Tony Danza

Robert Windeler
His terrific current show at Café Carlyle, "Standards and Stories," finds Tony Danza in a state of what I can only describe as grounded exuberance. This seeming oxymoron combines the wisdom and taste of an impossibly lithe man on the cusp of Medicare Advantage who maintains his apparently lifelong childlike enthusiasm for just about everything....

Jeff Macauley

Mark Dundas Wood
Film composer Henry Mancini (1924-94) was able to adapt nimbly to whatever professional assignment was at hand. He could write music with a hip, cool sound—for instance, the themes from TV's Peter Gunn (1958-61) and the big screen's Pink Panther films. But he could also create striking ballads—most famously, of course, "Moon River" from 1961's...

More Music by Alex Rybeck

Robert Windeler
Composer tributes are a staple of cabaret shows, but in most cases the composer him- or herself is either deceased or otherwise unavailable to take part in such ventures. In his recent outing at 54 Below, directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, Alex Rybeck proved to be an exception. Not only did he write the music for...

Jon Freda: “Imagine Dat!”

Robert Windeler
In "Imagine Dat!" at Stage 72, Jon Freda pays an affectionate and deserved biographical tribute to 20th century showbiz icon Jimmy Durante. Freda also wrote this one-man-show-with-music and co-produced it with its director, Eren T. Gibson. The 70-minute piece has the imprimatur of the surviving Durante family, which might suggest that it would be a...

Billy Ehrlacher

Mark Dundas Wood
Setting aside the once-ubiquitous novelty hit "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)," I had only dim memories of mid-20th-century song parodist Allan Sherman (1924-73). But after seeing "Billy Ehrlacher: Is He Here Again?" at Don't Tell Mama, I did some YouTube research. This led me to the conclusion that Ehrlacher shares some of...

Ben Cassara

Mark Dundas Wood
He seems a most mild-mannered, unassuming gentleman. Yet when Ben Cassara seated himself center stage for a one-off appearance at Cafe Noctambulo recently, he commanded attention. Cassara's singing has an almost conversational quality at times. He clips some (not all) notes to create an almost pizzicato kind of effect—and when he does sustain a note,...

Somewhere in This Song: The Music and Lyrics of Nicholas Levin

Roy Sander
An evening of the songs of Nicholas Levin was long overdue, so the new revue "Somewhere in This Song" at the Metropolitan Room is a cause for celebration. Surveying the scene of contemporary songwriters, one finds some who may have something to say, but whose lyrics are lacking in basic craftsmanship or marked by infelicitous word/phrase...

Kane Alexander

Mark Dundas Wood
A recent one-nighter at 54 Below brought Australian performer (and a Bistro Award winner in 2001 and 2002) Kane Alexander back to Manhattan. He'd first appeared in the city a decade and a half ago. An appealing performer with bright eyes and a friendly, gentle manner, Alexander has had successful turns in musical theatre back...

Kyle Eastwood Quintet

Robert Windeler
In his recent show at Blue Note, Kyle Eastwood proved that when it comes to instrumental jazz, paternity and osmosis can provide a solid foundation for adventurism and variety, as well as tradition. The eldest child of Clint Eastwood, Kyle literally learned the genre from his father, and went on to work for him as...

Kim Sutton

Robert Windeler
Bouncy and brassy, in "Anchors Away!," her current show at Don't Tell Mama, Kim Sutton pays a robust tribute to Fleet Week and the United States Navy, in which she served for six years in the mid-1980s. She starts out with a driving, semi-disco "Star Spangled Banner"—no audience standup necessary—which leads right into the anthem...