Aaron Valentine — “Who Are You Again? Learning to Sing Through Life”

Gerry Geddes
Hearing Aaron Valentine’s rich, piercing vocals on a medley of A Chorus Line’s “Music and the Mirror” (Marvin Hamlisch, Ed Kleban) and Glee’s “Let Me Be Your Star” (Marc Shaiman, Scott Whitman) near the top of his recent show at Don’t Tell Mama, Who Are You Again? Learning to Sing Through Life, it’s easy to...

Christopher Caswell — “Ordinary Miracles”

Gerry Geddes
For his new show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Ordinary Miracles, singer Christopher Caswell chose a form of cabaret that has become more and more popular—the confessional memoir. The form has its own unique set of pitfalls, most obvious of which is that performers tend to invest even the smallest incident with an importance which...

Crystal Lewis—”That’s What I’d Say”

Penelope Thomas
Crystal Lewis brings a rockabilly-gospel sensibility to the cabaret stage. She’s a nuanced and authentic performer and is a great technician as a vocalist. If her singing sounds spontaneous and has a deliciously rough edge, it’s a well-earned proficiency that allows her spirit to cut loose and share her inspiring stage presence.  Her band in...

Ryan James Monroe

Mark Dundas Wood
Ryan James Monroe is a big singer in many ways. He’s physically imposing—someone you wouldn’t mind accompanying you if you were planning on navigating some dark alleys. As far as his wardrobe and styling choices go, he seems dedicated to flair and flamboyance. (At the show I saw he wore a heavy-looking, floor-length black skirt...

Spotlighting New Faces (for this author anyway) at This Season’s “Winter Rhythms”

Mark Dundas Wood
Last year, I made it to almost every offering at the Winter Rhythms series at Urban Stages. This year, I mixed things up a little. I elected to see shows only from performers whose work and talents I was unfamiliar with, and to write about them in greater detail.  As usual Winter Rhythms was presided...

Nellie McKay

Mark Dundas Wood
For her opening number at her recent show at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Nellie McKay chose a hit song from 1967: the Doors’ “People Are Strange” (John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, Jim Morrison). Accompanying herself at the piano, she sang, in a wee voice but an incredibly intense one: “People are strange when you’re...

“The Beat of a Wandering Heart—The Songs of Marty Silvestri and Joel Higgins”

Gerry Geddes
A revue is a curious inhabitant in the world of cabaret, often existing in a limbo between theatre and cabaret which at its best can benefit from the advantages of both, but can also suffer from the limitations. When it works, a revue can reimagine and showcase the musical and narrative strengths of the material in...

Bill Russell’s “Has Anyone Seen My Mind?”

Gerry Geddes
When lyricist/librettist Bill Russell is not busy writing influential, iconic musicals like the Tony-nominated Side Show and Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens he does not put down the pen (or the keyboard) but rather keeps busy with an endless stream of poems and observations, rants and raves. He culls his favorites from the...

Anya Turner & Robert Grusecki —”Joy & Love”

Mark Dundas Wood
Songwriters, performers, and devoted spouses Anya Turner and Robert Grusecki have been making music together for three decades—something they celebrated recently in the last of a three-performance run of a show called Joy & Love. In it, they presented original songs from several of their recorded albums, but—especially—their two most recent ones: Secret Lovers (2024)...

Nic & Desi – “Dance Another Day”

Mark Dundas Wood
The European tradition of cabaret—bohemian and sophisticated (and frequently cerebral, political, satirical, and angsty)—continues to be a major influence on contemporary American cabaret.  But wait…. Don’t forget about the variety tradition: the commercial American entertainment genre that dominated pop culture over many decades, turning up in vaudeville, in casino showrooms, in Catskills resorts, in long-gone...