Please note: No "song lists" distributed at the convention, so some of the song titles in these reports may not be accurate and/or misspelled.

I didn't have a ticket for the Thursday night show, which was a tribute to Margaret Whiting and featured Farah Alvin, Ann Hampton Callaway, Gerry Dieffenbach, Tovah Feldshuh, Barbara Lea, Meg Mackay, Sharon McNight, Georga Osborne, Billy Philadelphia, Anne Roberts, Karen Saunders, Joel Silberman, Dan Vannatter and is hosted by Mary Cleere Haran. But I have several friend who went to this show, and here are a few comments and remarks they passed along.

First off, the biggest complaint was that the show ran too long, but this is often a complaint about the convention. Many cabaret-goers are accustomed to "cabaret seating" - around a table or on a banquette, where you can change position often, and even sip a cocktail or two. To sit in a theater seat from 6 pm to 9:30 pm with only one brief intermission can be a pain in the .... well, you know what I mean.

But several performers were real standouts in this show, according to my sources.

Karen Saunders, who performs in NYC cabaret rarely, never looked and sounded better. She contributed a great pair of numbers - "Old Devil Moon" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." I regret missing this show mainly because she was on the bill. Ms. Saunders has been a favorite of mine since I started going to cabaret shows on a regular basis about 10 years ago.

Gerry Dieffenbach, who usually is behind the piano as musical director and piano-bar performer, got spiffed up in a tux and stood center stage and wowed them. This singer/songwriter surprised many in the audience with his vocals.

Ann Hampton Callaway (who never disappoints) often "writes" songs on the spot using words gathered from members of the audience. She did so in this show, composing an "instant" song in tribute to Ms. Whiting.

Singer/comedienne Georga Osborne was a special treat, singing a very cleverly arranged "Good Ship Lollypop," which was written by Richard Whiting, Margaret's father.

Mary Cleere Haran, who finished a run at the Algonquin Oak Room just the week before the convention, was also a standout performer. She was host for the evenings performance.

Tovah Feldshuh apparently tore the roof off of TOWN HALL with a series of one-liners and jokes covering recent events in the news about Ms. Whiting and her husband Jack Wrangler.

And what did I do while all this was going on?

I and a friend headed down to UPSTAIRS AT ROSE'S TURN to catch "Who Is That Guy?" The show is written and performed by Joshua Cary and Patrick Gallo, one of the best comedy teams I have seen in NY cabaret. They have the timing, the talent, and the writing ability to join the list of great comedy duos.

And I could sit at a table, and sip a cocktail or two - my kind of cabaret.

FRIDAY NIGHT'S SHOW features Richard Rodney Bennett, Barbara Brussell, Rhondi Charleston, Eric Michael Gillett, Jane A. Johnston, Marcia Lewis, Christian Nova, Jay Rogers, Steve Ross, David Staller, Nuala Willis & Courtney Kenny and Larry Woodard. The show is a "Noel Coward Celebration" and is hosted by Donald Smith and Sheridan Morley.

On to Cabaret Convention Night Five Friday, October 16, 1998

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