Karen Akers to Return to the Oak Room for Styne Cabaret

Elegant cabaret star Karen Akers returns to New York for her highly anticipated eighth consecutive spring engagement at the legendary Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel (59 West 44th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues).

"Beginning Tuesday, April 17th and playing through Saturday, May 12th, Ms. Akers will debut a brand new show, 'Simply Styne,' an entertainment that promises to be the singer's most personal and theatrical evening of song yet.  While indeed treating the audiences of the Oak Room to the trademark warmth and style that one savors in an Akers evening, 'Simply Styne' will also bathe the statuesque singer in a decidedly different, glittery, light," state press materials. 

Featuring arrangements and musical direction by Akers' longtime collaborator, Don Rebic, and directed by Eric Michael Gillett, 'Simply Styne' highlights the music of the legendary composer Jule Styne to reveal intimate truths about life lived as a performer against the brash glare of show business itself.

One of the worlds most popular Broadway and Hollywood songwriters, Styne, whose collaborations with a "who¹s who" of wordsmiths including Comden & Green, Carolyn Leigh, Sammy Cahn, and Stephen Sondheim to name only a few, have yielded such cherished standards as "Just in Time," "Make Someone Happy," "Time After Time," and "I Fall In Love Too Easily."  Styne is also responsible for the Broadway scores of Funny Girl, Gypsy and Bells Are Ringing, which have put songs like "People," "Let Me Entertain You," and "The Party's Over," into the Great American Songbook.

Akers will be accompanied on piano by Mr. Rebic and on bass by Dick Sarpola.

Akers created the role of Luisa in the original Broadway production of Nine; she received a Tony Award nomination for her performance. She was also featured in another Maury Yeston/Tommy Tune musical--Grand Hotel. Her film credits include Heartburn and Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, while she has been seen on TV in "Cheers." Known for her cabaret interpretations of musical theatre songs, standards and French chanson, Akers has released numerous CDs, including "Presenting Karen Akers," "If We Only Have Love" and "Like It Was," her most recent album.

Performances are: Tuesdays ­ Thursdays at 9:00PM with two shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 9:00PM and 11:30PM.  There is a $60 music charge for all shows plus a $25 minimum.  On Thursdays and at the early shows on Fridays and Saturdays, there is a $65 prix-fixe dinner charge with dinner seatings at 7:00PM and 7:30PM.  For reservations, call the Oak Room at the Algonguin Hotel at (212) 419-9331.  Visit www.algonquinhotel.com for more information.

Photo by Heather Sullivan