Gerry Geddes has conceived and directed a number of musical revues—including the Bistro- and MAC Award-winning "Monday in the Dark with George" and "Put On Your Saturday Suit-Words & Music by Jimmy Webb"—and directed many cabaret artists, including André De Shields, Helen Baldassare, Darius de Haas, and drag artist Julia Van Cartier. He directs "The David Drumgold Variety Show," currently in residence at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, and has produced a number of recordings, including two Bistro-winning CDs. He’s taught vocal performance at The New School, NYU, and London’s Goldsmith’s College and continues to conduct private workshops and master classes. As a writer and critic, he has covered New York’s performing arts scene for over 40 years in both local and national publications; his lyrics have been sung by several cabaret and recording artists. Gerry is an artist in residence at Pangea, and a regular contributor to the podcast “Troubadours & Raconteurs.” He just completed a memoir of his life in NYC called “Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?”
When I am teaching a vocal performance class, I always stress that just because a singer loves to listen to a song doesn’t mean that the singer should sing it. In the case of Susan Mack’s Music in the Air at Birdland, I would expand that to include if a singer loves a genre of […]
Jane Bruce and TUCKER are such charismatic, charming performers that it goes a long way towards forgiveness of the flaws that pepper their new show, Jane & TUCKER: Stripped, at Feinstein’s/54 Below. Bruce, fresh from a Tony Awards performance with Jagged Little Pill, and cabaret veteran TUCKER have good voices, infectious energy, and winning personalities. […]
Miss Hope Springs is the multi-talented creation of Ty Jeffries, the son of the great British character actor Lionel Jeffries. This is the recording of a concert in celebration of UK Pride Month 2021 with a program made up entirely of original material. She can sing, she can play, she can delight with witty and […]
By the time singer/actress Beth Leavel had finished her first number, “It’s Not About Me” (Matthew Sklar, Chuck Beguelin from The Prom), she had the audience tied up in a bow and in the palm of her hand; she did not let it go until she exited the stage at the end of her remarkably entertaining return […]
During COVID, I viewed any number of virtual concerts and cabaret shows but I can count the ones that succeeded on the fingers of one hand. Based on Chansons d’Amour by German-based actor/singer/pianist Vladimir Kornéev & WDR Funkhaus Orchestra, and on another audience-less concert I will be soon be reviewing, it appears that across the Atlantic they have […]
I approached Don’t Tell Mama to see Unsolicited Advice About Life, Love, & Practical Shoes with a sense of anticipation because singer/songwriter Carolyn German had been previously recommended to me by friends who had seen her at open mics around town and suggested I should check her out. I can understand their enthusiasm since they […]
It is a singular pleasure to come across a new jazz release that honors the style and class of an old school album while offering a fresh and exhilarating selection of songs and a personal point of view. That is exactly what Ever Since the World Ended from Lauren White and The Quinn Johnson Trio offers a […]
Just the name, The Boy Band Project, conjures so many possibilities ranging from tongue-in-cheek parody to soaring harmonies, from impossibly romantic ballads to irresistible dance rhythms. In their debut at Feinstein’s/54 Below, the four talented performers (Kevin John Murray, Travis Nesbitt, Christopher Brasfield, Jesse JP Johnson) tried to hit all these buttons and succeeded in […]
Wilma Baan’s new CD, So Nice, arrives just in time to combat the dog days of summer. This tasteful grouping of standards from the vocal jazz repertoire is a low-key, savvy, delightful refreshment, almost able to conjure breezes where there are none. The singer is assured and comfortable in her surroundings—nothing to prove, nothing to […]
Critical Thoughts: Performers Take Heed! Cabaret Is Back, and So Are Its Faux Pas
After a year and a half of pandemic-induced exile, cabaret performance is at last returning to New York. It has been rewarding to attend a club, imbibe a two-drink minimum and, perhaps, a meal, while being entertained by established performers flexing their long dormant muscles and by newcomers making their long- delayed debuts. I have […]
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