Meyer & Blazer, Page, Etc. Set for Metropolitan Room

John Meyer and Judy Blazer, Ken Page and Baby Jane Dexter are among the performers who will appear at the Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) in January and February.

From January 18 to 21 Broadway star Ken Page presents his critically acclaimed "Page by Page" (which he's been touring around the country).  "Page, who is featured in the current screen version of Dreamgirls, has not performed in a solo show in New York since 1982.  In "Page by Page" he  traces his rise in the city's vibrant cabaret scene in the 70's (Reno Sweeney, The Grand Finale, Sweetwaters, Les Mouches) through his days on Broadway (Ain't Misbehavin', Cats) to the present," press notes state.

In an exclusive three-week engagement from January 25 to February 3 England's Barb Jungr, who, on both sides of the Atlantic and in Australia, has won acclaim for her interpretations of Bob Dylan tunes,  premieres "Barb Jungr Sings Bob Dylan."  "Here she combines songs she's performed live and in recordings such as her top selling 'Every Grain of Sand' (2002), with several songs she has yet to explore."

"From January 25 to 29 the singer-songwriter John Meyer relives his roller-coaster entanglement with Judy Garland (in the months preceding her death at 47 in 1969) in 'Heartbreaker,' a musical dramatization of his memoir (which Kensington Books reissued in 2006).  By combining comic anecdotes with songs identified with Garland (plus five by Meyer) the author plays himself, while musical  theatre veteran Judy Blazer (Titanic, Me and My Girl) portrays Garland as she veers dangerously in and out of sanity."

In the premiere engagement of "You're Following Me!" running three weeks from  February 8 to 24, Baby Jane Dexter "dips into a savory soup of styles -- pop, jazz, R&B and the great American songbook -- as she fuses her life experience from agony to ecstasy.  Here her intimate readings will be buoyed by her new  three-piece combo led by Ross Patterson, and her eclectic program will include songs by Rogers and Hammerstein, Arlen, Bricusse, Leon Russell and more."

"In a four-week engagement, from February 4 to 26, the erudite Eric Comstock celebrates some of his favorite New York-based and New York-centric songwriters in four different shows under the umbrella title 'Manhattan Masters.' He debuts a new show each week, all  premieres, except for week three's encore of his acclaimed Jule Styne show (presented last year in Lincoln Center's American Songbook series).  Week one is devoted to Charles Strouse (Bye, Bye Birdie, Applause, Annie); week two 'It's a Barnum & Bailey World: Offbeat Love Songs of Yip Harburg;' week three -- 'The Music That Makes Me Dance: A Jule Styne Songbook,' and week four features 'Lush Life and Other Saloon Songs.'"

"Every Wednesday at 7pm beginning January 17, Gashole blows into town as the post-modern troubadours Karen Mack and Michael Holland dazzle and delight with their wildly popular 70's and 80's all-request show 'Hole-O-Matic.' The 2007  edition draws on over 300 different artists, and showcases Gashole's deranged medleys of showtunes, standards and pop chart toppers, soaring harmonies, suspect trivia, video clips, and more!"

Annie Ross (Tuesdays 7pm) and Lina Koutrakos (Saturdays 11pm, except in February) are two other notable weekly acts.

A partial list of the headliners scheduled to appear in the next three months includes Andrew Lippa, Marilyn Maye, Maurice Hines, Tammy Grimes, David Pomeranz, Bryan Batt, and Larry Gatlin.

The Metropolitan Room is located at 34 West 22nd Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues). For reservations call 212 206-0440. For more information, visit www.metropolitanroom.com.

Photo - Ken Page