Karen Oberlin
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Birds Do It: Songs of the Natural World" The Metropolitan Room - October 28, 29, November 5, 12 There is usually one standout moment in every well-crafted cabaret show. Sometimes it defines the purpose of the show. Other times it is just a personal favorite. However you decide on the standout moment in Karen Oberlin's...
Steve Tyrell
D4vidFinkle
Steve Tyrell Café Carlyle - November 10 – December 30 Although he says he takes no requests, Steve Tyrell gives the audience what it wants. And sometimes he even takes requests—or makes it look as if he does. At the Saturday night late set I attended at the Café Carlyle, he obliged a vocal ringsider...
Maureen Taylor
Roy Sander
"Taylor Made: Bob Merrill" Metropolitan Room - October 25, 26, November 2, 9, December 5 If I had been asked a few weeks ago whether a good show could be created from a mix of songs of highly varying quality—some of them mediocre at best—I'm not sure what I would have answered. Having seen Maureen Taylor's program of...
Maude Maggart
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Parents and Children" Feinstein's at Loews Regency - November 10-14 She was born Amber McAfee Maggart, but she changed her first name to Maude. Maude Maggart, so evocative of the past, is a better fit for this singer who continues to draw from timeless, artfully crafted songs that define life and humanity. When she started...
Micaela Leon & Adrienne Haan
Roy Sander
"Narcissa & Goldmund — Diabolocal Weimar Wunderkinder" Metropolitan Room - October 24, 31, November 22, 29 Don't be put off by the silly, cumbersome title, "Narcissa & Goldmund—Diabolical Weimar Wunderkinder." This musical revue provides an excellent opportunity to sample the extraordinary body of work that came out of Weimar Berlin—the period that began in 1919...
Ricky Ritzel
Roy Sander
"Ricky Ritzel Has Hysterical Blondness" Metropolitan Room - November 8, 12, 15, December 10, 16 The title of Ricky Ritzel's new offering—his first solo show in donkey's years—is "Ricky Ritzel Has Hysterical Blondness." I don't know whether his hair is genuinely blond—it would be ungentlemanly of me to attempt to get to the root of...
Trent Armand Kendall
Roy Sander
"Picture Incomplete" Laurie Beechman Theatre - November 2, 16, December 14, 21 Actor-singer Trent Armand Kendall has written the book to "Picture Incomplete," a one-man, multi-character musical about a man who, on his 40th birthday, examines his past life and considers his future possibilities. He tells his story through songs, monologues, and character sketches of various...
Nesha Ward
Roy Sander
"I Am…" Don't Tell Mama - October 8, 21, November 2 I can't imagine not falling in love with Nesha Ward. With her soul-cheering smile, her manifest and unflagging enthusiasm for singing and performing, and the positive energy she radiates throughout her show, she is the personification of joy. On top of that, her funny,...
Pamela Luss
Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Sweet and Saxy" Jazz Standard - October 28 It is a smart move all around when a singer has the expertise and taste to find the best to accompany her. In "Sweet and Saxy," her one-night only performance at the Jazz Standard, Pamela Luss joined a quintet of greats for a swinging partnership. With Luss...
Stevie Holland
D4vidFinkle
"Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter" The Triad - October 28-November 21 (Wednesdays and Saturdays) With cabaret shows, there's nothing more commonplace than sets built around a songwriter or songwriting team. This is especially true when the same songwriters are picked—or picked on—time after time. Maybe I wouldn't mind if someone honored the...