There was much to like in Adam B.Shapiro’s newest show, “Nothing Normal,” seen at Urban Stages for one night as part of the theatre’s annual Winter Rhythms series (and previously at 54 Below and the Metropolitan Room): the jazzy piano playing by musi …Read more
It must be ever harder for cabaret performers to come up with a fresh theme for a show. Once the tributes to single (and singular) artists and composers have seemingly been exhausted, where does one go? Perhaps too often it’s to the autobiographical …Read more
“Go Where the Love Is,” the title song of Kim Grogg’s current show at Don’t Tell Mama, speaks volumes. First, it establishes her as a solid, self-confident singer of infectious MidWestern warmth. Second, it neatly establishes the theme and content of …Read more
Amanda McBroom and George Ball’s recent show at 54 Below was titled “Some Enchanted Evening: An Evening of Love Songs for Grownups.” Even more importantly, this was a cabaret show performed by grownups. McBroom and Ball had last sung together in a cl …Read more
Carol Fredette has decided that she is not going to sing any more downbeat songs, at least when it comes to their lyric content. That sweeping decision has eliminated all of the blues and a large swath of country music, at a minimum, from her possibl …Read more
Expensively produced flash-and-trash is often able to find an enthusiastic audience, even at the high end of the cabaret world. This one-night effort proved that anew, and you didn’t have to go to Las Vegas to see it. Rose, whose show at 54 Below was …Read more
The cabaret act as backers’ audition is not a brand new concept. But Louis St. Louis took it to extremes in this outing, with generous selections from five of the shows for which he has written music (and mostly co-written lyrics) that have yet to ma …Read more