The Cabaret Chronicles: Connie Francis, NY Pops, MAC Awards, Allan Harris, and More!

Happy Weekend!  Wow, it’s been such a busy few weeks, I don’t even know where to start!  I was unable to write last weekend, as I was out of town seeing the legendary Connie Francis in concert, so this week it’s going to be an especially full column!

So, let’s backtrack to the beginning of last week, which I kicked off by seeing talented singer/songwriter/guitarist Allan Harris at The Metropolitan Room.  Opening with a swingin’ “On The Street Where You Live,” Mr. Harris proceeded to lend his smooth, rich voice to a terrific selection of songs, including a number of well-written original songs.  Several of these were from his project “Cross That River,” which is a musical re-telling of “one of the great unsung stories of the American West” – the black cowboy.  One of the most touching moments of the night came in a seemingly unlikely form: Les Miserables’ “Bring Him Home.”  While this song can sometimes come across as overly dramatic and contrived, Mr. Harris delivered one of the most beautiful, heartfelt renditions I’ve ever heard.  Also taking the spotlight on the night I was there was Mr. Harris’ brand new Gibson Les Paul guitar.  Having been recently endorsed by Gibson, this was one of Mr. Harris’ first shows with his shiny new guitar, which also sounded terrific!  From top to bottom, it was a thoroughly enjoyable show.  Kudos, too, to Mr. Harris’ stellar trio, led by Dan Kaufman on piano.  After the show, I headed over to Jim Caruso’s Cast Party at Birdland, which was as entertaining as ever.  With an amazing house band (Tedd Firth on piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Steve Bakunas on drums), the wittiest host in the city (Mr. Caruso himself!), and a whole slew of talented folks taking the mic (including Jack Donahue, Billy Stritch, Aaron Weinstein and Vanessa Trouble), how could it not be?!

The following night, I ventured out of the Cabaret World and into the Broadway World (how appropriate for this column!), and took in Lend Me a Tenor, which was absolutely terrific.  I won’t write too much on the show, since there’s plenty about it already on this site, but suffice it to say my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard, and it was an absolutely wonderful way to spend the evening.  Incidentally, as luck would have it, I was there on the now-infamous night of the mouse joining the cast.  I saw the little critter enter the scene, and at first I thought it was a mechanical mouse, and was supposed to be there.  It soon became evident, though, that this was not the case.  It’s a good thing for everyone that I was in the mezzanine and not the front row, or I may have had to be taken away by security!  As it was, I was squirming and squealing in my seat!  However, the little guy made his exit fairly quickly, and Tony Shaloub and Justin Bartha did an excellent job of playing it off. 

On Saturday, May 1st, it was off to the Bergen PAC in Englewood, NJ, to see the incomparable Connie Francis in concert.  Now, it’s no secret that I have quite a big soft spot for Ms. Francis (I actually perform my own tribute show to her!), but I must say that she was in particularly excellent form last weekend.  In addition to lending her well-loved, instantly recognizable voice to such hits as “Stupid Cupid,” “Where The Boys Are,” and “Who’s Sorry Now,” Ms. Francis also had added a few songs to her set list since the last time I saw her.  Cindy Walker & Eddy Arnold’s “You Don’t Know Me,” made most famous by Ray Charles, sounded absolutely gorgeous in her voice, and Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” was a natural fit for her.  Backed by a 21-piece orchestra and a backup vocalist, Ms. Francis also wowed the crowd with some of her foreign-language hits including “Mama,” “Malaguena,” and “Hava Nagila.”  She looked stunning, wearing leather pants and a sparkly black top for the first half of the concert, and a black and red sequined ensemble for the second half.  It was a fantastic show, and definitely a night to remember!

On Monday, May 3rd, I headed over to Carnegie Hall for the New York Pops 27th Birthday Gala, which was a celebration of the legacy of Frank Sinatra.  Under the baton of musical director Steven Reineke and featuring a star-studded lineup of special guests including Michael Cerveris, Tony DeSare, Michael Feinstein, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Montego Glover, Cheyenne Jackson, Norm Lewis, John Pizzarelli, Haley Swindal, John Tartaglia, Steve Tyrell, Michael Urie, and the cast of Come Fly Away, the Pops put on one spectacular show!  The evening was hosted by Liz Smith and also featured an appearance by Frank Sinatra, Jr., who not only performed a song, but also conducted the Pops for a number!  He explained that his dad, in addition to singing, also had a fondness for conducting, although he was unfortunately never taken as seriously as a conductor as he was as a singer.  To pay tribute to that part of his father’s career, Frank Jr. led the Pops in “Yellow” from the album Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color.  Other highlights of the evening included Karine Plantadit and Keith Roberts from the cast of Come Fly Away  dancing to “One For My Baby (and One More for the Road),” and Tony DeSare’s easy, swinging “Night and Day,”  and Steve Tyrell’s “The Way You Look Tonight.”  From the opening “New York, New York” (from On The Town – music by Bernstein and lyrics by Comden & Green) to the closing “New York, New York” (Kander & Ebb), it was a thoughtful, entertaining tribute to the chairman of the board all the way through.  After the Pops Gala, it was off to Birdland once again for another Cast Party!  It was another great night at the famed jazz club, with performances by Hilary Kole, Jane Scheckter, Jamie deRoy, Joan Crowe, Erich Bergen, the marvelous Marilyn Maye, and Eve Plumb - yes, THAT Eve Plumb, of Brady Bunch fame!  Host Jim Caruso kept things along at a lively clip, and the Cast Party Symphony Orchestra (Tedd Firth on piano, Steve Doyle on bass, and Dustin Jensen on drums) was simply stupendous!

The following evening, it was time for the 24th Annual MAC Awards!  Presented by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC), this yearly awards show honors the best in NYC nightlife, in the fields of cabaret, jazz, and comedy.  Produced by Julie Miller and directed by MAC Board of Directors President Lennie Watts, this year’s awards show was a four-hour spectacular.  Featuring performances by some of the most beloved entertainers in the nightlife community including the Les Paul Trio, the aforementioned Tony DeSare, Lucie Arnaz, Billy Stritch, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Leslie Uggams, and the hostess with the mostess, Sharon McNight, it was a night of celebration and revelry, and a great time was had by all!  For a complete list of winners, please visit www.macnyc.com.

On Friday night, I headed over to The Metropolitan Room for MetroJam, the monthly open mic I have the pleasure of hosting!  A number of terrific entertainers got up to the mic, including Kathleen France, Maureen Taylor, Ben Cassara, Richie Eisenberg, Sarah Rice, William Blake, and Kevin Alvey.  The special guest star for the night, featured in a 3-song set, was tenor saxophonist Mark Small.  Having spent the better part of the past seven years touring with Michael Buble, Mark is back in NYC, which is a real gift for New Yorkers!  Backed by the fab MetroJam Band (John DiPinto on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, and Bobby Sher on drums), Mark’s set, which included one of the most gorgeous renditions of “Skylark” I’ve ever heard, was truly outstanding.  It was a really fun night, and a great way to kick off the weekend!                                  

Coming up this week…

Well, call me “wild and crazy,” but I actually have NOTHING on the books for this week, and am looking forward to a little spontaneity!  Check back next week to see where my sense of adventure ends up leading!