret-wise, I saw Andrea Marcovicci's lovely Rodgers and Hart show at the Algonquin, and I participated in Cynthia Crane's holiday benefit, "If I Hear Another Song About Christmas." Andrea, as usual, was gorgeous and charming and worked the Oak Room like the true master she is! It is such a hard room to work, and she manages to draw every single person in with seeming effortlessness! And of course, the song material suited her perfectly. With the fabulous Shelly Markham as musical director, it was truly a fantastic evening out for me. Cynthia's benefit at Don't Tell Mama was a LOT of fun, and I was honored to be a part of it. The money raised was donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids/Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic. The lineup included Cynthia Crane (of course!), Mychelle Colleary, Me :), Rob Langeder, Karen Mack, Sidney Myer, Miles Phillips, Marcus Simeone, and Nancy Witter.
The following night, I was at that favorite haunt of mine, the Metropolitan Room to see the fabulous Baby Jane Dexter in her show, "You're Following Me." It was my third time seeing the show, and honestly, it seemed as fresh, if not fresher, than the first time I saw it. In addition to her big, rich voice and commanding stage presence, Baby Jane has that rare gift of bringing true joy to her singing, and that joy is simply infectious. I had a blast (for the third time!) at the show, and can't wait until she's back with another one!
The next day, I headed over to Cafe 50 West to hear Mychelle Colleary doing a jazz set with guitar and bass, and I must say - it's one of the more enjoyable early evenings I've spent in the city. With no cover and no minimum, I was free to just sit there and sip a leisurely glass of wine and enjoy the music. It was also fun to see Mychelle just having fun with her music outside of the more strict confines of a "show." Another gig definitely worth checking out - I know she'll be back there at some point, so I'll try to let you know when!
Tomorrow night, I'm headed back to the Metropolitan Room for Metrojam, the open mic night hosted by Joe Bachana. With John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, Bobby Scher on drums and the dapper Mr. Bachana presiding, it promises to be a most entertaining night out. Scheduled to perform so far are: Jenna Esposito, Sue Matsuki, Kristen Sergeant Rob Langeder, Shaynee Rainbolt, Susan Wynter, Cynthia Crane, and Laura Hull - should be lots of fun! If you're in town and can make it, it starts at 10 p.m.
I've got a bunch of shows coming up - you can check my website or my myspace page for all of the details - but the one I really want to get the word out about is my February 6th appearance at Barnes and Nobel at Lincoln Center. I'll be there as part of there "Any Wednesday" series, doing a free concert at 6 p.m., followed by a CD signing. This is big news for me, so if you're able to come out and support me, I'd be most appreciative!
I'm signing out for now (going to watch another episode of Cheers -woohoo!), but will do my best to get another update done soon!
posted by Jenna @ 9:20 PM
1 Comments:
At 9:30 PM,
Ismail said…
Hey Jenna: Saw you at the Arts Club on New Year's Eve.
My name is Ish. I was wearing the hot pink tie. Can't miss that:)
What a Great voice you have. Also, that was a Lovely dress you had on. Whose dress was that? I work as an stylist; so, these things impress and interest me very much.
You are quite busy attending shows.
Will try to check out your next show. Thanks.
Ish
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