Feature: Stephen Mosher's Pandemic Playlist Number Sixteen

There are those artists who step onto a cabaret stage for the first time and the people in the room know that this will be a home for them. Their connection to the material, to the setting, to the patrons, to the intimacy, to the medium is so palpable that it is hard to think of them anywhere else, even though many of them make artistic homes on theatrical stages, in front of various types of camera, in recording studios, and in classrooms. Luckily for their fans, these artists never stop coming back to the nightclub stages to share that special spark that makes theirs a gift for all to enjoy.

1. Joanna Gleason has always been special, from her early days on Broadway and television, and though it took her a few years to dip her toe in the cabaret waters, her captivating way with storytelling has made each of her nightclub acts a home run. Whether working alongside Well Strung, tango dancing, or telling the most personal stories of her life through song and prose that reads like poetry, Ms. Gleason always brings an intimate, poignant, and life-affirming aura to her shows, and when she is in your town, it is only your obligation to yourself to go catch her act, where you will find THIS kind of performance and THIS kind of guest artist. Visit the Joanna Gleason WEBSITE

2. Charles Busch is an irreplaceable talent in show business, a man who spent his life creating his own work, usually of a particular brand, and then, years into his career, Mr. Busch was given an opportunity to reveal all the sides of his talent through acting jobs on TV shows like "OZ" and nightclub acts where he revealed a Piaf-esque quality at musical storytelling that cuts through the color in the lights and the mist in the air to get right to the heart. Audiences have been packing the clubs to see THIS marvel of a man ever since. Find Charles Busch online HERE

3. Tanya Moberly works and Tanya Moberly works at it. An actor, a singer, a director, a booking agent, a producer, and a devoted attendee of every show she can get to, Ms. Moberly is one of the cornerstones of cabaret, like a bearing wall holding up a house, pouring all her love and all her life into the art form and the people who build it. At the start, though, Tanya Moberly was standing in the spotlight and singing and, thankfully the INDEFATIGABLE Moberly can still be found there, singing her stories. Tanya Moberly's website can be seen HERE

4. Mark Nadler is the symbol of cabaret and a shining beacon of what cabaret can be. Mr. Nadler has created himself in his own image and that image is not to be tarnished. An original, a gentleman, and a gentle man, Mark Nadler walks on the stage, he brings his A-Game and he brings the house down, whether he is singing, playing the piano, filling the air with humorous and informative stories, musical directing or tap dancing. He is The Whirling Dervish of cabaret and he is always WELCOME, anywhere and any time. See Mark Nadler online HERE

5. Laurie Wells is an accomplished international actress who has played Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theater in one impressive role after another but her nightclub work in shows like "Our Sintra" and Deborah Grace Winer's "New York Big City Songbook" have given audiences a chance to hear Ms. Wells working, not in character, but in her own inimitable singing style. With out-of-this-world vocals, Laurie Wells is a FIERCE performer who is continually in demand, now as a teacher as well. Check out Laurie Wells' WEBSITE

6. Jonathan Reid Gealt is one of the industry's brightest songwriting talents of the last decade, with a songbook every singer of note wants to raid for their shows, concerts and CDs. He started out as an actor, though, and from time to time he will get up on a stage and sing a song - maybe one of his own, maybe one by a contemporary. It doesn't matter that he isn't acting fulltime or who wrote the song he is singing, JRG still has the lovely and individual spark that made him an ACTOR of note, and the more time he spends on a stage in the future, the better. Jonathan Reid Gealt can be found online HERE

7. Bobbie Horowitz is all the damn things. There's really no other way to say it. A renaissance woman who has written books and written songs, an image consultant with a reputation that proceeds her, a Reiki healer, a motivator, and the best friend to every cabaret performer in the business, Bobbie is front and center at every show, applauding and cheering the artist onstage onward and upward. Her award winning series "It's Only a Number!" is one of the most popular ongoing shows in the history of New York cabaret and people pray that the show and Bobbie will go on forever. See Bobbie in the act HERE and see her website HERE

8. David Sabella is like the Uncle of the cabaret set. He sees the shows, he teaches, he writes about cabaret on his website CABARET HOTSPOT, and he is the continual champion of the art form, giving his all to the furthering of the industry (doubly so since the voluntary quarantine started). Mr. Sabella started as an opera singer, landed on Broadway in the longest-running revival of all time, "Chicago," and fortunately for everyone, Mr. Sabella is still performing when he has the time. His recent appearance in The Lineup With Susie Mosher wowed audiences, making one wish he would come back when the clubs open with a new solo show. See David Sabella onstage HERE and then take a look at the Cabaret Hotspot WEBSITE. David Sabella and Sue Matsuki are the authors of "So You Want To Sing Cabaret."

9. Eva Noblezada is the new Broadway leading lady. Her appearances on Broadway in the last few years have made audiences far and wide sit up and take notice, including the Tony Award nominating committee. Ms. Noblezada's cabaret shows at The Green Room 42 are among their biggest sellers because Eva brings her astonishing talent, combined with an original point of view and a no holds barred performance STYLE that has made her the darling of two different styles of stage in NYC. Eva Noblezada on Twitter: @EvaNoblezada

10. Robbie Rozelle is a show business jack of all trades, performing, directing, graphic designing, podcasting, or just hanging out in a saloon talking about all things Show Biz, making him one of the most popular artists and beloved fellows on the scene today. the creator and host of Tuesdays at 54 With Robbie Rozelle has a particular way of looking at life and all a person needs to do to get a sense of Robbie's individual appeal is see his NOT SINCE CARRIE MEDLEY and then visit his WEBSITE

We will be back with another Pandemic Playlist in the upcoming days, so please check back to see who is on the next list! All the photos in this story were by me, Stephen Mosher, and if there's no photo of one of the artists mentioned, I haven't had the luck and good fortune to make their picture... yet. But I will.

Dear readers, stay safe, stay sane, stay healthy, stay home. We will get through this together.

NamaSTE

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