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...

Billie Roe

Roy Sander
"1978 NYC Underground" Metropolitan Room - May 15 - 18 During the closing remarks in her latest offering, Billie Roe tells us that she's wanted to do a Tom Waits show for a long time. Well, the gestation period may have been long, but the baby is beautiful and healthy. While all of the musical...

Annie Kozuch

Mark Dundas Wood
"Mostly Jobim" Stage 72 – May 29, June 6 Bossa nova music has always ambled gently along the line in the sand between jazz and pop, like some tall, tanned girl sauntering down an Ipanema beach. In his 1979 book The Latin Tinge, music critic John Storm Roberts identified bossa nova as a "fusion of...

Marnie Klar

Roy Sander
"Accidental Happiness" Don't Tell Mama - April 13, 26, May 8, 21, July 16, 24 Marnie Klar's new show, "Accidental Happiness," is all about struggling with the hurdles that life throws in our path, and overcoming them. With the exception of her personal account of one such challenge and how she dealt with it, the...

Lianne Marie Dobbs

Roy Sander
"Everything Old Is New Again" Metropolitan Room  -  April 7, 8, 14, 21 Like figure skaters, cabaret artists can be judged on their technical skills and their artistic merit. Lianne Marie Dobbs has both of these bases covered: Her voice is an attractive and unfailingly sure instrument, and she has considerable acting chops; what's more,...

Distorted Diznee

Mark Dundas Wood
Laurie Beechman Theatre  – ongoing, every other Friday "If you're easily offended, please get the hell out of here right now," Dallas Dubois tells the audience after the opening number of "Distorted Diznee," a drag show that aims to take your favorite scenarios from classic Disney films and stage shows and stand them on their...

Jon Peterson

Robert Windeler
"Song Man Dance Man" Stage 72 at the Triad Theatre  -  May 7 Jon Peterson's talent as both singer and tap dancer is impressive. He provides an amiable, riveting stage presence; on top of that, his complete absorption of the work of his deceased double- triple- and even quadruple-threat, iconic showbiz predecessors and his enthusiasm...

Daniel Brewer

Kevin Scott Hall
"mismatch.com" Don't Tell Mama  -  April 14, 21, 28 Any one of us who has been through the New York City dating conundrum—gay or straight, at whatever age—will be able to relate to Daniel Brewer's mismatch.com, his new cabaret offering that recently played at Don't Tell Mama. Playing Benjamin Misstep, Brewer gave us more or...