Roy Sander

Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for over 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.

Shaynee Rainbolt and Donn Trenner

Roy Sander
"Two for the Road" Metropolitan Room  –  September 7, 14, 21, 28 Singer Shaynee Rainbolt has teamed up with musical director, conductor, and pianist Donn Trenner for a month of Fridays at the Metropolitan Room. Trenner has had quite an illustrious career, having worked with some of the biggest names in music and show business,...

Frank Dain

Roy Sander
"The Magic of Mathis" Metropolitan Room – September 8, 21, 28 Though in recent years he could be found from time to time as a guest vocalist in various spots around town, this engagement marks Frank Dain's first solo show in thirteen years. His return has been eagerly anticipated—and judging by the packed house at...

Charlotte Patton

Roy Sander
"Looking for Love in the 21st Century" The Duplex  -  August 15, 22, Sept. 19 Any number of qualities or factors can induce me to see a performer I'm unfamiliar with—for example, a photograph on a flyer that gives the artist an air of intelligence or wit, or a theme that sounds interesting or intriguing....

Stacie Perlman

Roy Sander
"The Story Underneath" Metropolitan Room - July 10, July 31, August 14 When she competed in last year's MetroStar Talent Challenge, Stacie Perlman made a strong and at times dazzling impression. Relatively new to cabaret, having worked previously mainly in theatre, she combined an uncommonly perceptive and expressive acting ability with her manifest singing talent...

Jenifer Lewis

Roy Sander
"Black Don't Crack at 54 Below" 54 Below  -  July 24 - 28 Transporting me from the airport to my hotel when, in the 1990s, I went to Berlin for the first time, the taxi drove through the Brandenburg Gate. Though the driver couldn't have seemed more blasé about the fact that traffic could once...

Bitches of the Kingdom!

Roy Sander
Don't Tell Mama  –  Thursdays, June 14 – July 26 Not so long ago, composer/lyricist Dennis T. Giacino wondered whether the Disney fairytale princesses really did live happily ever after. This moment of contemplation led to his writing the forthcoming off-Broadway musical Disenchanted!, in which the princesses bitch about the way they have been portrayed in...

Rochelle Breyer Chamlin & Paul Chamlin

Roy Sander
"All at Sea: Songs on the Theme of Water" Don't Tell Mama: June 5, 13;  Metropolitan Room: August 7 Over the past few years, pianist/singer Paul Chamlin and his wife, singer Rochelle Breyer Chamlin, have presented several shows, all of them entertaining and all of them marked by a far-reaching and resourceful eye for material...

Brian d’Arcy James

Roy Sander
"Under the Influence" 54 Below  –  June 26 - 30 Brian d'Arcy James comes to 54 Below with "Under the Influence," an evening of pop songs that influenced him when he was growing up in Michigan in the '80s. Though he has enjoyed considerable success and recognition for his work on- and off-Broadway and in television...

Patti LuPone

Roy Sander
"Far Away Places" 54 Below  –  June 5 – 23 54 Below has certainly opened with a bang. Patti LuPone's two-week engagement was a complete sell-out, and now a third week has been added. When I attended, the audience greeted her entrance with abandoned applause, and then proceeded to reward her turns with so many extended...

Carly Sakolove

Roy Sander
"I Hear Voices" The Duplex  –  June 4, 8, 12; added performances June 21, 29 A YouTube video of Carly Sakolove singing Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" as a dozen different "Broadway Divas" was picked by Time as one of the top ten web videos of 2010, and to date it has had over 115,000...