Sing This: The Songs of Jeff Cubeta

Kevin Scott Hall
Don't Tell Mama  –  September 6, 7, 8, 10 When Jeff Cubeta decided recently to showcase his own songs, he went all the way: with four musicians, three vocalists, and himself on the stage of Don't Tell Mama's small room, and a sold-out crowd in attendance, the atmosphere was more like a claustrophobic happy hour...

Shida

Mark Dundas Wood
Ars Nova – July 19 - August 28 The one-woman musical Shida—with book, music and lyrics by Jeannette Bayardelle, who also stars—might well be subtitled Daughter of Job. The title character of this 70-minute show seems to be a poster child for bad things happening to good people. (Spoiler alert: This review reveals the nature...

Gay Camp

Kevin Scott Hall
The Duplex – August 17, 22, September 5, 14, November 9, 15 Written by Philip Mutz and Susan-Kate Heaney, the play Gay Camp was an award-winner and crowd-pleaser at the 2012 FringeNYC. Now, the team behind it has re-imagined it for the smaller stage at the Duplex, and added some music to make it a bit more...

Barbara Malley

Kevin Scott Hall
"Out of Order" Don't Tell Mama  –  April 28, May 12, June 17, July 23, August 21, September 22, October 23 Perhaps it's a sign of our times, but when Barbara Malley takes center stage at Don't Tell Mama and begins her show with "The Lord's Prayer" (traditional) and segues into Pete Seeger's "Turn! Turn!...

Marieann Meringolo

Kevin Scott Hall
"Orchestrated!" Metropolitan Room  -  May 31-June 2, July 7, August 2 Over the years, Marieann Meringolo has built a solid reputation around town and beyond for the high quality of her work in cabaret rooms, putting together well-researched and polished shows on a variety of themes. Always, her remarkable vocal ability has stood out: it's...

Paolo Szot

Mark Dundas Wood
54 Below – August 5-11 Having appreciated Brazilian-born operatic bass-baritone Paulo Szot's Tony-winning performance as Emile de Becque in the New York revival of South Pacific several seasons ago, I anticipated his engagement at 54 Below with enthusiasm. I hoped he would use his celebrated vocal prowess in a sensitive manner in the intimacy of...

Kathryn Allyn and Frank Ponzio

Robert Windeler
"V is for Victory Disc: Doing It for Defense" Stage 72 at the Triad - July 25, August 1 Those of us who don't remember World War II, which is most of us, are even less likely to know about V-Discs, a U.S. government program to send the best popular music of the day to...

Danielle Grabianowski

Kevin Scott Hall
The Duplex  –  May 30, June 19, August 28, then monthly In her latest offering, an untitled show at The Duplex, sly and subversive songbird Danielle Grabianowski ignores the "rules" of cabaret (and gently pokes fun at them in her patter). Opening with a humorous French ditty, "Sympathique" (by Pink Martini's China Forbes and Thomas...

Jillian Laurain

Kevin Scott Hall
"My Broadway – 100 Years of the Great White Way" Metropolitan Room  –  March 2, June 16, November 23 It's hard to find the right superlative for Jillian Laurain, a class act whose talent runs as deep and wide as a mighty river. Here is a woman who trained and worked as an opera singer...

Devin Bing

Kevin Scott Hall
"Devin Bing and the Secret Service" Metropolitan Room  –  June 13, July 18, August 15 A party atmosphere filled the room as young Devin Bing, grooving to the driving intro music, danced onto the stage of the Metropolitan Room, kissing and patting the backs of people in the audience along the way, his band, the...