Marianne Challis

Roy Sander
"The Cosmo Report" Feinstein's at Loews Regency  -  January 17, 18, 24, 25 Marianne Challis's latest show, "The Cosmo Report," now debuting at Feinstein's, is very much in the vein of her previous offerings, which bore the title, in one variant or other, "Middle-Aged Party Girl." Far from being uninspired repetition, this recidivism is actually very good...

Lorna Luft

Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Songs My Mother Taught Me: The Judy Garland Songbook" Feinstein's at Loews Regency  –  January 4 – 9 A legend is a tough act to follow, something Lorna Luft knows only too well. She has lived under the shadows of her legendary "Mama," Judy Garland, and her superstar half-sister, Liza Minnelli, stepping out occasionally to show...

Bonnie Langford

Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Bonnie Langford Spends Christmas in New York" 59E59 Theaters  –  December 14 to January 2, 2011 "Let Me Entertain You" was Bonnie Langford's big number when she played Baby June in Gypsy (Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim) opposite Angela Lansbury. That was 35 years ago. She was ten years old, and considering her cabaret offering, Bonnie Langford...

Sue Mathys

Elizabeth Ahlfors
"Two Worlds, One Voice" Urban Stages Theatre  –  December 14 Piaf, Kurt Weill, the Broadway stage — singer and actress extraordinaire Sue Mathys does it all, casting a singular spell over the listener. It is always a special treat when you see and hear a talented theatre and concert artist live. If, however, you take...

Andrea Marcovicci

Roy Sander
"Blue Champagne: The History of the Torch Song" Oak Room at the Algonquin  -   November 16 – December 30 Each year I look forward eagerly to Andrea Marcovicci's annual visit to the Algonquin's Oak Room. I go expecting an evening of supreme artistry, insightful analysis, and witty entertainment—and I'm never disappointed. Her current offering, which examines,...

Baby Jane Dexter

Roy Sander
"The Real World" Metropolitan Room  -  November 26 – December 18, Fridays and Saturdays The first time I saw Baby Jane Dexter perform was in 1977 at the original Ballroom on West Broadway in SoHo. I immediately became a fan. Singers can typically be slotted into general categories, but I have yet to come across another singer...

David Campbell

Roy Sander
Feinstein's at Loews Regency  -  November 28 – December 2 After an eight-year absence, Australian singer David Campbell recently returned to New York to promote his new CD, David Campbell On Broadway, and play a five-day run at Feinstein's. I'd like to set my comments on that performance within the context of his earlier New Yorkappearances and the artistic development he...

Janice Hall

Roy Sander
"Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlene Dietrich" Metropolitan Room  -  November 3, 6, 13, 21, December 8 Those of us fortunate enough to have seen Marlene Dietrich in concert know first-hand how magnetic her allure was, and many millions of others know this through her film work. In her tribute to Dietrich now on view...

Rich Flanders & Celia Berk

Roy Sander
"Double Standards" Don't Tell Mama  -  August 20, November 5 When they met a few years ago, Rich Flanders and Celia Berk discovered they liked singing together—so much so that they decided to do something about it: With the assistance of musical director and arranger Alex Rybeck and director JoAnn Yeoman, they recently presented the...

Deb Berman

Roy Sander
"All in Good Time" Metropolitan Room: October 17, 25, November 2;  Don't Tell Mama: December 6, 20 Some people make impressive debuts and then fizzle. But not Deb Berman, whose bow in 2008 earned her a Bistro Award for Outstanding Debut, and who has come back to the Metropolitan Room with her first offering since then showing...