The Follow Spot
Roy Sander
Iridium - Tuesdays, from 11:00 PM There's a new open mic in town: "The Follow Spot," every Tuesday evening starting at 11:00PM at Iridium. Each of the city's open mics has qualities and attributes that set it apart from the others, and each is likely to appeal to a particular subset of the musical community (performers...
Raquel Bitton
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"A Little Bit of Paris: The Songs of Edith Piaf and Paris in the 1930's and 1940's" Feinstein's at Loews Regency - February 14 There were many opportunities around town for celebrating Valentine's Day. I, unfortunately, wasted a perfectly good evening of romance going to Feinstein's at Loews Regency for Raquel Bitton's "A Little Bit of...
T. Oliver Reid
Roy Sander
"This Love I Know" Metropolitan Room - February 10 - 14 As his prize for winning the 2010 MetroStar Talent Challenge at the Metropolitan Room, T. Oliver Reid received a fully produced one-week run at the club—an engagement that he recently completed. It was an impressive display of the strengths and qualities that served him so well...
Steve Ross
Roy Sander
"Rhythm & Romance" Oak Room at the Algonquin - January 18 – February 12 A while ago I labeled Steve Ross one of the three reigning masters of the art of cabaret singing, the other two being Julie Wilson and Andrea Marcovicci. What distinguishes and unites these great artists is that their interpretations are uncommonly rich...
Marianne Challis
Roy Sander
"The Cosmo Report" Feinstein's at Loews Regency - January 17, 18, 24, 25 Marianne Challis's latest show, "The Cosmo Report," now debuting at Feinstein's, is very much in the vein of her previous offerings, which bore the title, in one variant or other, "Middle-Aged Party Girl." Far from being uninspired repetition, this recidivism is actually very good...
Lorna Luft
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Songs My Mother Taught Me: The Judy Garland Songbook" Feinstein's at Loews Regency – January 4 – 9 A legend is a tough act to follow, something Lorna Luft knows only too well. She has lived under the shadows of her legendary "Mama," Judy Garland, and her superstar half-sister, Liza Minnelli, stepping out occasionally to show...
Bonnie Langford
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Bonnie Langford Spends Christmas in New York" 59E59 Theaters – December 14 to January 2, 2011 "Let Me Entertain You" was Bonnie Langford's big number when she played Baby June in Gypsy (Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim) opposite Angela Lansbury. That was 35 years ago. She was ten years old, and considering her cabaret offering, Bonnie Langford...
Sue Mathys
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Two Worlds, One Voice" Urban Stages Theatre – December 14 Piaf, Kurt Weill, the Broadway stage — singer and actress extraordinaire Sue Mathys does it all, casting a singular spell over the listener. It is always a special treat when you see and hear a talented theatre and concert artist live. If, however, you take...
Andrea Marcovicci
Roy Sander
"Blue Champagne: The History of the Torch Song" Oak Room at the Algonquin - November 16 – December 30 Each year I look forward eagerly to Andrea Marcovicci's annual visit to the Algonquin's Oak Room. I go expecting an evening of supreme artistry, insightful analysis, and witty entertainment—and I'm never disappointed. Her current offering, which examines,...
Baby Jane Dexter
Roy Sander
"The Real World" Metropolitan Room - November 26 – December 18, Fridays and Saturdays The first time I saw Baby Jane Dexter perform was in 1977 at the original Ballroom on West Broadway in SoHo. I immediately became a fan. Singers can typically be slotted into general categories, but I have yet to come across another singer...