Busy, busy, busy!
Well, in the 9 days since I've written, I've managed to make it to 8 different shows (including 3 open mics), so I've been a busy little diva!
On Monday, March 3rd, I went to see What's The Point at Dillon's. Starring Hector Coris, Patrick Garrigan and Eadie Scott, this revue provides a laugh-filled hour of song and dance which pokes fun at current social and political issues. There was a time when revues such as this were extremely popular and made up a good portion of "cabaret" shows, but sadly, the art form has been neglected in more recent times. Happily, What's The Point breathes fresh life into the old art form with songs such as "How Can I Miss You (If You Won't Go Away)," "A Real Straight Guy," and "E.Harmony-Dot-Com." With musical direction by Joe Regan, choreography by Susan Haefner, Direction by Collette Black and music and lyrics by Alan Cancelino and Hector Coris, respectively, the show is a definite crowd-pleaser. There are still a few performances left; it runs Mondays at 7 p.m. through March 31st - catch it if you can!!
The following night, I made a return trip to see Ben Rauch Is Horace Vanderveer at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. I first wrote about this show on my December 7th blog, and after seeing it a second time, I must say that I quite agree with my earlier post - this show is HILARIOUS! It was very good the first time I saw it, and it's just gotten even better and sharper! Ben Rauch co-wrote the show with Melissa Rauch and Winston Beigel and stars as Horace, a "musical theatre obsessed community theatre outcast from New Jersey whose dream is to one day be on Broadway." Since the last time I saw the show, a few numbers have been added to great comedic effect (including "Let's Bowl" from Grease 2) and a video clip of "Horace" at an audition has also been inserted into the show. Again, kudos to Miles Phillips for excellent direction, and to the fantastic band...oh, and to the chorus of teenage girls...and yes, kudos to Horace himself for putting on one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time!
Wednesday, March 5th, found me back at Dillon's to see my friend Julian Yeo with his fab "retro-jazz" band. As always with Julian's shows, I found myself having a terrific time and wondering where the 3 hours went (he played 3 sets between 7 and 10 p.m.)! His style is very easy-going and hearkens back to a different era. Accompanied by piano, bass, guitar, washboard/percussion, and clarinet, and singing jazz standards, Julian provides an excellent evening of entertainment! He is also extremely generous when other singers are in the house, always inviting them up to sing a number or two (the evening I went, I was there with Shaynee Rainbolt, and we both had the privilege of singing with that great band). He's back at Dillon's on Wednesday, March 19th. With a just a $10 cover for 3 hours of great music, it's a hard deal to beat!
On Thursday, I headed over to the Metropolitan Room to catch cabaret newcomer Ben Cherry in his show I Hate New York: A Love Story. Focusing on the love/hate relationship that all New Yorkers have with their city at some point (or all the time!), Ben kept the audience chuckling with easy-to-relate-to tales of the frustrations of living in the Big Apple.
On Friday night, I headed back to the Metropolitan Room for Metrojam, which is the monthly open mic hosted by Joe Bachana. Metrojam has been gathering steam for some time now, and Friday night was terrific! The room was PACKED with talented singers and it was so much fun to be there and hear all of them! In addition to yours truly, other performers included Rob Langeder, Joan Crowe, Julian Yeo, Susan Winter, Tony DeSare, Lina Koutrakos, Shaynee Rainbolt, Gabrielle Stravelli, and - of course - the talented host himself! Backed by John DiPinto on piano, Frank Wagner on bass and Bobby Sher on drums, the 2 hours just flew by! I can't wait for April's Metrojam!
On Saturday, I took time off from my show-going to visit the NY Wine Expo, followed by dinner at Patsy's! Whew - what a way to revitalize myself! The wine expo was so much fun! With 170 wineries and over 600 wines available to taste, it was a crazy four hours but boy, was it fun! And Patsy's....ah! If you've never been to Patsy's, you don't know what you're missing! I first went while I was putting together my Rosemary Clooney show, because I knew that Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra used to dine there and I wanted to soak up some of the vibe. Well, after that first visit, I've been going back for the amazing food and the great service and stories provided by Sal, the chef. Sal is the grandson of the original owner and chef, and boy, does he have stories to tell! It seems that every time I go in, he has a new photo with a celebrity to show me! As usual, the food and the service on Saturday night were simply outstanding!
On Sunday, I headed to Butterfield 8 for Trudi Mann's Fabulous Open Mic For Singers. I'd been hearing about Trudi's open mic for a long time and was happy to finally have a chance to make it...and I wasn't disappointed! It was a great way to spend an afternoon - the room was packed with singers and it was such a relaxed, supportive environment. Many of the singers were regulars, and as such, had a really nice rapport with each other. With John Delfin on keyboard and Saadi Zain on bass (and Trudi herself keeping time on the drums!), there was a great deal of talent packed into one little room!
Last night, I had a double-header: first, I was featured as a guest vocalist in the March Is Cabaret Month Celebration at the Songbook Theater at Broadway Baby Bistro, and then I headed over to Cast Party for my normal Monday night festivities! Headed up by Stu Hamstra of Cabaret Hotline and hosted by the aforementioned "Horace Vanderveer," the show boasted a great lineup (Marcus Simeone, Leslie Orofino, Brandon Cutrell, Parker Scott, Suzanne Carrico, German Rodriguez, Molly Pope, Ben Cherry, Tom Andersen, Ben Rauch and yours truly!) and was a lot of fun! Tracy Stark did a great job as musical director, and harpist Jose Luis provided gorgeous pre-show music!
Cast Party was hopping, as usual! It was a full house, packed to the brim with talented folks including Christine Lavin, Lina Koutrakos, Michael Quinn, David Goldman, Rob Langeder, Joan Crowe, Rich Siegel, and more! With Tedd Firth on piano and Steve Doyle on bass, the "Cast Party Symphony Orchestra" sounded fantastic as usual, and Jim Caruso was fully recovered from his recent bout with pneumonia and he was rarin' to go! Now, when your week starts out with a Monday that good, it's kinda hard to top it, but I am going to see Macbeth at BAM this Friday, so it might just be possible!
Stay tuned for another update soon!
On Monday, March 3rd, I went to see What's The Point at Dillon's. Starring Hector Coris, Patrick Garrigan and Eadie Scott, this revue provides a laugh-filled hour of song and dance which pokes fun at current social and political issues. There was a time when revues such as this were extremely popular and made up a good portion of "cabaret" shows, but sadly, the art form has been neglected in more recent times. Happily, What's The Point breathes fresh life into the old art form with songs such as "How Can I Miss You (If You Won't Go Away)," "A Real Straight Guy," and "E.Harmony-Dot-Com." With musical direction by Joe Regan, choreography by Susan Haefner, Direction by Collette Black and music and lyrics by Alan Cancelino and Hector Coris, respectively, the show is a definite crowd-pleaser. There are still a few performances left; it runs Mondays at 7 p.m. through March 31st - catch it if you can!!
The following night, I made a return trip to see Ben Rauch Is Horace Vanderveer at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. I first wrote about this show on my December 7th blog, and after seeing it a second time, I must say that I quite agree with my earlier post - this show is HILARIOUS! It was very good the first time I saw it, and it's just gotten even better and sharper! Ben Rauch co-wrote the show with Melissa Rauch and Winston Beigel and stars as Horace, a "musical theatre obsessed community theatre outcast from New Jersey whose dream is to one day be on Broadway." Since the last time I saw the show, a few numbers have been added to great comedic effect (including "Let's Bowl" from Grease 2) and a video clip of "Horace" at an audition has also been inserted into the show. Again, kudos to Miles Phillips for excellent direction, and to the fantastic band...oh, and to the chorus of teenage girls...and yes, kudos to Horace himself for putting on one of the funniest shows I've seen in a long time!
Wednesday, March 5th, found me back at Dillon's to see my friend Julian Yeo with his fab "retro-jazz" band. As always with Julian's shows, I found myself having a terrific time and wondering where the 3 hours went (he played 3 sets between 7 and 10 p.m.)! His style is very easy-going and hearkens back to a different era. Accompanied by piano, bass, guitar, washboard/percussion, and clarinet, and singing jazz standards, Julian provides an excellent evening of entertainment! He is also extremely generous when other singers are in the house, always inviting them up to sing a number or two (the evening I went, I was there with Shaynee Rainbolt, and we both had the privilege of singing with that great band). He's back at Dillon's on Wednesday, March 19th. With a just a $10 cover for 3 hours of great music, it's a hard deal to beat!
On Thursday, I headed over to the Metropolitan Room to catch cabaret newcomer Ben Cherry in his show I Hate New York: A Love Story. Focusing on the love/hate relationship that all New Yorkers have with their city at some point (or all the time!), Ben kept the audience chuckling with easy-to-relate-to tales of the frustrations of living in the Big Apple.
On Friday night, I headed back to the Metropolitan Room for Metrojam, which is the monthly open mic hosted by Joe Bachana. Metrojam has been gathering steam for some time now, and Friday night was terrific! The room was PACKED with talented singers and it was so much fun to be there and hear all of them! In addition to yours truly, other performers included Rob Langeder, Joan Crowe, Julian Yeo, Susan Winter, Tony DeSare, Lina Koutrakos, Shaynee Rainbolt, Gabrielle Stravelli, and - of course - the talented host himself! Backed by John DiPinto on piano, Frank Wagner on bass and Bobby Sher on drums, the 2 hours just flew by! I can't wait for April's Metrojam!
On Saturday, I took time off from my show-going to visit the NY Wine Expo, followed by dinner at Patsy's! Whew - what a way to revitalize myself! The wine expo was so much fun! With 170 wineries and over 600 wines available to taste, it was a crazy four hours but boy, was it fun! And Patsy's....ah! If you've never been to Patsy's, you don't know what you're missing! I first went while I was putting together my Rosemary Clooney show, because I knew that Rosemary Clooney and Frank Sinatra used to dine there and I wanted to soak up some of the vibe. Well, after that first visit, I've been going back for the amazing food and the great service and stories provided by Sal, the chef. Sal is the grandson of the original owner and chef, and boy, does he have stories to tell! It seems that every time I go in, he has a new photo with a celebrity to show me! As usual, the food and the service on Saturday night were simply outstanding!
On Sunday, I headed to Butterfield 8 for Trudi Mann's Fabulous Open Mic For Singers. I'd been hearing about Trudi's open mic for a long time and was happy to finally have a chance to make it...and I wasn't disappointed! It was a great way to spend an afternoon - the room was packed with singers and it was such a relaxed, supportive environment. Many of the singers were regulars, and as such, had a really nice rapport with each other. With John Delfin on keyboard and Saadi Zain on bass (and Trudi herself keeping time on the drums!), there was a great deal of talent packed into one little room!
Last night, I had a double-header: first, I was featured as a guest vocalist in the March Is Cabaret Month Celebration at the Songbook Theater at Broadway Baby Bistro, and then I headed over to Cast Party for my normal Monday night festivities! Headed up by Stu Hamstra of Cabaret Hotline and hosted by the aforementioned "Horace Vanderveer," the show boasted a great lineup (Marcus Simeone, Leslie Orofino, Brandon Cutrell, Parker Scott, Suzanne Carrico, German Rodriguez, Molly Pope, Ben Cherry, Tom Andersen, Ben Rauch and yours truly!) and was a lot of fun! Tracy Stark did a great job as musical director, and harpist Jose Luis provided gorgeous pre-show music!
Cast Party was hopping, as usual! It was a full house, packed to the brim with talented folks including Christine Lavin, Lina Koutrakos, Michael Quinn, David Goldman, Rob Langeder, Joan Crowe, Rich Siegel, and more! With Tedd Firth on piano and Steve Doyle on bass, the "Cast Party Symphony Orchestra" sounded fantastic as usual, and Jim Caruso was fully recovered from his recent bout with pneumonia and he was rarin' to go! Now, when your week starts out with a Monday that good, it's kinda hard to top it, but I am going to see Macbeth at BAM this Friday, so it might just be possible!
Stay tuned for another update soon!
posted by Jenna @ 7:28 PM
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