Regina Zona

Mark Dundas Wood
A friend of mine enjoys musical theatre and songs from the American Songbook, but cannot abide anyone singing such music who has an "operatic" voice. Even someone like Audra McDonald or Kelli O'Hara is a no-go for him. I thought about this friend during the opening sequence of Regina Zona's cabaret act at the Triad,...

Klea Blackhurst

Gerry Geddes
In One of the Girls – The Words and Music of Jerry Herman at Birdland, singer Klea Blackhurst leaves no doubt about her affection for the famed Broadway composer and his songs. Using a program of mostly familiar material, she takes us on a dual journey through Herman's career and through her connections to it. Her...

Meg Flather

Robert Windeler
At this time of her life ("now post-menopausal and proud of it"), Meg Flather is clearly reassessing her past mistakes and triumphs along with her current and future options. In her dazzling recent (and future) show at Don't Tell Mama, Outbound Plane (directed by Lennie Watts), she not only repurposed 14 songs of wide variety...

Michael Osso

Mark Dundas Wood
Although he has sung publicly throughout his life—as, for example, a musical-theatre actor, a member of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, and one-fourth of a quartet called The Broadway Four—Michael Osso made his debut as a solo cabaret artist only earlier this year, when he first performed his show, Words Matter. Directed again...

Sally Darling

Robert Windeler
She's done it again. Only more so this time. Over several seasons, we've come to expect the best from Sally Darling, including straight-ahead, uncluttered vocals, a profound understanding of lyrics, and an infectious sense of humor when her material requires it. But in her current cut-above show at Don't Tell Mama, with the somewhat brazen...

Gunhild Carling

Penelope Thomas
Swedish multi-instrumentalist and singer Gunhild Carling works fast, as though she were chasing the tail of some devilish swing-beast and excited as a scrappy kid to catch it. Her joy and attack on stage are absolutely infectious, and her recent set at Birdland Theater was a wild ride. The thread through the evening was a...

Dawn Derow

Penelope Thomas
In her most recent offering, award-winning vocalist Dawn Derow displayed plenty of onstage charisma and a solid legit soprano. The show, The House That Built Me, was based on her family history during her early and adolescent years. As presented, Derow's childhood with hardworking parents was a fortunate one. Stories of growing up valuing family...

Joseph Keckler

Mark Dundas Wood
Some cabaret performers are born entertainers—there to give the audience a good time. Some are interested in educating their listeners or rousing them politically, while others are adept at moving people emotionally. Then there's Joseph Keckler, who takes his listeners on rollicking adventures. You never quite know where he'll lead you after you turn that...

Hannah Reimann

Gerry Geddes
At Pangea recently, singer-instrumentalist Hannah Reimann reveled in her love of all things Joni in her show, Both Sides Now – The Music of Joni Mitchell 1966-1974. As the title indicates, she focused on the songwriter's first six albums; this was a wise choice since those recordings contain most of her "hits" and her most accessible,...

Sherie Rene Scott and Norbert Leo Butz

Mark Dundas Wood
Audiences seem to enjoy theatrical "back-stagers" featuring estranged couples in the entertainment world who squabble their way to a happy denouement. Think of the scrumptious love-hate relationship between Lilli Vanessi and Fred Graham in Kiss Me, Kate or the similarly tasty one between Lili Garland and Oscar Jaffee in On the Twentieth Century. Now, performers...