Happy Saturday! Well, I got back from Hollywood last Sunday, made it out to Cast Party Monday night, and then was down for the count all week with a nasty cold and I ended up not making it to any of the shows I wanted to get to! So, in lieu of reporting about what I've seen, I'm just going to jump right to what's on the agenda for the week ahead!
Where I'm going this week...
Tonight, Saturday, October 10th: I'm heading to the Metropolitan Room for a special, late-night performance of my Connie Francis tribute, Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis! It's the tail end of Cabaret Convention week here in NYC (for more info on this yearly cabaret fest, check out www.mabelmercer.org) and in honor of the occasion, I'm doing an encore performance of the show! It's an 11:45 p.m. start, and I'm thrilled to be following some of my favorite performers: the Marvelous Marilyn Maye had the 7:30 show at the Metropolitan Room tonight, and the terrific husband-and-wife duo I wrote about a few columns ago, Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano are doing the 9:45 p.m. show!
Sunday, October 11th: Angela Shultz at Don't Tell Mama in her show, Kiss Me Like You Mean It. I've had the pleasure of hearing Angela sing on many occasions and have always been impressed by her lovely voice and easy way with a lyric, but I've yet to see her in a full length solo show, so I'm very much looking forward to this! Incidentally, Angela's director is the multi-talented Hector Coris, who will be performing his own show, Life Is Wonderful at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow (also at Don't Tell Mama). I'm not going to be able to make it this time, but I saw it in its run earlier this year and LOVED it - so if you're looking for something to do tomorrow at 6:30, look no further!
Monday, October 12th: Barry Lloyd at the Metropolitan Room in Slumming On Park Avenue: A Celebration of Bobby Short. San Francisco-based singer/pianist Barry Lloyd is as talented and as charming as they come and a Bobby Short tribute is a great fit for him. I don't get to see Barry perform much, as we're usually on opposite coasts, but I sure love to see him when I can! After Barry's show, I'll be running over to Cast Party at Birdland. Hosted by Jim Caruso, this fantastic open mic runs from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. but make sure you get there early to sign up if you want to sing!
Tuesday, October 13th: The Marvelous Marilyn Maye at The Metropolitan Room. Well-known for being Johnny Carson's favorite singer (she appeared on his show an astounding 76 times), this woman knows her way around a stage, that's for sure! One of the most charming, engaging, and flat-out talented singers I've ever had the pleasure of hearing and seeing - going to a performance is like watching a master class. Can't wait to see her again!!
Wednesday, October 14th: Wednesday Night at the Iguana! Hosted by Richard Skipper and Dana Lorge, this weekly singers' showcase has become THE Wednesday night hot spot in the cabaret world! Each week, five singers are featured, each of them performing a three song set, and the rest of the time is filled in by surprise guests and the terrific hosts. This week, I'll be going to support my sister, Kelly Esposito-Broelmann, who will be one of the featured guests!
That's about all I've got on the books for now...check back for a new column next week and I'll let you know how it all turned out!
Pictured: Barry Lloyd
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