Suede

Gerry Geddes
People are always bemoaning and longing for the “good old days” of New York cabaret. I find so much to enjoy and experience in the current scene that I rarely join in that nostalgia, but it took about 30 seconds listening to cabaret/ jazz singer Suede’s return to Birdland to realize that one of the...

Bistro Bits: This New Memoir Is Not a Drag; A Roundup of Cabaret Confessions

Mark Dundas Wood
Charles Busch spills it. A cabaret venue can sometimes seem pretty chameleonic. Monday, you'll find a singer performing a Burton Lane tribute. Tuesday you’ll get a comedic sketch show with no music at all. Wednesday’s headliner may turn out to be an entertainer whose work is indescribable but probably best tagged with a “performance art”...

Jai Rodriguez: “A Thousand Sweet Kisses”

Gerry Geddes
The OG “culture guy” of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, actor/singer Jai Rodriguez, made a spectacular return to the cabaret stage after an absence of 18 years with A Thousand Sweet Kisses at 54 Below. He had a career in theatre before the iconic realty TV show with acclaimed appearances in Rent and other...

Mamie Parris: “Surrender—An Andrew Lloyd Webber Thrill Ride”

Gerry Geddes
First: a word of warning to anyone who knows me. Sit down and take a deep breath.  You are about to hear me praise a show that celebrates the music of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber.  The cause for this “aberration”?— Surrender—An Andrew Lloyd Webber Thrill Ride, which debuted recently at The Green Room 42. To...

Gilbert Sanchez: “Cats II—The Other Cats Musical”

Gerry Geddes
Cats II—The Other Cats Musical was a hellzapoppin’, high-flying, low-aiming variety show that easily held its own against its more prestigious predecessor. While Andrew Lloyd Webber limited his inspiration to T.S. Eliot, this show’s creator, host and featured performer, Gilbert Sanchez, in the guise of his starry stage persona, Ms. Zilbert, took limitless inspiration from...

Mark G. Meadows

Gerry Geddes
Sometimes the gods of luck just smile down on you. I was at Chelsea Table + Stage a few weeks ago to review George Krissa; I had received a press release for the late show that same night - a jazz singer/songwriter/pianist presenting an evening of originals, Stevie Wonder songs and other material. I decided to stay...

Michael Conley in “The Fabulist Fox Sister”

Gerry Geddes
Kate Fox, the woman who invented séances in New York in 1892, is a fascinating subject for a musical for many reasons, not the least of which is the grift and theatrical duplicity that surrounded her “supernatural” performances and the “religious” devotion of her followers, which ring a bell very directly correlated to the MAGA...

Katie McGrath and Chuck Flowers: “Playing Favorites”

Gerry Geddes
The worlds of cabaret and R&B cover songs met in Playing Favorites, the new show by Bistro Award winner Katie McGrath and St. Louis based singer Chuck Flowers. I am sorry to say that it was more a collision than a blend of styles.  A few years ago, McGrath presented one of the most accomplished...

Ava Nicole Frances: “Here’s Looking at You Kid”

Gerry Geddes
Ava Nicole Frances has a big voice, a Broadway diva voice, a shake-the-rafters voice.  It has served her well in appearances at open mics and variety shows around town, fast becoming a favorite despite her young years.  She is now 19 and studying at NYU but she has been performing in these venues for years....

George Krissa: “Love Notes”

Gerry Geddes
Webster’s defines "charm" as the following—noun: “a trait that fascinates, allures or delights”; verb: “to please, soothe, or delight by compelling attraction." If the dictionary should ever need an image to illustrate the definition, they could always post a photograph of Canadian singer/actor George Krissa, who could not have been more charming or captivating in...