Photos: Dorian Woodruff Encores THE LYRICS OF ALAN AND MARILYN BERGMAN at Pangea

Awash with luminaries was the cabaret room at Pangea last week when Dorian Woodruff returned to the cozy nook for an encore of THE LYRICS OF ALAN AND Marilyn Bergman.  Everywhere one looked could be spotted the faces of artists and colleagues, there to catch the crooner in a rare appearance, his only one in the 2024 calendar year.  Susan Mack could be seen in a tête-à-tête with Joanne Halev, Judi Mark was observed meeting Jack Bartholet, Margaret Curry shared a table with Maria Corsaro and Kati Neiheisel, Roy Sander beamed with joy from a table near the door, and Rian Keating could be overheard telling a friend how deeply he admired Woodruff's beautiful voice.  One of the best things about the community of cabaret artists of New York City is being in a room to see how much they support one another, and how much of that support is based on an appreciation of their talent.  October 15th at Pangea was just such an occasion during which an outside pair of eyes could take in the power of community.

By way of transparency, I cannot offer a review of the Woodruff show.  I cannot do that because I already did, when the musical cabaret played in October of '23 (read it HERE); I attended that performance because I had read BroadwayWorld correspondent Ricky Pope's review of the tribute show when it opened in October of '22 (read that HERE) and that write-up compelled me to check things out for myself.  October seems to the time of year when Mr. Woodruff eases back on his day-to-day life (which currently involves an extensive rennovation of his country house) and heads into the clubs for a little artistic expression.  A glance at the two reviews from Mr. Pope and myself would indicate that these artistic ventures are worthwhile because he seems to garner nothing but praise.  That is why, when I learned he was reprising the Bergman show, I used my BroadwayWorld press pass to get another look at what was one of my favorite shows of 2023, but, again, a review would not have been appropriate, especially since the quality of the program has only grown in the year since, last, I saw it.  So BroadwayWorld Cabaret editor Rebecca Kaplan and Pangea owner Stephen Shanaghan gave me permission to go in for a photo flash of the musical storyteller and his Music Director Daryl Kojak in action, and don't think I'm not grateful because many things, like wine, art, and The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman only improve with time.

The Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman was directed by Lina Koutrakos.

Dorian Woodruff can be found online HERE.

Find other great shows to see on the Pangea website HERE.

Photos by Stephen Mosher

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