Villain: DeBlanks

Mark Dundas Wood
In the 1950s, Leonard B. Stern and Roger Price—a pair of TV comedy writers—invented Mad Libs, the comedic word game in which certain nouns, verbs and adjectives in a story are left blank, to be filled in with random suggestions. The duo clearly had a keen appreciation of absurd, Jabberwocky-ish wordplay. And Mad Libs was...

Ari Shapiro

Penelope Thomas
With his luxurious vintage-yet-current baritone, and his educated demeanor and sleekly handsome presence, it was easy to forget that Homeward was Ari Shapiro's freshman solo cabaret performance. If his is a face for radio, we're in luck. Nonetheless, it's a steep learning curve to go from Broadcast Journalist to Seasoned Crooner on your first show...

Peter and Will Anderson

Robert Windeler
The Anderson Twins want us all to understand that Harold Arlen, this week's honoree in the brothers' ambitious month-long Songbook Summit series, is every bit the equal of the other three subjects of their tribute (Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers). It's just that Arlen was somewhat of a loner, never had a real Broadway...

The ManOPause Boys

Robert Windeler
The 1990s called. They want their clichés back. The ones about Viagra and the other aspects of male late-middle aging. Plus, the decade would like to retire at least some of its hopeful sayings, such as "50 is the new 35." Well, the clichés and sayings abounded on the Triad stage the other night, in...

It Always Feels Like the World Is Ending

Gerry Geddes
It Always Feels Like the World Is Ending, a new revue that played recently at Don't Tell Mama, celebrated the work of composer Benny Gammerman and lyricist Dylan Hartwell, both of whom appeared in the show along with Amanda Savan, Cortney Wolfson, Melissa Rose Hirsch, and Greg Sullivan. As the title implies, most of the...

Tammy McCann

Penelope Thomas
Chicago jazz singer Tammy McCann recently completed a month of Thursdays at Pangea, performing a different show each week. She is working with a formidable instrument: she has a rich lower register and a powerful upper voice that speak to her early classical training. A former "Raelette" backing vocalist for Ray Charles, MCann has sung...

Shaina Taub

Gerry Geddes
At a time when most pop composers seem to have forgotten what melody is, let alone how to write a coherent, inventive lyric, it is cause for both hope and celebration that singer-songwriter Shaina Taub is carrying on the great tradition of Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Rickie Lee Jones, and other iconic women...

Analisa Bell

Mark Dundas Wood
Australian-born performer Analisa Bell was originally set to perform Off the Rails—her Duplex show about the blessings (few) and banes (innumerable) of the New York City subway system—back in June. A seemingly unfortunate postponement moved the show to late July, but, in fact, that turned out to be a lucky break for the singer. Here's...

Meow Meow

Robert Windeler
In her recent show at Joe's Pub, she came on stage both tentatively and as if expecting to be showered with roses by her adoring fans. The woman who was once known as Melissa Madden Gray from Australia sported a black Medusa hairdo, and was dressed outlandishly in a shredded black organdy overskirt not quite...

Leslie Jordan

Gerry Geddes
Leslie Jordan is probably best known as Beverley Leslie, the tart-tongued, flamingly fey foil to Megan Mullally's Karen in Will & Grace. Though a recurring character, his performance was so immediate, so funny, and so memorable that it seemed as though he were a regular. In his first season, he won an Emmy for the...