There were so many points in this amazing evening of A Collective Cy that a collective sigh of unanimous appreciation for Jeff Harnar turned the atmosphere of Birdland Jazz Club electric. Pa…
Impresario Scott Siegel does what impresarios do best"which is to produce shows modest to grand with consummate ease and expertise. In this delightful outing at home base, Feinstein's/54 Bel…
A heck of a lot happened in 1941. This is a fact that came to Dawn Derow's attention several years ago, and upon which she built the superlative cabaret show, My Ship: Songs from
1941.…
Impresario Scott Siegel most often hits 'em out of the park, but this time the Universe pitched him a curve ball. The Omicron variant of the covid virus caused some of Siegel's planned guest…
If there's a soul left in the world who doesn't yet know why Broadway and cabaret doyenne and concert-recording artist Karen Mason is a star"capital "S""they need only look to her recent Chr…
For those who know pianist Tedd Firth mainly as a crackerjack accompanist/musical director/arranger to stars such as Melissa Errico, Karen Akers, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christine Ebersole, M…
One of the launching points of Andrea Bell Wolff's Vegas Adventure at Don't Tell Mama is an admission of age by the singer-actress. She just celebrated a birthday that's quite a few decades …
Fast-rising jazz star AnaÃs Reno came home to Birdland to celebrate her debut CD, Lovesome Thing, the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, released during pandemic lockdown. As ex…
Actress-commedienne-vocalist extraordinaire Klea Blackhurst is certifiably "one of the girls""Jerry Herman's girls, that is. Blackhurst earned the title playing Dolly Levi at Goodspeed Opera…
Broadway star Kelli Rabke, a singer-actress of petite stature, got to thinking; it occurred to her that an abundance of legendary singing stars, particularly those who've even become iconic,…
More and more Grammy Award-nominated jazz singer Nicole Zuraitis has been widening her presence in the jazz and popular music spheres with original material. Her recent album release on the …
Who doesn't love a good pun? And who doesn't love a creatively put together cabaret show featuring a warm-hearted, multi-award winning singer and her long-time award-winning music director"p…
The air was super-charged at Birdland Theater as violinist Marissa Licata presented Strings On Fire, with a program of eclectic work that dazzled. She wasn't kidding, either, when she named …
What kind of mind does Jason Kravits have, anyway? His popular improv show, Off the Top! readily reveals the answer to this burning question. Kravits has a quick mind"on steroids. It's proba…
There's no question that Grammy Award-winning vocalist Catherine Russell is the queen of any stage she's gracing. After all, she is jazz royalty, the daughter of Luis Russell, pianist-leader…
Two-time Tony Award® winner, Norbert Leo Butz, commanding the stage at Feinstein's/54 Below, was downright mesmerizing. In Torch Songs for a Pandemic, Butz created an entertaining, fully-…
Scott Siegel's Broadway's Greatest Hits series always offers a good time. Host, writer, producer Siegel has a stellar track record of finding sublime talent from Broadway, cabaret and opera …
What a joy to hear Billy Stritch's album Billy's Place come to life at Birdland Jazz Club. The euphoria of live performance and of coming home to the venue was palpable for everyone in the h…
The multi-talented David Sabella is a performer who walks his talk. He's the author (with Sue Matsuki) of "So You Want To Sing Cabaret," a comprehensive study of the genre, and clearly Sabel…
Scott Siegel and company celebrated The 4th of July at Feinstein's/54 Below with pure Americana"a Siegel version of Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing, with music from Broadway, Hollywood…
By Marilyn. Lester***As we've written about many times in these pages, short-shrift is given to culture and the arts in this country, despite the important economic engine this sector drives…
An Arts and Culture Trust Fund has been proposed by New Jersey Mayor Steven M. Fulop of Jersey City as a financially feasible way to ensure that the arts sector has the resources it needs to…
From time to time we've covered the news about the Mayor's Office of Nightlife since its inception two years ago. At that time, in response to increasing complaints about late-night disturba…
By Marilyn Lester****"Laughter the Best Medicine." The Reader's Digest ran this column for years. And it's true, particularly through the lens of lyricist Michael Colby's new "I've Been to a…
Hats off and applause to the Broadway and theater community for their outpouring of love and for their actions in response to the devastating bush fires in Australia. As a result of record …