Cabaret Stars Rock the Metropolitan Room to Help Hurricane Sandy-Ravaged Rockaways

Cabaret Review by Stephen Hanks

"You don't have to review this show, just relax and enjoy it," Lauren Fox told me at around 10:30 pm last night at the Metropolitan Room, before she and the all-star cast she assembled for the one-shot benefit show, Cabaret Rocks the Rockaways, tried to squeeze in one last mini-rehearsal. Unlike some cabaret performers who might say that to a reviewer due to fear a show may not be quite ready for judgement, Fox exuded sincerity even though she and her troop had managed just one full rehearsal-at her parents' home yet.

Fox came up with the idea for a benefit show in early December after witnessing first-hand some of the devastation that hit New York's Rockaways--the vulnerable Queens community on the peninsula of Long Island--during early November's Hurricane Sandy. This rising cabaret young star with an angelic face and voice was also an angel of mercy in the aftermath of the storm, trekking out with some of her friends and cabaret buddies to places like Breezy Point with a plethora of supplies and a wealth of good cheer. Last night's show, the box office proceeds of which will go to Rockaways relief efforts, was a natural outgrowth-but certainly not a culmination-of Fox and company's efforts to help thousands in that area who are still trying to rebuild their homes and their lives.

So any glitches in a fairly hastily put together variety show (a format that for the most part I do not love), could be forgiven and the reviewing mode set to off. But damn, if Lauren (right in photo, with Marissa Mulder) and a group of real cabaret pros didn't pull it off. And starting at 11:30 on a Friday night no less. Not review this show? Are you kidding? If any bunch of performers deserved some recognition for this kind of effort under tough circumstances it was this one. Somehow, I managed to take copious notes, sing along with many of the songs under my breath, and have a blast at the same time.

With a supportive and almost full house ready to rock and roll, Cabaret Rocks the Rockaways got off to a rollicking start with a powerhouse duo of Natalie Douglas and Heather Mac Rae nailing Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush." I got a rush when after Mac Rae sang the second verse of the song, Natalie smiled and laid her head on Heather's shoulder. Next up was a totally rocking Stacy Sullivan on Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Faith." If that wasn't enough of a departure for a singer currently dazzling the cabaret world with her Peggy Lee tribute show, Stacy came back later and produced a haunting and understated rendition of Stevie Nicks' "Landslide," featuring great support from the band of Musical Director Jon Weber on piano, Ritt Henn on bass and Ted Stafford on guitar.

Although Fox is definitely more a Joni than a Janis, she had the guts to take on Joplin's "Piece of My Heart," and pulled off an unplugged version featuring just Henn's bass as accompaniment. Ted Stafford, who joined the group just one day before the gig (as a fill in for Peter Calo) but definitely didn't show it, did a audience-pleasing version of the J. Geils Band hit "Centerfold," which culminated (with some urging from the mischievious Henn) with a transition into a "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, Hey Jude" ending riff. Heather Mac Rae (photo above) returned (with Sullivan, Douglas and Fox--oh my!--as backup) and was gloriously gospel-like on Paul Simon's "Gone at Last." Douglas remained on stage to beautifully backup T. Oliver Reid's subtle and soulful "Desperado" and you could hear the faint sound of an entire audience unable to resist singing along. The biggest surprise of the show may have been next when the usually sweet sounding Marissa Mulder channelled her inner Ann Wilson on Heart's power ballad "Alone." (Please click on Page 2 below to continue.)

During more than 30 years as a magazine and website publisher/editor/writer, Stephen Hanks has written about sports, health and nutrition, parenting, politics, the media, musical theater, and cabaret. In addition to writing about New York City cabaret for BroadwayWorld.com, Stephen also reviews cabaret shows for Cabaret Scenes Magazine and CabaretScenes.org. He is the Board President of Musical Mondays Theatre Lab, which workshops new musicals in New York City, and a former Board Member of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. In 2011, Stephen was an Associate Producer for the Off-Broadway show THE FARTISTE. Please contact Stephen with your comments and questions at: stephenhanks41@gmail.com

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