Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for thirty years. He’s written cabaret and theatre reviews, features, and commentary for seven print publications, most notably Back Stage, and for CitySearch on the Internet. He covered cabaret monthly on “New York Theatre Review” on PBS TV, and cabaret and theatre weekly on WLIM-FM radio. He was twice a guest instructor at the London School of Musical Theatre. A critic for BistroAwards.com, he is also the site’s Reviews Editor; in addition, he is Chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC.
The title of David Baida’s debut cabaret show, now on view at the Metropolitan Room, is Unexpected Surprise. Anyone who saw his work during last summer’s MetroStar Talent Challenge—which he won—will not be at all surprised that this show (directed by Adolpho Blaire) is clever, funny, inventive, and very entertaining. In addition, he has a robust […]
The article below was published in Back Stage on December 15, 2000. Here’s how I came to write it. The newspaper was planning a special year-end 40th Anniversary issue, with articles surveying the performing arts scene over the first 40 years of the paper’s life. Sherry Eaker, the Editor in Chief of Back Stage, asked me […]
David Vernon’s new show is terrific. Before I elaborate, I’d like to back up to 2005, when I was introduced to his artistry through his CD “By Myself…” I was taken with his voice—pure, ethereal, hauntingly beautiful. I was struck by his eclectic musical taste, embracing such different worlds as Dietz & Schwartz, Michel Legrand, Édith […]
Last month, after not having done new solo shows for a while, Lucille Carr-Kaffashan and Maureen Kelley Stewart unveiled their latest offerings. Making welcome returns is not all these vocalists have in common. Both are in top form and giving very strong performances in excellent shows with marvelous arrangements and exceptional instrumental support—and both are MAC […]
Over the past several weeks, I attended a couple of shows not knowing what lay in store for me. On the other hand, there were two other shows I went to with high expectations. Shawn Moninger For twenty-one years, Shawn Moninger was a technical director at Don’t Tell Mama. Several years ago, he packed […]
A few years ago, Molly Pope cast off the hard-edged bitch-diva persona that had made her the darling of camp followers, and allowed us to see the person underneath. The form she chose then was a scripted, theatrically stylized presentation of her experiences breaking into show business; it was both a welcome development and a […]
An evening of the songs of Nicholas Levin was long overdue, so the new revue “Somewhere in This Song” at the Metropolitan Room is a cause for celebration. Surveying the scene of contemporary songwriters, one finds some who may have something to say, but whose lyrics are lacking in basic craftsmanship or marked by infelicitous word/phrase […]
In an email promoting his show “CHARLIE! Anything but Basic” at the Metropolitan Room, Charlie Johnson made a few rather grand claims. He described it as “a terrific new act” and added that he has a “unique performance style [that combines] classic cabaret with a modern-day sensibility in a way no one else is doing.” […]
Two Cheyenne Jacksons are making their Café Carlyle debut: Cheyenne Jackson the handsome actor-singer of stage, film, and television; and Cheyenne Jackson the man, who has faced a number of personal challenges and tells us about them. Headliners at the upper echelon of clubs may sometimes talk about their careers, but it’s quite rare for […]
The Weimar Republic was created shortly after the end of World War I, giving Germany the first democratically elected parliamentary government in its history. After only fourteen years, this period of unprecedented political, personal, and artistic freedom was dealt a crushing blow with Hitler’s ascent to power. While it lasted, it produced an exceptional body of songs […]
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