Happy 4th of July!
Okay, I know it's a little late, but I actually began writing this on July 3rd! ;)
Hope you all had enjoyable holiday weekends - I know I did (I spent the majority of it playing with my baby nephew, Charlie- it really doesn't get much better than that)!
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post - the past couple of weeks have simply flown by!
So, without further ado, let's get up to speed!
On Wednesday, June 18th, I saw a great double-header at Don't Tell Mama. First up, at 7 p.m., it was the talented Gretchen Reinhagen in her new show, How 'Bout Them Apples? Directed by Barry Kleinbort, with musical direction by David Gaines, Gretchen's show was a delightful romp through the annoyances and joys of everyday life as a New Yorker. With a wide selection of quirky songs, as well as a good mix of moving ballads, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. Next up at 9 p.m., it was the incomparable Ray Jessel. I've written about Ray a number of times before, and he continues to entertain and delight each time I see him! Absolutely fantastic. He's got one more show left in NYC, and I strongly encourage you to catch it if you can! It's on Wednesday, July 9th at 9 p.m. at Don't Tell Mama.
On that Saturday evening (June 14th), I went to the Metropolitan Room to catch Jeanne MacDonald's tribute to Peggy Lee. Backed by a great band (headed by musical director Rick Jensen), Jeanne wove her way through much of the fantastic Peggy Lee songbook, including perennial favorites "Fever," "Teach Me Tonight," "He's A Tramp," and "It's A Good Day." The room was packed, and the audience delighted in hearing so many wonderful songs sung in Jeanne's smooth, easygoing style.
The following night, it was off to the Duplex to catch the Opening Doors Theatre Company's production of The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, the ill-fated 1975 musical sequel to The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. This show was part of Opening Doors' "Closing Notice" series, in which they breathe new life into Broadway flops. I love the concept of the series, because while there are good reasons that some shows have failed on Broadway, they often contain some great music, which deserves to be heard again! As with Whoop-Up!, which was the previous Opening Doors show I'd seen, the cast of BLWGP was excellent and did a wonderful job with the material. Director Hector Coris and musical director Michael Lavine both deserve kudos for their hard work, which resulted in a well put-together, very entertaining evening.
On Wednesday, June 25th, it was back to the Duplex for the MAC New Face Showcase. Hosted by the talented Rob Langeder (who treated us to a great, high-octane "Blue Skies" to open the show), the showcase featured talented cabaret "up-and-comers" Kevin Dozier, Susan Winter (2008 MAC nominee for female debut), Marvin Parks, Mel & El, and Joyce Moody. Each of the acts treated us to two or three numbers, and it was a great introduction to them. Prior to the showcase, I'd only seen Kevin and Susan in full-length shows, so the showcase was a great way to get to know more about some of the newest performers in the NYC cabaret community. Joe Regan (piano) and Ritt Henn (bass) did a fantastic job as the "house band" and Rob did a great job of keeping things running smoothly. Thank you to MAC (and especially Hector Coris, who has spearheaded the "New Face Showcases") for providing such an entertaining evening!
The following night, I went to Feinstein's to catch Liz Callaway in her 60's-themed show, The Beat Goes On. With superb musical direction by Alex Rybeck and fantastic accompaniment by Mr. Rybeck on piano, Jered Egan on bass and Ron Tierno on drums, Liz sailed through some of her favorite songs from the 60's. Blessed with a beautiful, crystal-clear voice, she breathed new life into songs we all know and love, including "The Beat Goes On," "Up, Up and Away," Beatles hits "Eleanor Rigby" and "When I'm Sixty-Four," and an incredibly relevant and moving, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Perhaps most enjoyable (besides the lovely singing) was the fact that while the arrangements were fresh and exciting, they did not stray too far from the original feel of the songs - hooray! Too bad the limited run of this show is over; I would have loved to have gone back and seen it a second time!
Last Sunday (June 29th), I headed back to the Metropolitan Room to catch Karen Oberlin in her beautiful tribute to E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Probably best known for writing the lyrics for The Wizard of Oz, Yip Harburg had a long and illustrious career and wrote with a number of incredible composers including Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Jule Styne, and Burton Lane. Karen lent her lovely voice to many of Harburg's well-known songs including "Brother Can You Spare A Dime," "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe," and "Last Night When We Were Young," as well as some beautiful lesser-known tunes like "Here's To Your Illusions" and "Sunset Tree." Musical director/pianist Tedd Firth and bassist Sean Smith provided top-notch accompaniment, rounding out an already enjoyable evening!
Whew! That pretty much brings us up to date for now - look for another update soon (I promise I'll try to get the next one up in a timely manner)!
Hope you all had enjoyable holiday weekends - I know I did (I spent the majority of it playing with my baby nephew, Charlie- it really doesn't get much better than that)!
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post - the past couple of weeks have simply flown by!
So, without further ado, let's get up to speed!
On Wednesday, June 18th, I saw a great double-header at Don't Tell Mama. First up, at 7 p.m., it was the talented Gretchen Reinhagen in her new show, How 'Bout Them Apples? Directed by Barry Kleinbort, with musical direction by David Gaines, Gretchen's show was a delightful romp through the annoyances and joys of everyday life as a New Yorker. With a wide selection of quirky songs, as well as a good mix of moving ballads, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show. Next up at 9 p.m., it was the incomparable Ray Jessel. I've written about Ray a number of times before, and he continues to entertain and delight each time I see him! Absolutely fantastic. He's got one more show left in NYC, and I strongly encourage you to catch it if you can! It's on Wednesday, July 9th at 9 p.m. at Don't Tell Mama.
On that Saturday evening (June 14th), I went to the Metropolitan Room to catch Jeanne MacDonald's tribute to Peggy Lee. Backed by a great band (headed by musical director Rick Jensen), Jeanne wove her way through much of the fantastic Peggy Lee songbook, including perennial favorites "Fever," "Teach Me Tonight," "He's A Tramp," and "It's A Good Day." The room was packed, and the audience delighted in hearing so many wonderful songs sung in Jeanne's smooth, easygoing style.
The following night, it was off to the Duplex to catch the Opening Doors Theatre Company's production of The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, the ill-fated 1975 musical sequel to The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. This show was part of Opening Doors' "Closing Notice" series, in which they breathe new life into Broadway flops. I love the concept of the series, because while there are good reasons that some shows have failed on Broadway, they often contain some great music, which deserves to be heard again! As with Whoop-Up!, which was the previous Opening Doors show I'd seen, the cast of BLWGP was excellent and did a wonderful job with the material. Director Hector Coris and musical director Michael Lavine both deserve kudos for their hard work, which resulted in a well put-together, very entertaining evening.
On Wednesday, June 25th, it was back to the Duplex for the MAC New Face Showcase. Hosted by the talented Rob Langeder (who treated us to a great, high-octane "Blue Skies" to open the show), the showcase featured talented cabaret "up-and-comers" Kevin Dozier, Susan Winter (2008 MAC nominee for female debut), Marvin Parks, Mel & El, and Joyce Moody. Each of the acts treated us to two or three numbers, and it was a great introduction to them. Prior to the showcase, I'd only seen Kevin and Susan in full-length shows, so the showcase was a great way to get to know more about some of the newest performers in the NYC cabaret community. Joe Regan (piano) and Ritt Henn (bass) did a fantastic job as the "house band" and Rob did a great job of keeping things running smoothly. Thank you to MAC (and especially Hector Coris, who has spearheaded the "New Face Showcases") for providing such an entertaining evening!
The following night, I went to Feinstein's to catch Liz Callaway in her 60's-themed show, The Beat Goes On. With superb musical direction by Alex Rybeck and fantastic accompaniment by Mr. Rybeck on piano, Jered Egan on bass and Ron Tierno on drums, Liz sailed through some of her favorite songs from the 60's. Blessed with a beautiful, crystal-clear voice, she breathed new life into songs we all know and love, including "The Beat Goes On," "Up, Up and Away," Beatles hits "Eleanor Rigby" and "When I'm Sixty-Four," and an incredibly relevant and moving, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Perhaps most enjoyable (besides the lovely singing) was the fact that while the arrangements were fresh and exciting, they did not stray too far from the original feel of the songs - hooray! Too bad the limited run of this show is over; I would have loved to have gone back and seen it a second time!
Last Sunday (June 29th), I headed back to the Metropolitan Room to catch Karen Oberlin in her beautiful tribute to E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Probably best known for writing the lyrics for The Wizard of Oz, Yip Harburg had a long and illustrious career and wrote with a number of incredible composers including Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Jule Styne, and Burton Lane. Karen lent her lovely voice to many of Harburg's well-known songs including "Brother Can You Spare A Dime," "Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe," and "Last Night When We Were Young," as well as some beautiful lesser-known tunes like "Here's To Your Illusions" and "Sunset Tree." Musical director/pianist Tedd Firth and bassist Sean Smith provided top-notch accompaniment, rounding out an already enjoyable evening!
Whew! That pretty much brings us up to date for now - look for another update soon (I promise I'll try to get the next one up in a timely manner)!
posted by Jenna @ 11:35 AM
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