Cabaret Star Klea Blackhurst Shares Her 5 Favorite Jerry Herman Music Videos

 Singer Klea Blackhurst returns to Chelsea Table + Stage on Sunday nights at 7 pm with the second annual edition of “The Box Set,” her fantastic season-long retrospective of her acclaimed cabaret shows. Experience a night of intimate dining and extraordinary music by Klea Blackhurst at this NYC hotspot. The first show of 2025 is this Sunday February 16 at 7 pm, with “One of the Girls: The Words and Music of Jerry Herman.”

Next up is “Autumn in New York: Vernon Duke’s Broadway” on April 13 and “A Brand New Evening with Klea Blackhurst” on May 18. Following a summer hiatus, the series resumes with “Dreaming of a Song: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael” featuring Billy Stritch, on October 19, and concluding with Blackhurst’s most-requested evening, “Everything the Traffic Will Allow: The Songs and Sass of Ethel Merman,” on November 16.

Blackhurst’s “The Box Set” gives Klea’s longtime followers the chance to revisit this outstanding body of work, while also allowing new generation of theater and music fans to discover them. Tickets to each show are $20-$40, in addition to a service charge and a two-item food and beverage minimum. A livestream option is available for all shows at $20 each. Tickets are available on Chelsea Table + Stage’s website.

In anticipation of her upcoming Jerry Herman retrospective, Blackhurst shared some of her favorite music videos featuring his music.

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WALL-E with “HELLO, DOLLY!” songs

2008's WALL-E opens with a shot of the universe and the voice of Michael Crawford singing, "Out there, there's a world outside of Yonkers . . .," Earth is abandoned, it's 700 years in the future and this sweet little robot is the only sign of life left. What keeps him going is a videotape from the film "Hello, Dolly!”
Two songs "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" and "It Only Takes a Moment" are songs of optimism and joy in a desolate world. They beautifully express the entire intent of this brilliant film. The filmmakers could have chosen anything. They chose Jerry Herman.

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JERRY HERMAN – “I'LL BE HERE TOMORROW”

Here's Jerry performing what became his personal anthem. It's from “The Grand Tour” -  with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops. He always performed this one when he appeared and it always gave me goosebumps to be onstage with him when he did. He was a survivor and such an optimist. We need him now more than ever.

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EILEEN FARRELL – “KISS HER NOW”

Eileen Farrell was perfection and I think this is a terrific take on this gorgeous song from “Dear World.” She starts about 40 seconds in... but the opening. We might as well be on another planet. Our television programming aesthetic has shifted profoundly since 1969. 

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ANGELA, CAROL AND CHITA GO THROUGH IT ONE MORE TIME (FOR CAROL)

Jerry got his Kennedy Center Honor in 2010. Here are three of the girls going over the finale! This is priceless! This captures a certain kind of camaraderie that is pure show business through and through!

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LEE ROY REAMS SINGS “PENNY IN MY POCKET”

I am so proud to count Lee Roy Reams as a dear friend and mentor. He was one of Jerry‘s closest friends. He directed me in “Jerry’s Girls” in 2018. He is Broadway royalty and starred in the first Broadway show I ever saw – “42nd Street”! I remind him of that every time I throw my arms around him! He’s just the best. He rescued this song from obscurity and started performing it years ago. It had been cut from “Dolly” out of town and replaced with... wait for it... “Before the Parade Passes By.”

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Klea Blackhurst sings "I Am What I Am"

Ed. note: And as an added bonus... below, watch Klea herself singing Jerry Herman’s “I Am What I Am” from La Cage aux Folles – and make sure to mark your calendars for this Sunday.

 

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Learn more about Klea Blackhurst online at www.kleablackhurst.com

Header photo of Klea Blackhurst by Bill Westmoreland

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