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.

Mx. Justin Vivian Bon

Roy Sander
54 Below  –  Mondays, June 4 – July 9; Friday-Saturday July 20-21 Justin Vivian Bond comes on stage at 54 Below in an elegant long black dress slit up the left side to reveal a swell pair of gams. V's hair is long and blonde, and v's jewelry and elbow-length gloves are stylish. V starts to...

Fran Leonardis

Roy Sander
"It Will Never Be That Way Again" Metropolitan Room  –  March 24, April 9, May 23 Fran Leonardis couldn't have picked a better—or truer—song for her opening number than Marvin Laird and Joe Paley's "Born to Entertain." With it, she proclaims exactly what she's about, then for the next hour she proceeds to prove it....

Barb Jungr

Roy Sander
"Man in the Long Black Coat" Metropolitan Room – April 10 - 28 Most of my fellow critics have been going gaga over Barb Jungr. My reaction when I first saw her, in 2004, was mixed—and so it has remained over the course of several subsequent viewings, sometimes more positive than negative, other times the...

Clint Holmes

Roy Sander
"This Thing Called Love, Cole Porter & Paul Simon" Café Carlyle  -  April 10 - 28 With creative programming, an imaginative concept, and a daring performance that knocks expectations out the window, Clint Holmes's new show at the Café Carlyle is not so much an evening of song as it is a hell of a...

Stacy Sullivan

Roy Sander
"A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee" Iridium – March 13 When Stacy Sullivan sings "I Love Being Here With You" (Bill Schluger, Peggy Lee) at the very top of her tribute to Peggy Lee, it is clear that she means it. I've long been a fan of Sullivan, but I don't think I've ever seen...

Marissa Mulder

Roy Sander
"Illusions" Metropolitan Room – March 7 - 10 Marissa Mulder's latest engagement at the Metropolitan Room was her prize for winning the club's 2011 MetroStar Talent Challenge. Considering the very high level of artistry, intelligence, and poise she displays in this new show, it's hard to believe that only two years have passed since I...

Robert Creighton

Roy Sander
"Ain't We Got Fun!" Metropolitan Room – February 12 & 13 Moonlighting from his eight-shows-a-week job playing the ship's purser in the Roundabout production of Anything Goes, tenor Robert Creighton docked at the Metropolitan Room for a couple of evenings last month to launch his debut CD, "Ain't We Got Fun!" Early on in the...

Petula Clark

Roy Sander
Feinstein's at Loews Regency  –  January 24 – February 11 When Petula Clark opens her show at Feinstein's singing "I Concentrate on You" slowly and with quiet solemnity, I thought to myself, "This is a chancy thing to do." After all, though her extensive work in films and in the theatre have earned her considerable...

Tanya Holt

Roy Sander
Urban Stages – December 10 When Tanya Holt performed recently at the estimable Winter Rhythms festival at Urban Stages, it was her first solo offering in five years. During the intervening period, I saw her sing an occasional song or two in variety evenings or as a guest artist in other people's shows, and having...

Billie Roe

Roy Sander
"Dangerous Women – Life in Film Noir" Don't Tell Mama – November 4, 11, 18, 25 I was so taken with Billie Roe's performance when she was a contestant in the first MetroStar Talent Challenge, that even though over three years have passed, I still recall it vividly. Since then, she has been high on...