Feature: 18 of the Best Solo Cabaret Shows of 2024
2024 was jam-packed with brilliant cabaret shows. Here are some of the top solo acts of the year
As the year draws to a close, it’s time to look back on some of the highlights of the year in cabaret. We asked the cabaret review team what some of their favorite shows this year were (and in case you missed it, check out some of the highlights of the year in photos). We’re already looking forward to upcoming shows in 2025, but before the ball drops let’s take a moment to reflect back on the past year.
Below, see 18 of the best solo shows of the year from January to December, as chosen by the BWW Cabaret team.
1/2 – Beth Leavel at 54 Below
If I didn’t already know that Beth Leavel (Drowsy Chaperone) was a national treasure, her show January 2nd would have proved it. Woven throughout the night, Leavel told stories from her life, as engaging and hilarious a storyteller as she is a singer. Beth Leavel is, above all else, surprising, mesmerizing, and unforgettable. Read the full review of her January show here.
2/12 – Julio Benko at Birdland
On Monday February 12, 2024, Julie Benko tore up the house at Birdland Jazz Club with a sold out show celebrating Mardi Gras. The show has become an annual tradition for Benko, who wove trivia questions and fun facts about New Orleans throughout the show.
Read the full review of Benko’s 2024 Mardi Gras show.
Get tickets for the 2025 show here.
3/4 – David Marino at Birdland
The clean-cut charismatic Canadian crooner – confident, but not cocky, polished but not slick — has his own fresh energy and authenticity. His timbre is instantly appealing to the ear, and his high head tones are so darn pretty and pure that reviewers need not feel awkward in invoking the adjective “angelic.” Now closing in on the quarter-century mark in age, he’s been performing for quite a while already, studying singing and violin since his elementary school days and leaping to wide notoriety as a teenager while competing on a season of the TV singing competition show La Voix, the Canadian edition of The Voice.
3/6 – Hugh Panaro's MAN WITHOUT A MASK at 54 Below
A packed house cheered, laughed, yelled and cried as Hugh took us on a ride of a career that is so rare it makes your heart explode. All the highs and the lows of (as he frames it) “My Illustrious Career”- with tongue firmly planted in check. I can promise you that this is not hyperbole.
4/8 – Patti LuPone: A LIFE IN NOTES at Carnegie Hall
The iconic Broadway star took a look back at moments from her life through song in this powerful solo show. LuPone has such a unique voice; hearing her take on the songs that made an impact on her, plus highlights of songs she originated on Broadway, was a rare treat. Read the full review here.
4/9 – Marilyn Maye’s 96th Birthday Show at 54 Below
There’s nothing like this spellbinder and the palpable joy that explodes when she entertains. Along the way, there were some comments for context, but not much news for those of us who have seen Marilyn Maye over and over and followed her career. The audience is always in luck when this lady takes the stage.
6/6 – Norm Lewis: SUMMERTIME (Special Tony Edition) at 54 Below
Stephen Sorokoff was hypnotized by Norm Lewis’s Summertime that he attended every single performance of the multi-show run. See his full set of photos here, capturing all the award-winning guests and high-profile friends.
9/11 – Santino Fontana: BY REQUEST at 54 Below
With a show opening on the auspicious date of 9/11/24, Santino Fontana (Frozen) did an unusual act, letting the audience choose the setlist. What resulted was a fun-filled show with a completely different act every single night of the run. Read the full review here.
9/15 – An Evening With LaChanze at 54 Below
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LaChanze-Pure-Magic-at-54-Below-20240925">Read the full review here.
9/15 – The Bryce Edwards Frivolity Hour at Birdland
Bryce Edwards has been playing out around the country and selling out the main room upstairs at Birdland - done at twenty-four… at least a kind of done, since Bryce Edwards is continuing to grow his audience, his fan base, and his visibility, which will, no doubt, be an ongoing process for many years to come. And the reason for Bryce Edwards’ success? (That is, other than a seemingly unending well of talent.) Bryce Edwards is an original.
9/22 – Artemisia LeFay's WASTED GIRL at Don't Tell Mama
Self-described “cabaret resurrectionist” Artemisia LeFay is well acquainted with the macabre. She performed her show, entitled Wasted Girl (named after her upcoming album) at Don’t Tell Mama on September 22, 2024. It consists entirely of original songs, and skillfully delivers on an ambitious concept through LeFay’s incredible writing and unwavering performance.
9/23 – Cheyenne Jackson: SIGNS OF LIFE at 54 Below
Cheyenne Jackson laid himself bare on stage at 54 Below with his hilarious new show Signs of Life. Jackson is utterly mesmerizing to watch, and delightfully funny as he weaves confessions about his life in with stories about parenting, his own late father, and working in TV in between songs. Jackson is a natural storyteller, and the push and pull between talking and moving into song was totally seamless.
10/10 – Kelli O'Hara: HERE’S TO THE LADIES at 92NY
Kelli O’Hara has a charming, inimitable stage presence and a powerful soprano. Accompanied by MD Dan Lipton, her concert at the 92nd Street Y, NY, celebrating women in her life, was utter perfection. Read the full review here.
10/23 – Stephanie Chou’s CHINATOWN DREAMS at Joe's Pub
Consisting of both original compositions and existing songs, the show explores many influences. The pieces written by Chou have inspirations as diverse as limericks, 9th century poetry, and even mathematics. Also present are songs ranging from 60s pop music to older folk tunes. Throughout it all, the creativity of the compositions and performance create an excellent show.
10/28 – Bernadette Peters at Carnegie Hall
Bernadette Peters was iconic at Carnegie Hall’s Originals Series, performing a selection of mostly Sondheim work. (She’s starring in a limited run of Old Friends at the Manhattan Theater Club starting in March celebrating Sondheim.) Read the full review of her Carnegie Hall concert here.
The Originals series continues in February and March of 2025
11/9 – Justin Vivian Bond: OH WELL at Joe's Pub
“The lunatics have taken over the asylum,” Justin Vivian Bond declares in their opening number at Joe’s Pub, and there’s something deliciously subversive about how they’ve transformed this declaration of despair into a rallying cry. At 61, fresh off receiving a MacArthur “Genius” Grant, Bond administers cultural medicine, served with a knowing wink.
(Justin is back at Joe’s Pub in 2025)
11/24 – An Afternoon with Heather Headley at 92NY
For nearly ninety minutes the Grammy winning singer held captive her audience, not only with her prodigious skills as a singer but with her infectious abilities as an orator. Yes, Heather The Heavenly most definitely had the theater full of fans under her spell, and it is doubtful that anyone present on the day ever wants the spell to be broken.
11/25 – Monika Chrząstowska at the Polish Consulate
The Singer Warsaw Festival of Jewish Culture, organized by the Shalom Foundation, returned to New York City in November for a third year of programming. One of their shows, graciously hosted by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, was a tribute to the music of Wiera Gran, a Polish-Jewish singer who began her career in the 30s. Monika Chrząstowska, a star of Warsaw’s Jewish theater, performed a cabaret of Gran’s work, paying homage to the celebrated yet complex entertainer.
There are always too many stellar shows in New York City to list them all – if we missed any of your favorites, please let us know in the comments.
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