Interview: Marya Zimmet Brings ZIMMET TIME (AND THE LIVIN’S TOO EASY) to Don't Tell Mama & Pangea

Marya Zimmet has tried retirement, but she’s feeling the need to bring complication and artistic expression back into her life. So, she’s diving back into the New York cabaret scene with not to just one club, but two. On Monday November 11th she’ll appear at Don’t Tell Mama at 7 pm. The next day, on Tuesday November 12th at 7 pm, she’ll be at Pangea.

In the new show, titled Zimmet Time (And The Livin’s Too Easy), she will “give voice to how we pursue feeling fully alive through a bunch of great songs – some from my ‘new’ CD - by the likes of Cole Porter, Paul McCartney, Lerner and Loewe, Annie Lennox, Jimmy Webb and Cat Stevens - interspersed with zingy tales of what happened when I decided to live life outside my comfort zone.”

We spoke about the upcoming shows and what’s coming up next for Zimmet. Read our conversation below.

What are you most looking forward to about your upcoming shows at DTM and Pangea?

Oh gosh. I love performing, so just that joy of creating beautiful music with the band, telling some funny stories, and sharing it all with the audience. I am very excited to be playing with a first-class trio led by Tedd Firth, with whom I created my album in 2020-2021, and with Steve Doyle on bass and Eric Halvorson on drums.  This is my first show in a legit club since before the pandemic. So, yeah, I’m happy and excited (the terror will come later).

Where did the inspiration for this show come from?

I didn’t have any particular inspiration for this show at first – I just knew that I’m happiest when I’m in that creative process of crafting a show, and that the first step was to schedule the performance. I believed that the pressure would become the cooker for the inspiration. And that was the case. Actually, through the process of working on the title of the show – a version of which my director Barry Kleinbort had suggested – I zeroed in on a theme that meant something to me and that I thought could be meaningful to others, as well as (most importantly) fun and entertaining.

What keeps you coming back to cabaret?

When I discovered cabaret about 15 or so years ago, it was a wonderful thing. I had never felt like I fit a particular category as a singer – I have an affinity for jazz but I don’t call myself a jazz singer – and cabaret felt like a genre wherein I didn’t have to be this or that, and I could bring in any style of music, as well as comedy and acting. What could be better?

What does living outside of your comfort zone look like, to you?

Well, that’s another reason why I love performing. It’s always uncomfortable at certain stages, and it makes me stretch and come up to that edge that is scary and exhilarating. There are a bunch of other things, but I’ll tell you at the show!

What music have you been listening to lately?

I’ve been loving listening to contemporary jazz singers. Today I was listening to Tessa Souter and Kurt Elling and Darmon Meader. Also, Meghan Trainor and this group called Girl Named Tom.

What else is coming up next for you?

Ah, more out-of-comfort zone adventures! Got to keep creating material for new shows, right?

On the list are travel, dog fostering, dating (yikes!!), volunteering with kids, a meditation retreat…

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Zimmet will perform on Monday, November 11 at Don't Tell Mama at 7 pm
343 W 46th St. (8th & 9th Ave.), https://donttellmamanyc.com/
$20 cover + $20 minimum (must include 2 drinks) food menu available. (CASH ONLY)
Tickets are available at https://shows.donttellmamanyc.com/8610-marya-zimmet-11-11-24

The Tuesday, November 12 show at Pangea is at 7 pm
178 2nd Ave. (11th & 12th St.), www.pangeanyc.com
$20 online / $25 at door (CASH ONLY) + $20 minimum (food or beverage)
Tickets are available at https://cur8.com/18134/project/125938

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