Cheyenne Jackson

Roy Sander
Two Cheyenne Jacksons are making their Café Carlyle debut: Cheyenne Jackson the handsome actor-singer of stage, film, and television; and Cheyenne Jackson the man, who has faced a number of personal challenges and tells us about them. Headliners at the upper echelon of clubs may sometimes talk about their careers, but it's quite rare for...

Melinda Hughes

Roy Sander
The Weimar Republic was created shortly after the end of World War I, giving Germany the first democratically elected parliamentary government in its history. After only fourteen years, this period of unprecedented political, personal, and artistic freedom was dealt a crushing blow with Hitler's ascent to power. While it lasted, it produced an exceptional body of songs...

Alan Winner: The Boy Who Loved Bassey

Robert Windeler
"The Boy Who Loved Bassey," the crisp, hour-long show Alan Winner performed (and co-wrote with Ben Cameron, who directed) at the Metropolitan Room (and earlier this year at the Laurie Beechman Theatre), was so much more than a tribute to a great singer who used to be. Alive and well at almost 78 (on January 8,...

Richard Weidlich & Susannah Mars

Robert Windeler
Susannah Mars, Richard Weidlich, Bill Wells Susannah Mars and Richard Weidlich, longtime performing partners from Portland, Oregon, breezed into town for what probably was, judging from the enthusiasm of their fans in the Metropolitan Room audience, a long-overdue New York appearance for this pair of out-of-towners. Both performers are clearly seasoned...

Beware of Young Girls: Kate Dimbleby Sings the Dory Previn Story

Mark Dundas Wood
Singer-songwriter Dory Previn (1925-2012) occupied a particular niche in American popular music. Born Dorothy Langan, her first forays into the entertainment world were as a singer/dancer in summer stock. She soon took up songwriting and in the late 1950s was hired as a lyricist for films at MGM, where she was paired with composer André...

Cafe Society Swing

Mark Dundas Wood
Part documentary theatre and part musical revue, Cafe Society Swing (written by Alex Webb, directed by Simon Green, and presented at 59E59 Theaters) tells of the legendary Manhattan supper club that broke the city's color barrier beginning in 1938. The show is based on Terry Trilling-Josephson's 2009 book Cafe Society: The Wrong Place for the...

Adam B. Shapiro

Robert Windeler
There was much to like in Adam B. Shapiro's newest show, "Nothing Normal," seen at Urban Stages for one night as part of the theatre's annual Winter Rhythms series (and previously at 54 Below and the Metropolitan Room): the jazzy piano playing by musical director Barry Levitt (particularly on the two songs he wrote with...

Hedda Lettuce

Kevin Scott Hall
Drag performer Hedda Lettuce has become somewhat of a legend around town, having hosted screenings of camp classics at Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas on Thursdays (and sometimes Saturdays and holidays) for many years. The multi-talented entertainer has also hosted her Christmas special (formerly "Lettuce Rejoice," this year billed simply as her Christmas Special) for many...

Celia Berk

Mark Dundas Wood
In her first New York solo engagement, Celia Berk opened her Metropolitan Room show, "You Can't Rush Spring" (directed by Jeff Harnar), with "I’ve Been Waiting All My Life" (Billy Goldenberg, Alan & Marilyn Bergman). This song’s title was clearly chosen to help describe Berk’s professed long-held ambition to become a cabaret singer. She came off...

Jon Weber

Mark Dundas Wood
Anyone who has spent much time attending cabaret shows in New York City in recent years will likely be familiar with Jon Weber, who has worked as pianist and/or musical director for a number of other performers. I've come to appreciate his musical versatility, his good-natured professionalism in support of singers, his curiosity-filled smile, and...