Kim Grogg

Kevin Scott Hall
"One Hit Wonder Woman!" Don't Tell Mama  –  October 18, 23, 25, 30 It's hard not to share in Kim Grogg's delight when she puts together a smorgasbord of big-hit anomalies from the pop charts of the '50s through the '90s. One anticipates hearing those seldom-heard oddities that had a season in the sun on...

Lauren Fox

Roy Sander
"Here's to Love" Metropolitan Room  –  March 21, 28, April 4, 11, September 8 I hadn't planned on reviewing Lauren Fox. I went to her show at the Metropolitan Room last month purely out of curiosity: though this was her first venture into cabaret, she had received praise for her recent work in theatre, and...

Betty Buckley

Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway" Feinstein's at Loews Regency  –  October 4 - 29 "Ah Men! The Boys of Broadway"—it's a tasty title. Who would not find inspiration in the beautiful boys of Broadway? In her latest salute to the Great White Way, Betty Buckley remembers the songs performed by some of the greats...

Tom Gamblin

Kevin Scott Hall
"A Way Back to Then" Metropolitan Room  –  September 22, October 11  Cabaret audiences may know Tom Gamblin best for his stints as the quick-witted host of the Metropolitan Room's popular annual summer-long performance contest, the MetroStar Talent Challenge. Theatregoers may know him for his off-Broadway and tour work or perhaps his nine seasons playing...

Donald Wayne

Mark Dundas Wood
"Lost in the 40's" Don't Tell Mama  –  August 28, September 8, 10, 11, 13  With "Lost in the Forties," Donald Wayne provided a highly personal look- and listen-back at the music consumed by 1940s Americans—a generation wounded and scarred by the Second World War. Early on in the show, which was directed by Spider...

Kenneth Gartman

Mark Dundas Wood
"…not like the other cavemen" Don't Tell Mama  –  September 10 & 14, October 23 & 28, November 2 At the top of his act, Kenneth Gartman speaks about growing up listening to—and singing—Christian pop music. He actually includes a couple of numbers from that genre in his show. On the night I attended, I...

Carole Demas

Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Summer Nights" Laurie Beechman Theatre  –  September 19, October 17 Summer nights are balmy rather than steamy when Carole Demas delivers her reprise of Summer Nights, a program of American songs. This is easy listening in a most engaging way. The casual Demas has a wide smile and a welcoming, laid-back demeanor, but beneath that...

Simply Streisand

Mark Dundas Wood
Laurie Beechman Theatre  –  August 10 & 24, Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Nov. 2 Installments of "Simply Streisand" began playing at the Laurie Beechman Theatre this summer, and the series will continue, at least into early fall. Each performance enlists a different mix of singers to pay tribute to Barbra Streisand and sing selections from...

O Sole Trio

Roy Sander
I didn't know quite what to expect from O Sole Trio. The three members of this group (musical director/accompanist David Shenton and vocalists Erin Shields and Giuseppe Spoletini) all have classical training, so I thought they might present an evening of Italian arias, which would have been just dandy with me. But, then, the group's...

Max and Maxine: Together…AGAIN!

Kevin Scott Hall
 Don't Tell Mama  –  September 13 & 20 First presented back in 1997, "Max and Maxine" follows the careers of an aging lounge act doing its desperate best to remain relevant and hip. Theatre veterans Bryan Scott Johnson and Jennifer Perry have fun playing the over-the-top duo, along with musical director Gary Adler, during a...