On Sunday November 1, newcomer Nicole Kafka, a product of New York City and a singer who moonlights at a colorectal surgeon, premieres her second show in two years. "Vamps, Vixens & Villains," which Kafka offers up a total of five times in an exclusive two-week engagement running from November 1 to 14 at Don't Tell Mama, is directed by Eric Michael Gillett, with music direction by David Shenton.
Presenting a cornucopia of bad girl repertoire brimming with songs spanning musical theatre and popular song, Kafka digs deep for her inspiration. What she uncovers is a rogue's gallery of women whose badness either defied convention, broke hearts (and rules) or, more recently, set new standards for how women like to see themselves. Using her own upbringing as an Upper East Sider who attended Dalton then Harvard as a yardstick, Kafka fearlessly probes her own perspectives on good vs. bad with songs as diverse as "Saga of Jenny," "Love for Sale," "Whatever Lola Wants," and "Peel Me a Grape." The results can only be described as Kafkaesque. In addition to David Shenton on piano, Kafka is backed by Rodolph Vernaz-Colas on guitar, Stan Killian on sax, clarinet and flute, and Mark Wade on bass.
Kafka, the daughter of an internationally known restaurant consultant, food writer and James Beard Foundation award-winning cookbook author (her mother) and a psychoanalyst, art photographer and classical pianist (her father), grew up loving music, but abandoned her passion to pursue her education and career. In the end, realizing there was so much more to life than colorectal surgery (Kafka's successful private practice focuses on proctology, pelvic floor disorders and nutrition), the budding diva has come back to singing, an art she treats as the central well-spring of her life. Her cabaret debut, seen last year at the Laurie Beechman (for two nights in April) and at Don't Tell Mama (for three nights in December), was titled "Deliciously Twisted."
Nicole Kafka in "Vamps, Vixens & Villains" -- five nights only from November 1 to November 14 at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street. The cover charge is $20, with a $15 drink minimum. For reservations call 212/757-0788.
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