The final day of the NEW YORK CABARET CONVENTION always takes place on a Sunday afternoon, and a large portion of the orchestra seats are reserved for the patrons of TOWN HALL, and normally the rest of the house is sold out to the regular convention attendees. However, in looking around at the start of the show (I was seated in the balcony) there seemed to be a large number of seats unsold.
And a little note to those folks who were unable to get tickets by mail, and thought they could not attend this year. Every night, including the pre-announced sold-out nights (Monday and Tuesday) there were folks standing outside TOWN HALL selling tickets - usually just one but sometimes even decks of four. Since the CABARET CONVENTION tickets are usually purchased by mail months before the actual event, many people discover that they cannot use all the tickets they purchase, and sell them to others before the show.
The show opened with a presentation by the Manhattan Rhythm Kings. I have to be careful what I write about this group, since last time I wrote about them, I received a nasty letter from a member of the group that said in part, "I don't need to read silly comments from the likes of you when I'm up there donating my time for a good cause." So, I will only say that they chose two cabaret favorites, heard in many of the shows around town this year: "Happy Feet," complete with a tap-dance interlude, and "Snug As a Bug In a Rug."
As a special unannounced treat, KT Sullivan and Larry Woodard were brought on to sing one number from their recent sold-out show at THE FIREBIRD CAFE - a medley of Jerome Kern hits.
With John Boswell at the piano, Lee Lessack was next, singing two numbers from his new CD, Stephen Schwartz' "Dreamscape," and a medley of "Right As The Rain," and "Soon It's Gonna' Rain."
As another surprise, Celeste Holm was introduced, and she in turn introduced the next performer on the program, Lumiri Tubo. She opened with a bouncy "I Just Love Him So!" with Rob LaRocco at the piano. Just an aside here about the sound system at the convention. The real bouncy and wordy songs seem to get just a little muddled when performed in TOWN HALL. There is a definite "echo" to the hall itself, and when words follow each other quickly in a song, they are sometimes difficult to understand. Consequently, Ms. Tubo's first song would certainly come across better in a smaller cabaret room. Her next song, much slower and more easily understood, was "True Love Will Never Die."
With the marvelous John Boswell back at the piano, California's Lainie Nelson offered a rather uninspired medley from Harold Rome's show FANNY.
Super-hyped 17-year-old Tim Draxl, from Australia, was next on the program. The lad is cute, self-assured, cute, and full of sparkle and charisma. And he is cute. But vocally, Tim has a long way to go - and in fact, while his high register is lovely, I predict that Mr. Draxl will soon be a baritone. As soon as his voice finds its correct pitch, I assure you that he will be someone we will hear a lot from. As far as Tim's deserving a gig at the ALGONQUIN, I am beginning to wonder what is the secret formula to being booked there?
Seasoned pro Eric Comstock was next on the program, and delighted the audience with two songs from his recent show about songwriters. The first was a clever parody of Andrew Lloyd Webber tunes, and the second was a Charles deForest classic, "One Day At A Time." Put Mr. Comstock in a tux, seat him behind a piano, and you are in for some real entertainment!
Each time I hear Billy Stritch perform I am amazed at how he seems to keep growing in so many ways. His presentation at this 10th Annual Cabaret Convention was one of the finest performances I have seen him give. He sang "A Shine on Your Shoes," followed by a medley of "Good Thing Going" and "What'll I Do." The too-short set was simple and magnificent.
After the usual 15-minute intermission, Marilyn Lovell Matz was introduced, and poor Shelly Markham was forced to "vamp" for several minutes as the audience continued to be seated. Marilyn opened with Noel Coward's "Bar on the Piccolo Marina." Now, I must be one of the few people in the world who feel that "Cockeyed Optimist" should not be sung in a minor key. I have heard Ms. Matz sing this number three times before (it must be one of her favorites) but it always makes me think of the Volga Boatman, not optimism. Thankfully the song breaks loose from its dreary arrangement about 18 bars from the end.
Natalie Douglas was next, and offered two songs, including the title track, from her new CD, "Not That Different" with Mark Hartman at the piano. This CD has been a long time coming, and you could feel Natalie's excitement as she spoke about it. As usual, Natalie was terrific.
Benjamin Sears and Bradford Conner have made a career out of resurrecting old songs and bringing to live forgotten standards. This elegantly vested pair were next in the show, and sang "Louisa" and "Put Me To The Test," the second song having probably never been performed before in New York City.
Jazz vocalist Joyce Breach was admittedly under the weather, suffering from quite a cold, but she performed anyway with Tex Arnold at the piano. She offered "If I Make Love To You" and "Rendezvous," but she was clearly not at her best.
Mary Cleere Haran was announced as one of the performers for this final show of the series, but her absence went unexplained.
To close the show, Donald Smith took the podium and presented a rarely given MABEL MERCER FOUNDATION "Cabaret Artist Award" to Karen Mason, who was one of the performers at the first NY CABARET CONVENTION 10 years ago, and has sung at nearly every one since. Karen delighted us with a "quick and loud" "Downtown," followed by a medley of "Happy Ending" and "Hey There Good Times." Chris Denny was at the piano.
And thus endeth the 10th Annual Convention, and thus endith my reports. I will add a few comments on a separate page in a few days, after I get caught up on my sleep, and get caught up on my website - which has gone just a bit unattended during the past week.
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