LUCY KOMISAR
Cabaret & Musical Reviews in New York
Shows for sophisticates who like jazz and wit
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| Le Jazz Au Bar |
The best cabaret singers that pass through New York have it on their permanent itinerary, so don't worry if the show they just headlined has closed: they will be back. Now's the time to remember their names and go the next time they're in town. There's nothing like an intimate evening with a glass of wine and a top class musician or singer and combo.
Here are some that I've seen recently, as well as a heads-up for a few appearing this summer of 2004.
La Jazz Au Bar
41 East 58th Street between Madison & Park
Shows are at 8 on weeknights and at 8 & 10 Fridays and Saturdays. Doors
open at 6:30 for dinner.
Cover charges range from $30 to $50. There is no minimum; food is expensive.
Tickets at 212-308-9455 or ticketweb.com.
http://www.aubarnewyork.com.
Le Jazz Au Bar is a smashing new cabaret - opened in February -- that not only features the best in sound, but is a lush venue that reminds one of a British country house. The corners are niches with couches, bookcases, and elegant paintings hung on pine paneled walls. The main room has small tables that are far enough apart to allow private conversations and, behind on a low rise, there are dining booths and a bar.
Pianist James Williams was performing with a combo the evening I went in March. It was his birthday, and the celebratory bash featured the mellifluous vocalist Vanessa Rubin, the astonishing young vibes player Stefon Harris, and the accomplished bassist Ray Drummond. Williams generously gave each plenty of spotlight. It was the audience that got the present!
Once a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Williams' playing is tuneful, elegant, rich, rhythmic: a typical number is "Thermo" by Freddie Hubbard, the first piece on one of Williams' Jazz Dialogues cd's, which I picked up after the show.
Upcoming at Le Jazz Au Bar: Tierney Sutton June 8-13 and 15-20; Ruth Brown July 14-18 and 21-25; Maureen McGovern Aug 11-15 and 18-22.
"Don't Ask the Lady" at The Duplex
The Duplex Theater
61 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue (Sheridan Square)
9 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays on June 8, 10, 15 and 17
$15 cover at the cabaret with 2 drink minimum; $10 cover for Mac members
and seniors. Cash only.
(212) 255-5438
http://www.LindaGlick.com
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| Linda Glick Photo by Peter Sweyer |
Linda Glick will sing selections by Stephen Sondheim, Frank Loesser, Jacques Brel, Randy Newman and others in her show "Don't Ask the Lady" at The Duplex in Greenwich Village. This is one of the most popular Village night spots, with serious shows upstairs, funky vocalists downstairs, and a sidewalk café for warm-weather people-watching.
Musical Reviews
Upstairs at Studio 54
254 West 54 Street
212-239-6200
http://www.ListenToMyHeartSite.com
At Upstairs at Studio 54, shows are presented as a combination cabaret-review. You sit at chairs with small tables on which you can place drinks and snacks while watching staged musical numbers. I went there for "Listen to My Heart: The Songs of David Friedman."
Friedman's sound is more modern folk than Broadway, slightly atonal, and the lyrics are arch and humorous. A highlight, of course, was Alix Korey, loud, brassy, and ironically funny, in "I'm Not My Mother" and "If I Were Pretty." I also liked the country western style "My White Knight" with a powerful presentation by Allison Briner. The show has closed, but the singers will be back, on this stage or another, and, you can be sure, so will songs by David Friedman.
The York Theatre Company is the city's only venue devoted to musical plays and reviews. One of their very charming presentations was "Porterphiles."
Theatre Saint Peter's Church
619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street
212-239-6200
http://www.yorktheatrecompany.org/
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| Porterphiles Photo by Carol Rosegg |
When someone's as good as Cole Porter, even his "out-takes" are delicious. And thanks to Cole Porter authority Judy Brown -- editor of "Cole Porter Rediscovered" and the musical director and pianist of this show - for finding some thirty unpublished Porter songs that add up to great sophisticated fun.
With a painted New York tenement backdrop and a bunch of file cabinets, Lynne Halliday's honeyed voice, Ricky Russell's warm tenor and Stephen Zinnato's smooth baritone brought Porter's social satires to life: the perils of writing a play, "Saltaire" (a chic end to a Fire Island weekend affair), and the dry, witty "The extra man." They do a brilliantly funny tequila drunk scene.
The show ran this past winter. If you're lucky, you'll get to see the songs and the singers again. Reprise, please! [Komisar]
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