BWW Review: Still 'Chasing Dreams and Placing Bets,' Lynn Henderson Celebrates Life in T'AINT NOBODY'S BIZNESS IF I DO! at Don't Tell Mama
Lynn Henderson delighted a small but enthusiastic audience at Don't Tell Mama in the final performance of her new show, T'AIN'T NOBODY'S BIZNESS IF I DO! With musical director Douglas J. Cohen, a multi-award winning songwriter (including a Drama Desk Award nomination and the Noel Coward Prize), and bass player Bob Sabin (himself the winner of numerous jazz awards, who sits on the music faculty both at the prestigious Hunter College High School and NYU), the veteran big band, choral, and lounge singer combined material from her 2014 CD, If We Only Have Love, with classics from the Great American Songbook (George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kander and Ebb, among others). Ably directed by 10-time MAC Award winner Barry Kleinbort, the show also included more contemporary material by Billy Joel, Jerry Herman, and Randy Newman.
BWW Reviews: Texas Treasure Holland Vavra Flys Audiences to the Moon
Last December, Texas treasure Holland Vavra made her 54 Below debut in Cuz We're F#cking Talented, a concert where a handful of artists showed off their skills. Last night, she made a special trip from Houston to premiere her tribute to Frank Sinatra, Holland at the Sands: My Blue Eyed Sinatra. With her own brand of lovable, quirky humor and her golden instrument, Vavra made her solo cabaret debut a delightful spectacle.
BWW Reviews: ERIC COMSTOCK & BARBARA FASANO Open Beguiling New Show at the Metropolitan Room
Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano are in a really good mood. The infectious buoyancy of their new show at the Metropolitan Room, Shoulder Season (Don't ask me what the title means. Despite explanation, I haven't a clue.), will erase world news, ease arthritis, and make love seem possible again. Well, maybe not all that. Its warm, cheerful, sometimes exuberant musicality is nonetheless recommended for whatever ails you.
BWW Reviews: CELIA BERK Launches Belated Cabaret Career With a Solid CD Release and Impressive Debut Show
Watching a singer like Celia Berk, who brings a heartwarming balance, a subtle good humor, originality, and a lot of affection to everything she sings, makes one realize the crucial role good instincts play in the self-conscious, self-absorbed world of cabaret. Right at the top of her recent debut run of shows titled You Can't Rush Spring (the title of her recently released excellent debut CD) at the Metropolitan Room, this New Yorker from the business world ingratiated herself with the audience by admitting she was fulfilling a lifelong dream. Berk had already built a following with a few excellent guest performances (most notably at this past October's Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center) and in this auspicious debut she proved she easily puts her personal stamp on an eclectic mix of songs. Such ability springs directly from who she is and not from someone's idea of who she should be.
SCL and ASCAP to Present Evening with Alan & Marilyn Bergman 8/14; Moderated by Kerker
For The Society of Composers & Lyricists first SongArts event, the SCL and ASCAP will present an evening with illustrious songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman. As their songs have been enriching the Great American Songbook for more than five decades, they are recipients of three Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, the Grammy Trustees Award, and have been nominated for 16 Academy Awards.
Spirit Catalogue Holdings and Spirit Music Group Aquire Threesome Music
Spirit Catalogue Holdings ('SCH'), in conjunction with Spirit Music Group ('SMG') announced today the acquisition of Threesome Music, the song catalog of acclaimed multiple Grammy, Oscar and Emmy-winning songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman - two of the most respected names in the Great American Songbook.