Penny Arcade

Gerry Geddes
Susana Ventura grew up in Connecticut. At the age of 13 she ran away to Provincetown and quickly became the darling of the gay mecca, and a particular favorite of the "older queens" because she "took an interest" in them. The girl had no ulterior motive; she was legitimately curious and interested, and she soaked...

Byron St. Cyr

Mark Dundas Wood
Byron St. Cyr stepped onstage for his recent Don't Tell Mama show (directed by Jim Brigman) looking spiffy in jacket and tie. Well, sort of. The tie he wore was actually an untied bowtie, draped scarf-like from the back of his neck. Though it was an unusual choice, there seemed to be method in it: on...

Anthony Wayne

Gerry Geddes
Anthony Wayne is a singular talent. He has a strong, yet insinuating, voice, and his supple movements reveal his dancer past to great effect, particularly in the limited space at the Metropolitan Room where he chose to celebrate his birthday on stage in The Evolution of Anthony Wayne. Most recently lauded for his work in...

Renee Katz

Gerry Geddes
Renee Katz's story is indeed remarkable. On June 7, 1979, a crazed person threw the 17 yr old flutist in front of an E train. She managed to survive by rolling off the track at the last minute, but her hand was severed. Doctors succeeded in reattaching the hand, and over time, with much media attention...

Matt Wolfe and Lainie Munro

Mark Dundas Wood
The jazz world has long looked to Broadway for melodic fodder. Jazz singers have forever riffed on musical lines from the likes of Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart. And that makes particularly tidy sense if you accept the often-stated proposition that the two major cultural contributions that America has made to the world are jazz...

Carole Demas and Sarah Rice

Mark Dundas Wood
The recent Carole Demas and Sarah Rice offering at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Thank You for Your Love: Our Celebration of Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt, was no ordinary tribute show. The singing duo, who have both enjoyed a long professional and personal relationship with lyricist Jones and composer Schmidt (and with each other), offered much...

Stephanie Trudeau

Robert Windeler
She rightly labeled Chavela: Think of Me, her recent show at Pangea, a "docu-cabaret." Indeed, Stephanie Trudeau's homage to ranchera singer Chavela Vargas, directed by Deborah Wright Houston, went far beyond the usual tribute hour or so. Vargas, who was new to me, came vividly to life thanks to Trudeau's carefully researched narration (all in...

Luke Babylon, Christian Magician

Gerry Geddes
Luke Babylon, Christian Magician is the satiric/spiritual alter ego of out gay comic Zach Zimmerman, who recently left a career-on-the-rise in Chicago to move to New York City. At the Duplex a week or so ago, he made his Manhattan cabaret debut as a New Yorker with this zany show. I've followed him with interest...

Linda Kahn and Maria Corsaro

Robert Windeler
Two suburban ladies of a certain age studied theatre in college, on separate coasts, some 40 years ago. They each worked in show business for a few years after graduation, but marriage, motherhood and career changes kept them from their goal of finding work in musicals among the lights of Broadway. About two years ago,...

Amy Beth Williams

Robert Windeler
In her ravishing show Carried Away at Don't Tell Mama, Amy Beth Williams proved to be a superb singer, a subtle actress, and a compelling interpreter of lyrics. Beautifully directed by Tanya Moberly, this 65-minute set displayed Williams as an artist painting on a broad but seamless canvas. While the show's ostensible theme was war...