Gerry Geddes

Gerry Geddes, critic for BistroAwards.com, is an award-winning director, writer, teacher, performer, lyricist, and a contributor to the podcast Troubadours and Raconteurs. He conceived and directed the acclaimed musical revues Monday in the Dark with George (Bistro and MAC Award winner), Put on Your Saturday Suit—Words & Music by Jimmy Webb, and Gerry Geddes & Company (in its five-year residency at Pangea). He has directed singers André De Shields, Darius de Haas, Helen Baldassare, and Lisa Viggiano. He has been active in the cabaret world for over five decades and has produced numerous CDs; his lyrics have been performed and recorded here and in Europe. Gerry’s workshop, The Art of Vocal Performance, is regularly offered to singers of all levels. His memoir of life in NYC, Didn’t I Ever Tell You This?, was recently published and is available at barnesandnoble.com. He is currently at work on his first novel.

Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett

Gerry Geddes
First, I have a confession to make. I have a soft spot for the "Vegas side" of cabaret when done well. I have such lasting memories of Ann-Margret, Peter Allen, Petula Clark and others doing big, brassy, flashy shows that at the same time managed moments of heart and intimacy. At Feinstein's/54 Below, Jarrod Spector and...

Alexa Ray Joel

Gerry Geddes
The Café Carlyle is one of the last of its kind in New York City—a genuine night club, an elegantly appointed room harkening back to the days of the Empire Room, the Persian Room and the Maisonette, where legendary stars and promising newcomers would ply their craft before a room full of equally elegant diners...

Andrea Bell Wolff

Gerry Geddes
Sometimes when a show goes wrong, it goes wrong in every way. Sad to say, Andrea Bell Wolff's "Bad Girls Do Cry," which is dedicated to the girl-group sounds of the 1960s, is one of those shows—from little things like misspelling the names of Lesley Gore and Carole King (repeatedly) in the song list, to...

Meg Flather

Gerry Geddes
I last saw Meg Flather at Don't Tell Mama in the mid-'80s and I remember being highly entertained by her voice and her show. Seeing her again at that venerable performance space in 2015 in her new show, "Carly & Me," I am happy to report that her wit, her charm and her singing are as...

Matthew Connor

Gerry Geddes
Seeing Matthew Connor at Rockwood Music Hall (the terrific multiplex of music rooms in the East Village) I was reminded of the first time I saw Tom Waits at the much-missed Bottom Line. Waits adopted a complete persona for the stage. Someone coming in unaware would have thought that a derelict had wandered into the...

Nicholas Guest

Gerry Geddes
Nicholas Guest is the son of a British diplomat and brother to Christopher Guest (of Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show fame) and to New York Times writer Anthony Haden-Guest. He has appeared in numerous films, dating back to Trading Places and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. His voice has appeared in even...

Jay Brannan

Gerry Geddes
Jay Brannan walked out on stage at Joe's Pub in his recent performance as if he were entering his living room to greet some friends who had stopped by to hang out. In t-shirt and jeans, with red sneakers, carrying a guitar and smiling a sly, shy smile, he sat on the lone stool, center...

Melissa Hamilton

Gerry Geddes
It's an increasingly rare occurrence to encounter a vocal jazz performance at which, after only a bit of the first number, I can just relax in the realization that I am in the presence of a master of the form, that I will gladly put myself in his or her hands and let them take...

The Engaygement

Gerry Geddes
The Engaygement, the new musical with book, lyrics, and music by David Auxier-Loyola, (in which boy-meets-boy morphs into boy-weds-boy legally), is a hybrid—at once a workshop of a new musical play, a showcase for new songs and a cabaret show. While it is an enjoyable evening, the focus is scattered among those three intentions so...