Tom Vaughn
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Trail of Cheers" Laurie Beechman Theatre – March 20, 30, April 11 Creating a cabaret show is a balancing act, keeping various emotional balls in the air while maintaining authenticity and musicality. The show should reveal something about the performer without audiences having to endure a self-serving swamp of his personal minutiae. Avoiding preachiness and...
Amra-Faye Wright
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Sittin' on Top of the World" Feinstein's at Loews Regency – April 3 & 5 Glamour, attitude, sophistication—this was once the image of nightclub divas. These days, not so much—though occasionally you spot that charisma on stage right before you. This was how last October, Amra-Faye Wright, a statuesque platinum blonde from South Africa, showed...
Barb Jungr
Roy Sander
"Man in the Long Black Coat" Metropolitan Room – April 10 - 28 Most of my fellow critics have been going gaga over Barb Jungr. My reaction when I first saw her, in 2004, was mixed—and so it has remained over the course of several subsequent viewings, sometimes more positive than negative, other times the...
Clint Holmes
Roy Sander
"This Thing Called Love, Cole Porter & Paul Simon" Café Carlyle - April 10 - 28 With creative programming, an imaginative concept, and a daring performance that knocks expectations out the window, Clint Holmes's new show at the Café Carlyle is not so much an evening of song as it is a hell of a...
Gregory Charles
Kevin Scott Hall
"Vintage" Café Carlyle – April 3-7 Canadian musician and singer Gregory Charles, very popular in his home country and abroad, has brought his show "Vintage" to none other than the posh and intimate Café Carlyle. The formula, which has apparently won him many fans in venues large and small, is simple: do an all-request show...
Stacy Sullivan
Roy Sander
"A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee" Iridium – March 13 When Stacy Sullivan sings "I Love Being Here With You" (Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee) at the very top of her tribute to Peggy Lee, it is clear that she means it. I've long been a fan of Sullivan, but I don't think I've ever seen...
Nellie McKay
Kevin Scott Hall
"Silent Spring – It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature" Feinstein's at Loews Regency – March 20-31 Inspired by the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," a book that many argue started the modern environmentalist movement, idiosyncratic singer/songwriter Nellie McKay has fashioned a one-woman show on her subject, shoehorning a mix...
Marissa Mulder
Roy Sander
"Illusions" Metropolitan Room – March 7 - 10 Marissa Mulder's latest engagement at the Metropolitan Room was her prize for winning the club's 2011 MetroStar Talent Challenge. Considering the very high level of artistry, intelligence, and poise she displays in this new show, it's hard to believe that only two years have passed since I...
Judy Kuhn
Mark Dundas Wood
Feinstein's at Loews Regency – March 6, 8, 9 and 10 Poised and serene, actor-singer Judy Kuhn exhibited a regal demeanor from the first moment she stepped onto the Feinstein's stage. She moved her arms—her whole body, in fact—gracefully yet assertively. At a passionate moment, her hand fluttered to her throat as if to cool...
Marieann Meringolo
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"You Must Believe in Spring! – The Music of Michel Legrand" Feinstein's at Loews Regency - February. 26, March 4. 11, 18 In a review several years ago, I praised Marieann Meringolo's poise, rich vocal power, and dynamic renditions. After seeing her current show at Feinstein's at Loews Regency, let's raise that a notch or...