Storefront Sings Nancy LaMott May 23-24 with Gettelfinger, McCartney, and More

The Storefront Theatre is pleased to announce plans for our upcoming Spring benefit: We Miss Nancy: The Storefront sings LaMott. For two special performances only, Storefront company members will salute the music recorded by Nancy LaMott, the brilliant cabaret performer and recording artist who placed her indelible stamp on some of the most classic compositions ever written, before her untimely death in 1995.

We Miss Nancy: The Storefront sings LaMott, will be presented at The Duplex Cabaret Theatre on Monday, May 23 at 7pm, and Tuesday, May 24 at 9:30pm. The Duplex Cabaret Theatre is located at 61 Christopher St., in the heart of New York's West Village. Due to limited seating capacity, reservations are strongly encouraged, and can be made by calling 212.255.5438. No one under 21 is permitted, and credit cards are accepted.

Nancy will be saluted by seasoned performers from the Broadway and cabaret communities, all of whom have been touched and influenced by Nancy's artistry. Featured in the company, as of 4/20/05: Scott Ailing, Lisa Asher, Bobby Belfry, Nick Cearley, Scott Coulter, Brandon Cutrell, Nikki Renee Daniels (Broadway's Nine and Aida), Baby Jane Dexter, Suzanne Fiore, David Friedman, Maria Gentile, Sara Gettelfinger (Broadway's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Nine), David Gurland, Rick Jensen, Audrey Lavine (Broadway's Rags, Carrie), Karen Mack, Liz McCartney (Broadway's Taboo and Mamma Mia), Carolyn Montgomery, Phillip Officer (Broadway's Side Show), Kate Pazakis (The Sexless Years), Julie Reyburn, Ricky Ritzel, Marty Thomas (Broadway's Wicked) and Shonn Wiley (Broadway's Dracula, 42nd Street). The evenings will feature a rotating cast. The schedule of performers will be released at a later date.

Nancy LaMott, probably the greatest singer of American Popular Standards of her generation, was on the verge of stardom when she was struck down by uterine cancer at the age of 43. One of the most sought-after cabaret singers in San Francisco, Nancy soon found her way to New York, where she quickly became known in the cabaret world as one of the great singers of her time. In 1989, Nancy met composer/conductor David Friedman, who felt she should be making records, and offered to produce them himself. Based on the success of the first record, Beautiful Baby, Nancy's popularity began to spread to a wider circle and she began breaking attendance records at some the most prestigious clubs in New York, including the Chestnut Room at Tavern on the Green and the world famous Oak Room at the Algonquin. Subsequently, Nancy toured extensively, was discovered by WQEW disc jockey Jonathan Schwartz, which led to her being played on 1,000 radio stations all over the country, and appeared on numerous television shows including Live With Regis & Kathie Lee. Kathie Lee Gifford became a huge fan and played an enormous part in promoting Nancy nationally and also in personally supporting her toward the end of her life. Nancy also sang at the White House twice, and became a favorite of the Clintons.

In March of 1995, Nancy was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Nancy chose hormone therapy as opposed to surgery so that she could complete the greatest album of her career, Listen To My Heart, with a full orchestra orchestrated by the legendary Peter Matz. Shortly after her diagnosis, Nancy was in San Francisco doing an AIDS benefit when she was introduced to actor Pete Zapp. They quickly fell in love and began a bicoastal romance. In July, Nancy was told that the hormone therapy had not worked and that she needed to have a hysterectomy. She postponed it one month so that she could play the Algonquin one more time. As soon as that engagement was over, Nancy had the surgery and was told that the cancer had spread slightly and that she would need chemotherapy. During this period, Nancy kept performing, doing a sold out week at Tavern on the Green, and even fulfilling concert dates around the country. The chemo and the disease began to take their toll, and just a few days after her last two performances, an appearance on "Charles Grodin" and her regular annual visit to WQEW's on-air Christmas Party, Nancy was rushed to the hospital and her shocked friends and family were told that she had just a couple of days to live. Peter Zapp and her family and friends rushed to her side. That night, President and Mrs. Clinton phoned her in the hospital to wish her well. In the last hour of her life, Father Stephen Harris performed a bedside wedding ceremony for Nancy and Peter. Nancy died with friends and family around her, married for the first time in her life, and knowing she was on her way to worldwide recognition. The outpouring of support and love that followed Kathie Lee's tearful on-air announcement of Nancy's death the next morning has grown and grown. Since Nancy's tragic and untimely death, her six albums have soared in popularity and her story has touched thousands of people across the nation.