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...

Cynthia Farrell

Mark Dundas Wood
"Cynthia Farrell for Real" Don't Tell Mama – July 23, 25, 31 With her smooth, controlled, powerful voice, her deep concentration, and her diligent attention to enunciation and phrasing, Cynthia Farrell, now making her cabaret debut at Don't Tell Mama, is a talent to keep a sharp eye on. The emotional intensity she can bring...

Julie Budd

Mark Dundas Wood
An Evening with Julie Budd" Metropolitan Room – June 12, 13 Talk about your elephant in the room. I suppose it is possible to write about a Julie Budd performance without mentioning the name Barbra Streisand. But it's sort of like describing Colby cheese without using the word "cheddar." Why give yourself the aggravation? The...
Julie Budd

Tales from the Jazz Age: An F. Scott Fitzgerald Songbook

Robert Windeler
Café Carlyle  -  June 13, 20, 21 This revue of songs truly linked to the life and works of F. Scott Fitzgerald is a good idea, if only to provide a cleansing antidote to the late, unlamented, musically anachronistic Baz Luhrman movie version of The Great Gatsby. Co-creators Will Friedwald, who conceived the show, and Sarna...