Cabaret Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 13

Review: BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE Renews Warm Memories of Frank Loesser's Songs at Dizzy's Club
by Rob Lester - January 27, 2024

Frank Loesser's songs from Broadway and the movies jumped with jazz at Dizzy's with four musicians, three singers, and one savvy host. 'If I Were a Bell,' I'd ring out the news....

Review: Carolyn Montgomery Lovingly Honors Rosemary Clooney in GIRLSINGER at Birdland
by Ricky Pope - January 25, 2024

At every turn, Montgomery plays up the fact that she and Rosemary Clooney are in many ways sisters in a parallel universe. Both women are dextrous, rich-voiced, blond crooners who find joy in the work they do while having less success in their unconventional love lives....

Review: THE MIKADO Preserves the Vibrant Legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan for a New Generation at Kaye Playhouse
by Rebecca Kaplan - January 23, 2024

The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players put on a historic 1880s operetta with plenty of modern nods and slapstick nods that make the production accessible to audiences of all ages....

Review: ALYSHA UMPHRESS & JEFF BLUMENKRANTZ Shine Brightly at The Green Room 42
by Rob Lester - January 24, 2024

Alysha Umphress and Jeff Blumenkrantz have collaborated over the years, chums whose voices complement each other (“It’s ‘Friendship,’ just a perfect blendship” to quote a Cole Porter number.) The room was quite full on a very cold night and the show was full of talent and splendid material, presente...

Review: GUNHILD CARLING AND FAMILY Entertain The Crowd At Birdland
by Analisa Bell - January 23, 2024

Gunhild Carling and her family of all stars were an absolute hit - from swapping instruments to juggling to tap dancing and balancing on stacked up chairs, this family knows how to entertain....

Review: OUR SINATRA: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION at Birdland Salutes the Legendary Singer
by Sharon Ellman - January 12, 2024

This reviewer thought that the night was just “too marvelous for words.”...

Review: ADAM PASCAL & ANTHONY RAPP CELEBRATING FRIENDSHIP & HISTORY Electrified the Crowd at 54 Below
by Rebecca Kaplan - January 09, 2024

The atmosphere in 54 Below was electric on Sunday January 7, 2024 for the opening night of Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp’s new show, ADAM PASCAL & ANTHONY RAPP: CELEBRATING FRIENDSHIP & HISTORY, which plays now through January 20th. Pascal and Rapp are a treat to watch, utterly charming and so perfec...

OUR BORN-THIS-MONTH FEATURE FOR JANUARY SALUTES... GUESS WHO!
by Rob Lester - January 07, 2024

Every month, we take a moment to honor someone among those having a birthday that month who has made a real mark in the entertainment world .  January's birthday salute goes to a sensation on the stages of theatres and cabaret. With a click, you can see who it is and then see how much you know about...

Review: BETH LEAVEL Leaves the Crowd in Stitches at 54 Below
by Rebecca Kaplan - January 06, 2024

Leavel, known for her roles in hit musicals The Drowsy Chaperone and The Prom, has a rare ability to employ the impressive singing voice of a serious traditional nightclub act while also being wholly comedic, switching back and forth between the two at the drop of a hat and occasionally somehow mana...

Review: STORM LARGE: INSIDE VOICE Hits the High Notes at 54 Below
by Sharon Ellman - January 06, 2024

What a talent, what a voice and what a performer Storm Large is and this reviewer looks forward to seeing where she goes in the future....

Review: Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway Doling Out The Good Stuff With YULETIDE REVELRY at 54 Below
by Stephen Mosher - December 28, 2023

What a great way to end 2023....

Review: LEGALLY BOUND: HOLIDAY EDITION WITH ORFEH AND ANDY KARL at Perelman Performing Arts Center
by Rebecca Kaplan - December 27, 2023

At one point, someone seated in front of me kvelled, “We don’t deserve this” over and over again. I couldn’t agree more....

Review: LYRICS & LYRICISTS Shows Celebrate Songwriting ....at 92NY
by Rob Lester - December 24, 2023

It's a Tale of Two Stevies in December concerts uptown when two men are celebrated in the series that began in 1970 when Stevie Wonder was 20 and already had been recording for about 7 years and Stephen Sondheim had 'Company' debut on Broadway....

Review: THE NEW YORK POPS, THE BEST CHRISTMAS OF ALL, WITH NORM LEWIS Brings Holiday Cheer To CARNEGIE HALL
by Sharon Ellman - December 23, 2023

Norm Lewis and The NY Pops took the filled-to-capacity audience at Carnegie Hall on a joyful sleigh ride through a winter wonderland of holiday songs in time....

Review: LISA HOWARD'S HOLIDAY SPECIAL! At 54 Below NOT a Cookie Cutter Christmas Show!
by Stephen Mosher - December 22, 2023

A Hit in Hallmark, Lisa Howard gives the holiday cabaret genre an original idea....

Album Review: Ted Nash and Kristen Lee Sergeant Give Reason To Celebrate The HOLIDAYS
by Stephen Mosher - December 20, 2023

A jazz album for the holidays that packs a serious artistic and emotional wallop....

Reviews: Miss Mayes and Much More Music in Manhattan
by Rob Lester - December 18, 2023

There's all kinds of music to check out in Manhattan -- Here's a sampling of the first in a series of Sally Mayes at Green Room 42, the return of the wonderfully wacky Lounge-O-Leer guys at Pangea, Karen Mack & Elliot Roth in Pangea's actual lounge, and some Hanukkah songs...

Review: THE BIRDLAND BIG BAND Hits All The Right Notes At Birdland
by Sharon Ellman - December 17, 2023

If you are craving some of the smooth sounds of Count Basie or Louis Armstrong, come down every Friday night to THE BIRDLAND BIG BAND AT BIRDLAND and have a wonderful night and hear “all that jazz!” ...

Review: TWO PIANOS: WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE? Satisfies Big Time at Carnegie Hall
by Rob Lester - December 17, 2023

There were grand pianos (2), there were Gershwin songs (many), it was gratifying....there were good spirits gracing Carnegie Hall when Michael Feinstein, Jacques-Yves Thibaudet, and Joshua Henry entertained....

Review: Brandon Victor Dixon Brings THE SOUL OF BROADWAY To 54 Below
by Maya Gengozian - December 14, 2023

Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award nominee Brandon Victor Dixon charmed and dazzled audiences in his solo show debut at 54 Below on December 4....

Review: Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch Bring Audience To Their House With I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS at 54 Below
by Stephen Mosher - December 13, 2023

Even if you aren’t a Christian and don’t celebrate the holiday, these folks are the gift you want to give yourself this December. ...

Review: A ROBERT BANNON CHRISTMAS SPECIAL at Chelsea Table + Stage is Merry and Bright!
by Nathan Johnson - December 13, 2023

The 70-minute show kicked off with the festive'Happy Holidays,' establishing the cheerful tone for the entire night. By the second song, the entire audience was joyfully singing along, creating a sense of community that held until the final bow....

Review: Ekmeles Performs David Lang's Haunting THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL PASSION at Church Of The Intercession
by Rebecca Kaplan - December 13, 2023

Ekmeles’ rich vocals harmonized and blended beautifully, reverberating against the walls of the crypt....

Review: Debbie Wileman Presents a Festive JUDY GARLAND - WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS at Carnegie Hall
by Stephen Mosher - December 16, 2023

It's a good day when Debbie Wileman brings her Judy Garland act to town, and it's a good holiday when that act is one for Christmas....

Reviews: Catching Up on Shows Is a Whirlwind .... at Urban Stages & 54 Below
by Rob Lester - December 12, 2023

Dear Santa: Thanks for the gifts called music in NYC, letting us 'wrap' our ears around a touch of Oklahoma-bred sense and sensibility, lots of holiday cheer, and musical theatre projects that have a connection to a famous hotel ....all part of a week in the winter wonderland of Manhattan's live pre...