Stephen Hanks

During the 1940s and '50s, composer and jazz pianist Bobby Troup was getting his kicks writing songs like the classic "Route 66." Over that same period, Scotty Bowers was getting his kicks as "Hollywood's Gentleman Hustler" and Los Angeles' legendary "Pimp to the Stars." Now, New York-based cabaret star JEFF MACAULEY, who for three consecutive years (2016-2018) has been nominated for the MAC Award as "Best Male Vocalist," is connecting the stories of these two men and performing the best of the Bobby Troup Songbook in his new show: WHERE DID THE GENTLEMAN GO? THE SONGS OF BOBBY TROUP & THE LIFE OF SCOTTY BOWERS. The four-show run will open at PANGEA, Downtown's Alternative Supper-Club (178 Second Avenue, between 11th & 12th Streets) on Friday, September 14 at 7 pm.

Just four months after acclaimed Musical Director Barry Levitt tragically died of a heart attack just hours before a performance at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Charlotte Patton--a beloved performer for whom Levitt frequently played and was one of his closest friends in Cabaret--died early Thursday morning at Mt. Sinai Hospital after an almost two-year battle with cancer. Both passed away at the age of 70. 

During an evening when Mabel Mercer Foundation President and New York Cabaret Convention Producer KT Sullivan devoted a number of opening night spots in the 28th year of the four-day extravaganza (October 16-19 at Rose Hall at Jazz at Lincoln Center) to a younger generation of singers and a few veterans making their Convention debuts, the Grande Dame of Cabaret was the star of the night.

Award-winning cabaret performer Julie Reyburn launched her career in 2000 with the show 'Fate Is Kind'--first at a Singer's Forum benefit and then for a run at Judy's Chelsea-and it so captured the hearts and minds of audiences it earned Reyburn the 2001 MAC and Bistro Awards for 'Outstanding Female Cabaret Debut.' Fifteen years later, the show inspired cabaret show producer and publicist Stephen Hanks to create the series New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits at the Metropolitan Room. Now Julie Reyburn is bringing back this celebrated cabaret piece for a two-show run at the legendary club, Don't Tell Mama (W 46th St, between 8th & 9th Ave) on March 25 and April 22, both shows at 7 pm.

As a musical theater librettist, lyricist and lifelong connoisseur of Broadway and Hollywood musicals, Frank Evans would have been extremely sad to learn about the passing of screen legend Debbie Reynolds on December 28. But given his sense of humor and ability for self-deprecation, Evans might have also gotten a perverse kick out of knowing he died on the same day as one of his film favorites. Franklin G. Evans, 70, died last Wednesday evening at Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn, due to complications from multiple strokes that ravaged his brain over the last couple of months of 2016. Evans, who also suffered from Parkinson's-related dementia and diabetes, had spent the last year rehabilitating from a serious concussion sustained last December.

Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab, a developmental organization founded 17 years ago by the late Director and Choreographer Bick Goss, will present the new musical Brooklyn Bridge at the St. Luke's Theatre on October 24 at 6:30 pm (St. Luke's is at 308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). With a book and lyrics by Ray Roderick, music by Joseph Baker, and musical direction by Laura Bergquist, Brooklyn Bridge is an innovative musical inspired by the extraordinary life of Emily Roebling, wife of Brooklyn Bridge Chief Engineer Washington Roebling. 

Manhattan Musical Theatre Lab, a non-profit developmental organization founded 16 years ago by the late Director and Choreographer Bick Goss, announced that it will present a preview of the new musical #MARS at the St. Luke's Theatre on June 22 at 6:30 pm. (St. Luke's is at 308 West 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues.) With music by Willem Oosthuysen and book and lyrics by Laura Kleinbaum, #MARS is the story about how CBS-TV has conducted a worldwide search for qualified Americans to man the first ever mission to Mars. Tune in as Miami's premier plastic surgeon, everyone's favorite romance novelist, a girl next-door type, a retired mathematician in a wheelchair, and an actual astronaut takes human kind's next giant leap.

It was the kind of news that makes you feel like a piece of your heart has been cut out. A few weeks ago, I received an email from a woman named Alison Rosen, saying she knew me because her son Michael Vincent went to pre-school with my daughter Jean Louise (now 23) in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Of course, I remembered Alison and Michael from the play dates, the birthday parties, and one little play that Michael wrote and the kids performed in when they were around three years old. Nobody could know then that Michael Vincent would pursue a career in music, theater, and comedy, ultimately receiving a 'Young Playwright Award' at Brooklyn's Edward R. Murrow High School. Neither could anybody know that Michael Vincent Rosen-Pepitone would be dead at 21 from Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMC), as Alison wrote in her email, 'a treatable side effect of medication used to treat mental illness.'

The Cabaret Section of BroadwayWorld.com has always welcomed and posted news from performers and publicists about upcoming shows. Press releases with a photo or two that accompany the emails you send us have been fine, but NOW we want to really jazz up the announcements--WITH VIDEO.  

The angel of death did not pass over Dana Lorge's house last night and the world of New York cabaret is grieving as a result. During the evening of the second Passover seder, the New York cabaret community was shocked to learn that MAC Award-winning performer and variety show host Dana Lorge died from complications of lung cancer, which was diagnosed just a few months ago.

The art of cabaret lost its Queen almost a year ago when the Julie Wilson died on April 5 at age 90. There will likely be a number of tributes to Ms. Wilson throughout this year and a big one is happening on March 17 at 7 pm at the Metropolitan Room, where Joseph Macchia's Cabaret Cares/Help Is On the Way charity will pay tribute to the cabaret legend with a star-studded variety show that will also raise money for the organization that supports children living with HIV/AIDS. 

Cabaret performers and musicians and fans of the art form tend to refer to the people in this tight-knit niche as "the Cabaret Community." Well, that community is really coming together for one of its own with a benefit concert to raise funds for the extremely popular actor, director, and cabaret performer Erin Cronican, one of a very rare group of women in her 30s who is staging a fierce battle with breast cancer. The star-studded show, billed as Cabaret Beats Cancer and a call to arms to "Crush The Beast" is at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, 212-757-0788) on February 27 at 5 pm.

Cabaret performers and musicians and fans of the art form tend to refer to the people in this tight-knit niche as “the Cabaret Community.” Well, that community is really coming together for one of its own with a benefit concert to raise funds for the extremely popular actor, director, and cabaret performer Erin Cronican, one of a very rare group of women in her 30s who is staging a fierce battle with breast cancer. The star-studded show, billed as Cabaret Beats Cancer and a call to arms to “Crush The Beast” is at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, 212-757-0788) on February 27 at 5 pm.

After BroadwayWorld launched its New York Cabaret Awards in 2012, the cabaret section's editors realized that the selected categories and the popular vote nature of the election didn't adequately recognize some great performances and shows for that particular year. So in 2013, BWW added "Editor's Choice Awards" to the mix to not only reward special performances but also to acknowledge people who have helped grow cabaret and foster the spirit of the art form. This year, BWW New York Cabaret Editor Stephen Hanks and his reviewing staff-including Alix Cohen, David Clarke, Billie Roe, Rembert Block, and John Hoglund-selected seven stars of cabaret for this special honor. Now that the Awards for 2015 performances and shows are official, we wanted to tell you a bit about this year's "Editor's Choice Award" winners and offer them a chance to thank the New York cabaret community. Congratulations to all these worthy Award recipients.

Breaking News! The fourth annual BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards results are official and for 2015 some bold-faced Broadway names, long-time cabaret stars, and some exciting newcomers were the people's choices this year. More than 32,000 votes were cast for performers and shows in 14 categories. 

With just two weeks remaining in the voting for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards, three performers are leading in two different categories, while two Broadway stars--Alan Cumming and Betty Buckley-- are winning the vote in their respective "celebrity categories.' Voting for the awards ends on New Year's Eve, December 31.

On Thanksgiving Day, BroadwayWorld announced the nominees in 14 categories for the 2015 BWW New York Cabaret Awards. BroadwayWorld's cabaret editors and reviewers congratulate all the deserving nominees and everyone who performs in the great art of cabaret in New York. But today, as you munch on the leftovers from last night's dinner, it's time to actually vote for that one performer who you think is the absolute best in each category. Voting ends on December 31 and after a review of the ballots, winners will be announced officially early the week of January 4, 2016. (Note: There will not be a BWW Awards Show this year.)

Happy Thanksgiving Day, Cabaret Fans! Here's some breaking news you can discuss and debate in between courses at tonight's dinner: It's the final nominees for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards. This year, the cabaret editors and writers at BWW have cited 116 nominees (including duos and variety show/recurring series producers) in 14 categories. In addition, this year six performers or musicians have been cited for special “Editor's Choice Awards,” led by veteran New York cabaret stars Karen Mason and Mark Nadler who have been named “Performers of the Year.”

Question: Would you buy an orchestra ticket (or any ticket for that matter) to an experimental Broadway musical called The Sweaty Smorgasbord where the 11 o'clock number is "Supper Sings Tonight?" How about checking out a derivative Jason Robert Brown musical titled The Gassy Breakthrough, where the song "Too Soon" is about whether the protagonist should fart on the first date? Here's one that potential musical theater show investors would love: A new Disney style musical called The Sticky Snake. Of course these aren't real or even prospective Broadway musicals. They are ideas that have emerged from the creative minds of some young composers and lyricists who might very well have their musicals gracing Broadway theaters some day. But in the meantime they have been conjuring up these wild concepts in Tune In Time, a musical theater game show staged semi-regularly at The York Theatre Company on East 54th Street (the next installment will be on Monday, November 9 at 7:30 pm) that could have been created by some hybrid of Chuck Barris (of The Gong Show fame) and Mel Brooks. As the show's creators and producers Amy Engelhardt and Heather Shields are fond of promoting about Tune In Time, "Anything goes . . . and usually does."

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founding Artistic Director, Peter Napolitano, Producer/Director of Musical Programming) today announced the line-up for this year's Award-Winning Musical event WINTER RHYTHMS 2015, which will begin Wednesday, December 2 and will feature some of New York's best musical performances through December 13, 2015 at Urban Stages Theatre. WINTER RHYTHMS 2015 marks the seventh year that Urban Stages has brought noted musical artists to its stage during the holiday period. The mission of Winter Rhythms is to bring the talents of known and unknown singers, musicians, lyricists and composers to the attention of the New York theater community while performing at Urban Stages Theater. Winner of the 2015 Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series MAC Award, WINTER RHYTHMS benefits Urban Stages' acclaimed Outreach Program, which brings more than 200 free "arts in education" presentations to libraries and schools throughout the five boroughs. This year's event features 20 shows and more than 100 artists.