Charles Busch’s current show at 54 Below is called “That Girl/That Boy”—a title that points to something essential about his longtime approach to drag performance. Unlike some drag guys, Busch has retained his male identity when it comes to billing. …Read more

Centennial celebrations have already commenced for Frank Sinatra, the greatest popular vocalist of the 20th century, born on December 12, 1915. “Very Good Years: The Intimate Sinatra,” a wonderful tribute by acclaimed jazz baritone Richard Malavet, k …Read more

The title of Charlotte Patton’s Metropolitan Room show, “Celebrating Men (Bless Their Hearts),” captures the tone of the evening perfectly. Patton’s program takes a partly bemused but mostly amused look at the male animal. There are no songs about ho …Read more

His terrific current show at Café Carlyle, “Standards and Stories,” finds Tony Danza in a state of what I can only describe as grounded exuberance. This seeming oxymoron combines the wisdom and taste of an impossibly lithe man on the cusp of Medicare …Read more

Film composer Henry Mancini (1924-94) was able to adapt nimbly to whatever professional assignment was at hand. He could write music with a hip, cool sound—for instance, the themes from TV’s Peter Gunn (1958-61) and the big screen’s Pink Panther film …Read more

Composer tributes are a staple of cabaret shows, but in most cases the composer him- or herself is either deceased or otherwise unavailable to take part in such ventures. In his recent outing at 54 Below, directed by Sara Louise Lazarus, Alex Rybeck …Read more

In “Imagine Dat!” at Stage 72, Jon Freda pays an affectionate and deserved biographical tribute to 20th century showbiz icon Jimmy Durante. Freda also wrote this one-man-show-with-music and co-produced it with its director, Eren T. Gibson. The 70-min …Read more

Setting aside the once-ubiquitous novelty hit “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp),” I had only dim memories of mid-20th-century song parodist Allan Sherman (1924-73). But after seeing “Billy Ehrlacher: Is He Here Again?” at Don’t Tell Ma …Read more

He seems a most mild-mannered, unassuming gentleman. Yet when Ben Cassara seated himself center stage for a one-off appearance at Cafe Noctambulo recently, he commanded attention. Cassara’s singing has an almost conversational quality at times. He cl …Read more

An evening of the songs of Nicholas Levin was long overdue, so the new revue “Somewhere in This Song” at the Metropolitan Room is a cause for celebration. Surveying the scene of contemporary songwriters, one finds some who may have something to say, …Read more