Sue Matsuki

Robert Windeler
On September 16, 1986, Susan Trosell, as she was called then, performed her first cabaret show at Don't Tell Mama, having passed a nerve-wracking audition for Sidney Myer. Exactly 33 years later, with the same Sidney Myer in attendance, Sue Matsuki, as she had long since become, celebrated her pearl-plus-three-year anniversary with a thoughtful and...

Nicci Nicholas

David Sabella
At Don't Tell Mama, Nicci Nicholas is currently offering a saloon show of sorts, directed by Lennie Watts and with music director Ian Herman at the piano. A saloon show, or saloon set, as it is often referred to, is a set of seemingly unconnected songs, each in its own right a classic of the...

Julie Reyburn

Mark Dundas Wood
Julie Reyburn has been relatively inactive in the cabaret scene in recent years, but that doesn't mean that she has been otherwise idle. She's been busy raising children and working in the nonprofit sector. She now returns to her art with a new show at Don't Tell Mama called Anywhere We Are. It's a big,...

Bob Simonello

David Sabella
Bob Simonello performed a lively Rock/Blues/Jazz fusion show, Rollin' a 7, to a packed house at Don't Tell Mama recently, aided by music director Jeff Harris on piano, Scott Thornton, bass, and Steve Singer, drums. Simonello, possesses many qualities with which to entertain his audience, not the least of which is his personable and genuine...

Michele Brourman

Mark Dundas Wood
Watching Michele Brourman play to a packed house in a recent one-nighter at Birdland Theater, I felt that I gained a deeper understanding of the work of singer-pianists in cabaret and how their art differs from that of vocalists who don't accompany themselves. Some of what struck me is rather obvious. Singer-pianists seem to have...

Eric Michael Gillett

David Sabella
With his new offering, Stop This Train, recently at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Eric Michael Gillett returned to the cabaret stage as a phoenix rising. Beginning the show in an unusual way, he meandered about the audience introducing himself to newcomers and cajoling with friends. After a while, he made his way to the stage...

Jen Fellman

Gerry Geddes
Jen Fellman has an extraordinary voice, with vaulting highs and creamy lows; if her recent show at Feinstein's/54 Below were judged solely on the gorgeous sounds that caressed our ears, it would have been an absolute smash. However, there is a lot more to a successful club act—even to a CD release show, as this...

Mark Arthur Miller

Penelope Thomas
Mark Arthur Miller comes by his love of soul honestly. Growing up in Chicago without his Dad present, he later found out that his father was Motown songwriter Ron Miller. Adventures ensued as he and his sister moved to L.A. and got to know their father and his place in the industry. So, while Soul...

The 30th New York Cabaret Convention

Bistro Awards
The 30th edition of the New York Cabaret Convention, presented by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, took place October 28-31 at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Penelope Thomas, Robert Windeler, Gerry Geddes, and Mark Dundas Wood covered the four nights for us. Following are their thoughts.     The Sunny Side of the...

Todd Murray

Gerry Geddes
Imagine a universe where sixties music was not dominated by the British Invasion and the rise of the singer/songwriter, a universe in which male pop crooners remained at the forefront of radio play and at the top of the charts. In such a universe, singer Todd Murray would be a part of the pantheon of...