Articles by this Author:
Return Engagements: Spoken-Word Performer Joe Gulla Inches His Way Back to the Spotlight
(Article #2 in a limited series on "Return Engagements.") “You do all this stuff to build momentum,” says monologist and playwright Joe Gulla, “and when you get some, you kind...
Cabaret Setlist: “He’s a Runner” — Music and Lyrics by Laura Nyro
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Article # 16 in this ongoing series. There are auspicious recording debuts, and then there is More Than a New Discovery, an...
Return Engagements: John Lloyd Young Will Ride the Disco ‘Round in His Return to Live Performance
(Article #1 in a limited series on "Return Engagements.") John Lloyd Young is ready to boogie on down. (Then again, who isn’t?) The Tony-winning singer-actor, who starred as Frankie Valli of...
“The Reason to Sing — A Guide to Acting While Singing”: A Chat with Craig Carnelia About His New Book
Craig Carnelia (Photo: Michael Ian) Between 1992 and 2017, singer and composer/lyricist Craig Carnelia (Working, Sweet Smell of Success) taught acting classes for singers in a...
Cabaret Setlist: “Blue Skies” — Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Article #15 in this ongoing series. The simple-yet-engaging standard “Blue Skies” has the distinction of being the most successful Irving Berlin number ever to...
Now You’ll Know: Rick Pender’s “The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia”
All right, so you’ve read pretty much everything that’s ever been written about American songwriter Stephen Sondheim, and you’re thinking: Why on earth would I need to have something called...
Cabaret Setlist: Springing Forward with Three Songs of Hope and Happiness
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Article #14 in this ongoing series In the most recent installments of “Cabaret Setlist,” we’ve looked at the brilliant-but-dark “Lush Life” and...
Cabaret Setlist: “When October Goes” – Music by Barry Manilow, lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Song #13 in this running series The lucky thirteenth installment of Cabaret Setlist centers on “When October Goes,” a short, bittersweet, and...
Cabaret Setlist: “Lush Life” – Music and Lyrics by Billy Strayhorn
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Song #12 in this running series Billy Strayhorn’s intricate ballad “Lush Life” has, I think, something in common with Stonehenge—England’s massive and...
Cabaret Setlist: “Sleigh Ride in July” (Music by Jimmy Van Heusen, Lyrics by Johnny Burke) and “Winter of My Discontent” (Music by Alec Wilder, Lyrics by Ben Ross Berenberg)
Repertoire for the Once and Future American Songbook Selection #11 in this running series. There’s nothing like mixing things up a little. The format of today’s “Cabaret Setlist” differs somewhat...