Broadway Music Comes to Baltimore's Little Italy

Music in an intimate setting has been slowly been achieving a come-back. Sammy's Trattoria on N. Charles Street featured a Sunday Cabaret and Sotto Sopra has an opera night.

Well, Germano's Trattoria, located in Baltimore's famed Little Italy has taken this concept and expanded it to a weekly event in the restaurant's lovely second floor. What differentiates this concept is that this will be a weekly event on Thursday evenings under the artistic direction of singer/actress Carolyn Black-Sotir. The "The Cabaret at Germano's in Little Italy" (or I have called it  CAGILI)  officially opens Thursday evening, September 4 at 7:30 p.m. when Black-Sotir will present a program entitled "A Woman is a Sondheim Thing" where she will be accompanied by pianist Tim McReynolds, bassist Tom Baldwin, and a special guest appearance by the acclaimed singer/actress/comedienne Shannon Wallman. 

What can one  expect? Black-Sotir will explore the many facets of Sondheim women from Mayoress Cora in Anyone Can Whistle to Johanna in Sweeney Todd to Passion's Fosca.

CAGILI is a nice room for cabaret music with fine acoustics (and did I mention the fabulous Italian food available?)  I attended the July 31 concert entitled "The Sweetest Sounds: A Richard Rodgers Cabaret" which featured Black-Sotir performing before a sold-out audience along with her talented pianist/arranger Tim McReynolds and the superb bassist Baldwin. While viewing the music, I had a great view of the Christopher Columbus statue at the entrance to Little Italy with the flags of the USA and Italy flying in the breeze. It was magical.

Not only does Black-Sotir have a beautiful voice, she is blessed with a wonderful personality which shines through during her performance.

She began with a wonderful rendition of Oklahoma's "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" which she followed with "It's a Grand Night for Singing". The audience appreciated the little known facts interspersed during the evening like the fact that Rodgers wrote 42 musicals with numerous Tony Awards, Oscars, and two Pulitzer Prizes.

Other gorgeous songs included "Manhattan, "My Romance", "Falling in Love" and one of my favorites "No Other Love Have I" (the melody used in the acclaimed documentary "Victory at Sea").  After a short intermission, one heard such stalwarts as "The Sweetest Sounds", "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and a segment with the musicians from Cinderella.  The evening ended with "Eidelweiss" from The Sound of Music. My suggestion to CAGILI is to skip the intermission.  It would make the evening more enjoyable.

You can expect to see other local talent at CAGILI each Thursday evening. Doors open at 6 p.m., shows begin at 7:30 p.m., there's a $10 music fee, and there is a $15 food/drink minimum. Germano's is located at 300 South High Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, phone 410-752-4515 or visit www.germanostrattoria.com.

What a welcome addition to the Baltimore music scene. 

For comments, write to cgshubow@broadwayworld.com.

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