A few years ago, Molly Pope cast off the hard-edged bitch-diva persona that had made her the darling of camp followers, and allowed us to see the person underneath. The form she chose then was a scripted, theatrically stylized presentation of her exp …Read more
I’m a history buff and lover of musical theater so an evening at 54 Below celebrating Broadway’s St. James Theatre with The Ensemblist and The Bowery Boys, two of NYC’s top podcasts, was a perfect pairing. The two podcast duos, Tom Meyers and Greg Y …Read more
The mark of a great cabaret performer is that they make their banter seem completely spontaneous, and Linda Lavin’s exquisite show at 54 Below, titled Starting Over, contains moments that were undoubtedly rehearsed many times, but feel natural. That’ …Read more
“This is a night of firsts and favorites” announced Alice Ripley as she took the stage at 54 Below on August 12, for a night of All Sondheim. Promising to sing some of her favorite tunes by the legendary composer, some of which she’d never sung befor …Read more
Jane Lynch does her comedic song-and-dance shtick in See Jane Sing, a musical jukebox comedy cabaret that hearkens back to the bygone days of Lynch’s 1970s midwestern adolescence. Joe’s Pub provides the perfect setting for Lynch and her tremendous ba …Read more
As a teaser for his residency at The Metropolitan Room in 2016, blues and jazz performer John Minnock will delight audiences with a show on August 22. He answered some of our questions about what we can expect from the show and his upcoming album. Wh …Read more
Whether on stage or TV, Joshua Warr sure knows how to make an impression. In the New York nightclub scene, the MAC Awards nominee is known for his emotional renditions of classics, which he makes sure to personalize so that they fit perfectly into th …Read more
Embracing the room with love, Broadway legend Donna McKechnie in her show “Same Place, Another Time” at 54 Below regaled us with stories and songs of a life well lived, in the theater and in New York from the 1970’s until now. Her adoring audience, w …Read more
Karen Oberlin comes on stage for “His Aim Is True: The Singular Songs of Elvis Costello” at Stage 72 wearing what looks to be an elaborate choir robe, fit for an early-20th-Century celebrity evangelist. But there’s one difference: her outfit is not a …Read more
In a one-nighter at Jazz at Kitano recently, Marlene VerPlanck reminded audiences of why she’s so greatly respected as a musician. Her singing has a kind of matter-of-factness, and yet it seems to befit a special occasion. There’s an effervescent qua …Read more
