Drake Hotel To Host Karen Mason, Amanda McBroom & Christine Ebersole

Elegance and gorgeous music have a new home as Bay Area Cabaret (www.bayareacabaret.org) moves into its new venue - The Empire Ballroom at San Francisco's iconic Sir Francis Drake Hotel (450 Powell Street off Union Square). Fresh off its sold-out Valentine's Day performance by Tony Award winner Sutton Foster, Bay Area Cabaret continues its sixth season of seasoned Broadway, pop and jazz vocalists on Sunday, March 28th when Broadway star Karen Mason (Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, Sunset Blvd) performs a new program of showstoppers and pop originals. Next up on Friday, April 16th is The Rose songwriter Amanda McBroom, performing a tribute to her songwriting inspiration Jacques Brel. The season closes with Grey Gardens star Christine Ebersole in a recent award-winning Carlyle program with Michael Feinstein's accompanist John Oddo leading a four-piece band on Sunday, April 25th.

The Sir Francis Drake is offering Bay Area Cabaret patrons a rate of $119 per king deluxe room based on availability on the weekends of 3/28, 4/16 and 4/25. The discounted rate is available at http://www.bayareacabaret.org.

Individual tickets to all shows are available at www.bayareacabaret.org or City Box Office (415) 392-4400. Groups discounts (8 or more): (415) 927-INFO. For audio and video samples of our performers, visit us online at www.bayareacabaret.org.

Bay Area Cabaret is a not-for profit, all-volunteer organization, which presents extraordinary performances in a variety of elegant venues in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through its concert series and wide-ranging outreach activities, Bay Area Cabaret aims to expand the definition of cabaret and broaden the audience for intimate entertainment, offering Great American Songbook entries from Harold Arlen and Stephen Sondheim to Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Wonder. Chronicle readers voted Bay Area Cabaret's series the Bay Area's "Best Concert Evenings." Past seasons have featured Maureen McGovern, Barbara Cook, John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey, TV stars Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry, jazz diva Nnenna Freelon, Broadway stars Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, Darius de Haas, sopranos Patricia Racette and Karen Slack, and multi-platinum songwriter and jazz vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway.

Returning by popular demand to the Bay Area Cabaret stage, Broadway and cabaret diva Karen Mason performs a new show for her Bay Area Cabaret fans, with songs by Shelly Markham, Paul Rolnick, Jules Styne, Lennon & McCartney, along with Broadway showstoppers. Recently cast in Frank Wildhorn's (Jeckyl & Hyde) Broadway-bound musical Wonderland: Alice's New Adventures, Mason is well-known for having originated the role of Tanya in Broadway's Mamma Mia, and played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard for three years, to critical acclaim and standing ovations. Her nine MAC awards, Nightlife and Bistro awards recognize her brilliance as a singer/actress with the ability to forge an intimate bond with every member of her audience.

Grammy-nominated songwriter ("The Rose") Amanda McBroom brings us a show dedicated entirely to her songwriting inspiration Jacques Brel. With both piano and guitar accompaniment this brilliant singer/actress will perform "Chanson des Vieux Amants," "Marieke," "Carousel" and a few rare gems. "Cabaret is not dead," says McBroom. "It is very much alive...and it is the home for people who still want to write the intelligent, emotional and lyric-driven melodic song." Witness this tribute to one great songwriter from another, and help us celebrate the release of Ms. McBroom's most magnificent CD to date. This show is sponsored by Monster Cable. As a convenience for Bay Area Cabaret patrons, the Sir Francis Drake is offering a three-course French-themed supper in its mezzanine level Windsor Room at 6 p.m., directly prior to Ms. McBroom's performance. Reservations must be guaranteed by credit card by calling Bay Area Cabaret at (415) 927-4636 by no later than 4/11/10.

Two-time Tony winner (Grey Gardens, 42nd Street) and Saturday Night Live cast member Christine Ebersole graces our stage, following her recent Broadway run opposite Angela Lansbury in Blithe Spirit and her sold-out evenings at New York's Regency with Michael Feinstein. To close our season, Ms. Ebersole brings the Café Carlyle show which recently earned her the 2010 New York Nightlife Award for Outstanding Vocalist in a Major Engagement. Directed by Scott Wittman, Ms. Ebersole will be accompanied by a four-piece band, including John Oddo, musical director for Michael Feinstein and the late Rosemary Clooney.

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