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?”
The new revue, recently presented at 59E59 Theaters, Notes from Now—Songs of Resilience & Renewal is, like most revues, a hit-and-miss affair, but when it hits, it is very, very good. It features mostly newly commissioned original songs by contemporary musical theatre writers. The show opens with Adam Gwon’s “Don’t Swat the Bee,” which […]
During lockdown and quarantine, many people spent an inordinate amount of time bingeing TV shows and movies, searching through Netflix, Amazon’s Prime, and other streaming services, for the perfect film or series or genre to fill their days and occupy their minds. Singer Melissa Errico immersed herself in the shadowy, mysterious, dangerously romantic world of […]
The very first contribution I made to cabaret was persuading my friend, Marc Allen Trujillo, to include Randy Edelman’s “The Laughter and the Tears” in his act and helping him to phrase and to stage it. I first heard the song on Nancy Wilson’s album, I Know I Love Him (it was later recorded by […]
When you are singing a song, you are telling a story. You may be narrating the story to the audience, you may be a participant in the story, or simply observing or perhaps reacting to the story, but in each case, the words matter. The more connected to the song you are, the more personal […]
I first reviewed Karen Mason back in the “golden days” of NYC cabaret, at the Duplex, just after she moved from Chicago to NYC and then, a bit later, at the opening night of the cabaret room at Don’t Tell Mama. She was an electrifying vocalist, a spellbinding and open-hearted storyteller, and a star. She […]
As the first notes of Chopin’s “Prelude in C Minor” (which is the basis of Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic”) slid easily into “It’s A Miracle” (Manilow, Marty Panzer), it was already apparent that singer Dorian Woodruff holds a special affection for and appreciation of the legendary singer/songwriter; there would be no camp and […]
Mason Alexander Park’s The Pansy Craze at Chelsea Table + Stage was part TED talk on non-binary history, part hard rock cabaret show, and part showcase for Park’s obvious talents. They played Hedwig in the first national tour of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and regionally in I Am My Own Wife, Cabaret, and The […]
On the eve of Halloween 2021, I ventured into Club Cumming in the East Village. It was festooned with cobwebs and an errant skull here and there; hanging from the ceiling throughout the bar were multiple close-up photos of Janet Leigh’s head just as she is about to take her legendary shower. It set the […]
I recently visited The Blue Room, a new (or at least new to me) cabaret upstairs from Good Judy, a friendly and comfortable gay bar on Fifth Ave in Brooklyn. The show room is a tiny, bare bones space with an upright piano on the stage, decent lights, and excellent sound. It’s a throwback in […]
Critical Thoughts: You’ve Rehearsed and Rehearsed….Now What?
For the purposes of this column, I will be wearing both a director’s hat and a critic’s hat, with the former being a bit larger than the latter. You will see why as we go— 1) Patter, Patter, Patter Sometimes even the most seasoned of performers will find patter (talking between songs) the most difficult […]
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