Monday, May 31, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for May 30, 2010 - "Boats, Beaches & Boardwalks – All Things Nautical"

For the Memorial Day Weekend Salon, people gratefully came out of the heat and enjoyed the theme of "Boats, Beaches & Boardwalks – All Things Nautical". Matthew Ward was co-host and at the piano for the evening, taking over for Mark Janas, who is away in Maine for a show. The gracious host of the evening was Jay Rogers, who started the evening off with the song "Come By Sunday," extremely appropriate for a Sunday musical event! Then Jay introduced Steve "The Whistler" Herbst, who whistled "Misty." He informed us that his whistling prowess replaced a Theramin track on a Verizon DSL commercial - you can view it on his website. After Steve came Sunny Leigh, who sang the theme from Titanic, "My Heart Will Go On." Maria Ottavia then sang the Irving Berlin song "Always" - Maria is performing her new Karen Carpenter show "If I Were a Carpenter" at Don't Tell Mama next month, with Tracy Stark as musical director and Lennie Watts as director!

Next on the stage came Peter Oliff, who sang "Sail Away," probably in anticipation of performing in Dames at Sea this summer at a New Jersey theater. After Peter, Richard Eisenberg sang his original piece entitled "Good Old American Hamberger," dressed appropriately for the Summer barbecue season in an apron, glove and spatula. Then Louisa Poster sang "Row, Row, Row" - and her show "Flash, Bam, Alakazam" a tribute to Betty Hutton will take place July 13th and Don't Tell Mama, with Mike McFrederick on piano, and Joan Jaffe directing. Then Susan Hodgdon sang "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" from Grease, Caroline Ferenczi (whose show "I Enjoy Being a Girl...Singer" will perform this Friday June 4th at 4:30 and 7pm, Don't Tell Mama) sang "Watch What Happens." Jack DiMonte sang "Small Day Tomorrow" in a lovely, languid tone.

To finish the first half, Sierra Rein sang "Mr. Snow," the ultimate Broadway love song to a fisherman, from Carousel. Etceterette Joanne Sheeron sang "Sea and Sand" by The Who, accompanying herself on guitar. Then Etceterette Marnie Klar sang (as I hoped someone might do) "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid.

The hilariously funny, talented Special Guest of the evening was Forbidden Broadway's darling, Christine Pedi! In addition to her comedy and female diva impersonations, Christine is a beautiful singer and interpreter of songs, and she showed off all of the above that night. First, she sang a comedy song "All the Good Men are Gay," then going into parody lyrics by Douglas Braverman to the tune of "The Trolley Song," only this time it was a primer on how to imitate Judy Garland. Christine then got a couple rounds of "Row Row Row Your Boat" out of the audience, asking us to do our best Carol Channing and Ethel Merman impersonations with her. The sound was...uh...unique! Then, switching into her "legitimate" and beautiful voice, Christine sang a rousing rendition of "Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home." Christine can be heard on Sirius Radio on the On Broadway Channel Monday - Friday 9am to 3pm, and then on Saturday co-hosting with Seth Rudesky.

Matthew Ward then brought Mark Janas' Classical Corner to light in his own way by first giving a music theory 101 lesson in Impressionist music and Debussy (who hated the term Impressionist to begin with). After demonstrating the whole and half step differences in modes, Ward went on to play Debussy's "L'Isle Joyeuse," meaning "Happy Island."

Tanya Moberly then came up to sing "The Sailor of My Dreams" a la Betty Boop, Shirley Temple, and a bit of Marilyn Monroe to boot. We then were able to see some repeat singers up on stage; Steve Herbst whistled and sang "Summertime" (appropriate as Memorial Day is the start of Summer), Jack DiMonte sang "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year," and Richard Eisenberg rougue-ishly sang some of his dirty parody lyrics to "Carolina in the Morning." Then Peter Olaff brought "Since I Gave My Heart Away," a lovely song from Stephen Schwartz's TV musical Gepetto, Joanne Sheeron (again with her guitar) sang "Baby Blue," Marnie Klar brought emotional angst with "The Portrait," Sierra Rein (me!) sang "Whatever Happened to My Part?" from Spamalot (admittedly inspired by Christine Pedi's performances that night!), and Susan Hodgdon sang "The Rose" by Amanda McBroom. To complete the second half, Jay Rogers sang "Most of the Time" by John McMahon.

Next week our wonderful guest co-host and pianist will be Mr. Bill Zeffiro for the theme of "Vicissitudes"! Our co-host will be Vicki Van Tassel, and our Special Guest will be Steve Ross. My backup Blogette will be Erin Cronican.

Have a good one!

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Photos from the "Sondheim" Salon with Daryl Glenn & Len Cariou

All photos taken by Scott Rozman unless otherwise noted.

Len Cariou & Sarah Rice (photo: Sierra Rein)

Ethel Mermaid (Kevin McMullan) and Daryl Glenn

Penny Fuller

Mark Janas and Daryl Glenn

Len Cariou

Mark Janas & Len Cariou

Daryl Glenn & Len Cariou

David Ballard brings Heather Summerhayes Cariou a Happy Birthday Cake

Heather stands for applause
-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Links and Contact Info for Salon Members and Special Guests/Co-Hosts

This is a running list of public links and information to Salon Regulars, Guests and Co-Hosts, is in case anyone would like to contact performers, writers or musicians seen at Salon performances. These are in alphabetical order by first name. Please do not abuse the list.
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News from Producer Tanya Moberly, May 29, 2010

SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, May 30th from 7PM to 10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is "Boats, Beaches & Boardwalks – All Things Nautical”.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon!

Mark Janas is in Maine doing “Always...Patsy Cline” through June 26th.

Our Guest Host/Pianist will be the Incomparable, MAC Award nominated composer Matthew Ward!

Our Co-Host will be the Fabulous MAC & Bistro Award winning Jay Rogers! Jay's summer schedule includes a fundraiser at the Roxbury Arts Group in the Catskills, performing in Theatre TWEED's Fraktured adaptation of William Inge's “PICNIC” called “PIC UP!”, jetting to Las Vegas to work on a new review of Keith Thompson's specialty material and landing at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center to start working on a new one-man show.

Our Special Guest will be the Incredible MAC, Bistro & Nightlife Award winning Christine Pedi! Christine can be heard on Sirius Radio Monday through Friday 9am-3pm (”The Broadway Breakfast with Christine Pedi” ) and every Saturday 9am-3pm (“Dueling Divas with Christine Pedi & Seth Rudetsky”). She will also be performing all summer at The Post Office - 303 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657. For more information: www.christinepedi.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Barbara Porteus, and a $12 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further info visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141).There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open at 6:15 and sign up begins at 6:30 with 'Etceterette', Marnie Klar.

Salon will now continue every Sunday (except July 4th) through Labor Day!!!

June 6th: “Vicissitudes”
Guest Host/Pianist: Bill Zeffiro
Co-Host: Vicki Van Tassel
Special Guest: Steve Ross

June 13th: “A Girl and a Guitar”
Guest Host/Pianist: Tracy Stark
Co-Host: Gretchen Reinhagen
Special Guest: Lisa Brigantino

June 20th: “June Jazzathon”
Guest Host/Pianist: Barry Levitt
Co-Host: Helena Grenot
Special Guest: TBA
On Bass: Ritt Henn

June 27th: “Glitter and Be Gay”
Guest Host: Shaynee Rainbolt
Special Guest: Terese Genecco

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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The Salon Wrap-Up, May 23, 2010 - "Sondheim"

We were visited by Broadway royalty this past Sunday. The theme was "Sondheim," the guest co-host of the evening was Daryl Glenn, and the special guest performer was Len Cariou, best known as the original Sweeney Todd (Tony win), but also known for A Little Night Music and Applause, amongst many others. Len will soon be seen on the small screen as "Henry Reagan" in Blue Bloods, which will premiere this fall on CBS. Watching Len Cariou was a master class all in itself, but I'm getting ahead of myself!

Daryl Glenn (2009 Bistro, MAC and Nightlife Award-winner) was a fun and spritely co-host. He recently performed Daryl Sings Steve, a Stephen Sondheim show at Feinstein's, so Sondheim was right on the tip of his tongue and a perfect host for this theme. He plans on bringing back this show to New York in the Fall, he says. And there was a LOT of Sondheim music, Sondheim parodies, and Sondheim-influenced work on stage that evening. Daryl started the show off with "Live Alone and Like It," "What Can You Lose?" and the fun "Back in Business." Next, David Green sang "Look at That Face" (his wife, Judy Kaye, is performing in Paradise Found in London!). After David, funny lady Joan Jaffe performed a riotous chair dance to "Lovely." She will be ready with a CD release in June, and will perform her show Joan Jaffe Sings Funny...Part II at Cafe Eiko at Japanalia in Hartford, CT. Next, Marnie Klar brought the intricately rhythm'd (what do you expect from Sondheim?!?) "Steps of the Palace" from Into the Woods.

Then, a lovely …lady?...billed as "a big tuna from a small cesspool" and named Ethel Mermaid stepped…somehow…onto the sage, replete with fish scales and tiara. Singing "Washed Up Mermaid" to the theme of "Broadway Baby," Ethel (Kevin McMullan) had us in stitches! Jane Glick, who admittedly said Ethel was a tough act to follow, sang the charming "I Never Do Anything Twice" from the film The Seven-Per-Cent Solution. Next, Lou Iacovino sang the jazzy "Old Devil Moon." Then Mark Watson sang a lovely ballad written by Bobbie Horowitz entitled "Pictures of You," arranged by Mark Janas with the song "My Favorite Year." Then, Matthew Ward had us imagine Kukla and Ollie on each shoulder as he sang "The Two of You," a charm song written by Sondheim but rejected (!) for the Kukla, Fran & Ollie show (you can read about that here.)

Richard Eisenberg then brought out his most "Sondheim-ish song" entitled "Pearls" to the piano, sung by myself (Sierra Rein), encapsulating the bitter reactions a wife has the all-but-too-late gift of pearls from her husband. Then Arianna sang "Last Midnight" as the Witch (Arianna has played Rapunzel, The Baker's Wife, and the Witch in various productions of the show!). Then, Julie Reyburn was proud to sing "Not While I'm Around" from Sweeney Todd in Len's presence. She will return to Feinstein’s at Loews Regency Friday and Saturday July 16th and 17th, both shows @ 8:30pm. We then had back to back Follies with Anne Dawson reminding us how "Broadway Baby" was originally sung (with gusto and bravado), Alice Evans heartfully singing "Losing My Mind," and Maureen Taylor crooning "Too Many Mornings." To finish out the first half, Mark Levy brought in "Welcome Home," Sierra Rein sang "The Miller's Son" from A Little Night Music (a role I would die to play), and Jan Brennan sang "What More Do I Need" from Marry Me A Little. Finally, Erin Cronican tenderly sang then belted the penultimate Sondheim song from Company, "Being Alive."

After a 15 minute intermission, Len Cariou was introduced to thunderous applause as the evening's special guest. And it was a special night for Len, as his wife Heather was graciously celebrating her birthday evening in our presence. After singing Happy Birthday with cake and candles for his wife (she later yelled out "This was the best Birthday EVER!"), Len sang "Marry Me a Little" to her (aww!). After a short behind the scenes look at the theme of Sweeney Todd (I didn't know it was the Dies Irae backwards!), Len brought back Sweeney himself to the stage yet again, singing "The Barber and His Wife" and then a duet of "Pretty Women" with Daryl Green (which, as he spoke about to me afterwards, was a dream come true!). Then, Len sang "Anyone Can Whistle." Len walked back to his seat, but after such a huge ovation, he returned for an encore (as Daryl yelled from the audience, "I was wondering who was going to follow you!"). Len then told us the story of being promised the 11 o'clock number from A Little Night Music throughout the writing and workshopping process, only to be told it was going to the leading lady…well, he got to at least sing it at Etcetera Etcetera, bringing many tears to many eyes with "Send in the Clowns."

The Classical Corner with Mark Janas was about Stephen Sondheim's admitted inspirations, including Stravinsky and Ravel. He played the first movement of the shimmery piece "Ondine" from Gaspard de la nuit by Maurice Ravel, inspired by the poems of Aloysius Bertrand. In it, one could hear the future trills and repetitive melodic motions that were to be eventually heard in Sondheim works, the "machine" of the accompaniment, as it were.

Her ability to spit more words per minute was evident in Tanya Moberly's rendition of "Sunday in the Park With George," offering both the tender and sharp edges to her voice. Whitney Chapman then brought a unique Sondheim song - one that was written for an unproduced film Singing Out Loud (written by William Goldman with slated director Rob Reiner), in which a "bad" song was meant to be sung by one of the leads. The song, "Sand," was certainly not the *best* Sondehim song ever, but it had enough clever turns of phrases as to not put it in the *bad* category, and with Chapman singing it, it certainly was not! Next, Penny Fuller came up to sing a brilliantly arranged "pastiche/mashup" of Sondheim songs called "I Won't Sing a Sondehim Song", arranged by Barry Kleinbort.

Then we had a mini reunion of sorts, as Sarah Rice (the original Johanna) took the stage to sing as Len watched in the audience. She sang "Fear No More," a ballad from Sondheim's Frogs that matched her glorious voice. Sarah has two more performances of her Bistro-winning show Screen Gems on June 14th and 21st (7pm) at the Laurie Beechman Theater. After Sarah, Christian Sineath - coming straight from the Manhattan School of Music and going straight to sing in a few concerts in Italy this summer - sang Kurt Weill's "What Good Would The Moon Be." Then, Liz Ulmer flirted through "The Girls of Summer" from Marry Me A Little. Then, still after Julie Reyburn's beautiful rendition of "Not While I'm Around" earlier in the evening was fresh in our minds, Keni Fine brought in a hilarious parody lyric of it, replete with mafioso attitude as "Not While I'm in Town." Then David Ballard presented perfect casting as Jack from Into The Woods with "Giants in the Sky." We next had Bill Zeffiro, writer/composer/pianist and favorite of The Salon, singing one of the loveliest songs from Anyone Can Whistle, "With So Little to be Sure Of." Daryl Glenn then closed off this amazing night of Sondheim and song with "So Many People."

Len Cariou & Sarah Rice

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Saturday, May 22, 2010

News from Producer Tanya Moberly - May 22nd. 2010

SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, May 23rd from 7PM to 10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is "SONDHEIM”. If you’re singing a Sondheim song, please bring several selections to avoid duplication!!!

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon!

Our Co-Host will be the Delightful MAC, Bistro & Nightlife Award winning Daryl Glenn! Daryl hopes to revive his Feinstein's debut show “Daryl Sings Steve – Songs of Sondheim” in the fall. He also has a 'mystery project' in the works. For continual updates, please consult www.darylglenn.com.

Our Special Guest will be the Legendary, three-time Tony Award nominated (Applause, A Little Night Music & Sweeney Todd), Tony & Drama Desk Award winning (Sweeney Todd) Len Cariou! Len has exciting news! He will be starring in a new CBS television series entitled “Blue Bloods” which will be aired this fall on Friday nights at 10PM right after CSI and it will be shot right here in New York City. The drama is about three generations of one law-enforcement family. Len will play a retired New York police chief. His son, the current police chief will be played by Tom Selleck, and Donnie Wahlberg will play Len’s grandson, a police detective. There’s also another son in the police academy and a daughter who’s an assistant D.A. Sound’s exciting, and we’re happy for Len.



There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Jan Brennan, and a $12 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further info visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141).There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open at 6:15 and sign up begins at 6:30 with 'Etceterette', Erin Cronican.

Salon will now continue every Sunday (except July 4th) through Labor Day!!!

May 30th: “Boats, Beaches & Boardwalks – All Things Nautical”
Guest Host/Pianist: Matthew Ward
Co-Host: Jay Rogers
Special Guest: Christine Pedi

June 6th: “Vicissitudes”
Guest Host/Pianist: Bill Zeffiro
Co-Host: Vicki Van Tassel
Special Guest: Steve Ross

June 13th: “A Girl and a Guitar”
Guest Host/Pianist: Tracy Stark
Co-Host: Gretchen Reinhagen
Special Guest: Lisa Brigantino

June 20th: “June Jazzathon”
Guest Host/Pianist: Barry Levitt
Co-Host: Helena Grenot
Special Guest: TBA
On Bass: Ritt Henn
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Monday, May 17, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for May 16, 2010: "Back to Our Roots"


A few years ago, the talk of New York was a new musical, "The Talk of the Town" by Ginny Redington and her husband, the late Tom Dawes. Performed in the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel from May, 2005 - August 2006, the show featured a pianist by the name of Mark Janas. The cast and crew would often wheel the grand piano into the lobby of the Algonquin and sing showtunes and standards. Castmember Chris Weikel started the idea of calling their after-show meetups…

…a Salon!

This week's Salon brought the original charter members back together again to host the theme of "Back to Our Roots." Castmembers from the original production of "The Talk of the Town," as well as composer/book/lyricist Ginny Redington herself, were on hand as both co-hosts and special guests of the evening. They sang many pieces from the show itself and took turns introducing Salon members up to the microphone throughout the evening. The cast members that evening were Jeffrey Biering (as George S. Kaufman), Donna Coney Island (as Edna Ferber), Adam MacDonald (as Robert Sherwood), Kristin Maloney (as Dorothy Parker), Michael Daly, Chris Weikel (as Robert Benchley), and Stephen Wilde (as Marc Connelly).

After the ToTT cast sang the title song (brilliantly evoking the Algonquin Round Table by utilizing a round table as a set piece in front of the stage), Shana Farr was introduced to sing "Will He Like Me?" from She Loves Me, and we certainly liked Shana! Her next show will be at Feinstein's coming up in August – details to come, she says. After Shana, Kevin McMullan sang his comedic, a cappella version of "Anabel Lee," based off of the same poem by Edgar Allan Poe. He is working on a solo show with Miles Phillips and Mark Janas – again, details to be announced in the future. Next, Jim Speake crooned the classic 1950's song "You Send Me," with a beautiful call & response backup vocals from the crowd. Jim's next CD project, "Jim Speake Sings My Generation," a collection of songs from the 1960's and 70's, will have its launch via a show at Don't Tell Mama in September. Bringing a compositional blast from the past, Richard Eisenberg sang a song he wrote in Summer Camp 20 years ago about Snow White's "rotten and hideous, sly and perfidious" nemesis in his "Evil Queen Song."

Beth Falcone then took to the piano, singing a charming original song (along with "audience-student participation") in honor of musical teachers. Then, baritone David Krohn - with pianist/composer Chris Berg - beautifully sang "A Warm Day for December," a Frank O'Hara poem set to Berg's original music. Krohn has a gorgeous voice, and lucky for us Berg and Krohn are in the midst of recording this and simlar material for an eventual CD. After that beautiful piece the ToTT crew lifted our spirits (figuratively speaking, of course) with the intoxicatingly funny song "Robbie Sherwood." Then Michael Daly (who is the most recent castmember of ToTT) sang a beautiful Irish ballad a cappella. Michael will be seen soon at both the Pennsylvania and Utah Shakespearean Festivals this year!

You've heard of certain family singing troupes, but none can compare with the Ritt Family Singers – Ritt Henn and his original family "root," his mom Bets were in attendance to sing and play "If I Had a Hammer" on ukulele. Ritt is musical directing for Tom D'Angelo Presents "Spotlight at the Iguana" on Saturday June 12, and is making his usual rounds as bassist for such upcoming shows as Tanya Moberly's "Theater Songs" at Don't Tell Mama this Wednesday night. After the Henn's left the stage, ToTT composer Ginny Redington Dawes sang a haunting solo that referred to "the faces that we wear." Then Christopher Walken made an appearance, climbing out of Michael Daly to instroduce co-castmember Stephen Wilde, who sang the caveman comedy song "Way Ahead of My Time." Then Christopher Walken introduced Donna Coney Island to sing the terrific tango "Because It's There" from "ToTT."

Edie Stokes sang the wistful "It Might as Well Be Spring" from State Fair, introducing the verse that precedes the classic song for the first time to many ears. Then, ToTT's Chris Weikel sang the darkly comic "Cosmetic Surgery" by Johh Wallowich. Next, Tanya Moberly and ToTT's Kristin Maloney duetted on "Damn Everything But the Circus." Then, Sierra Rein brought back an old High School role (and hopefully future role!) as Mama Rose singing "Some People" from Gypsy. Next, Etceterette Arianna sang a song from her little-known country past, "You Lie." Completing the first act, second Etceterette Jan Brennan roped Chris Weikel into a duet of "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma.

After the intermission, the Talk of the Town cast sang two ToTT pieces, "The Circle Goes Round and Round" and "Velvet Rope", smoothly sung by Adam McDonald. Joining Adam, Kristin and Chris then sang my favorite of the ToTT comedy songs "Work is a Four Letter Word" as Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, and Robert Sherwood. Next came the Classical Corner with Mark Janas. Instead of playing "classical" music per se, in this evening's Corner he asked ToTT castmembers Chris, Adam and Jeffrey Biering to sing different version of the lovely standard Broadway song "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady. Chris sang it in a wonderful standard Broadway style, Adam swung and jazzed his way through it, and then Jeff – in a brilliant fixing of minor notes – sang it Kurt Weill-style, making it a creepy and hilarious stalker song. Then Jeff took on a different style with his original song, which I believed to be called "Shut Up and Dance." Then Kristin fully became Dorothy Parker with the tragic and biting song "Robert, It Should Have Been You" from ToTT.

Producer Tanya Moberly then sang "West End Avenue" from her upcoming show "Theater Songs" at Don't Tell Mama – May 19th at 9:15, with Mark Janas at the piano and Ritt Henn on bass. After Tanya, composer-lyricists Jennie Litt (who sang) and David Alpher (who played piano) kvetched their way hilariously through Irving Berlin's "Sadie Salome, Go Home". They will be appearing at Don't Tell Mama for a show of their original work on July 19th, 26th, and 31st! Then the lovely Julie Reyburn, martini in hand and satin dress upon skin, beautifully sang from one of her first cabaret shows – Jason Robert Brown's "The Stars and the Moon." She will be at Feinstein's on July 16th and 17th (a Friday and Saturday duo) with Mark Janas and a brand new show!

Bringing a British accent and some still-ripe bitterness of Wall Street, Janice Ashby sang her own parody lyrics with "There's No Business Like CEO Business." After her, Alicia Littman tongue-lashed her way through the mind-boggling jazz song "Twisted." Madelaine Warren brought her father's favorite song, "The Sound of Music," to the stage, and then a surprise special guest Johnny Rogers grabbed the piano and mic to sing "The Birth of the Blues." Johnny is performing at the Algonquin Hotel for two more weeks, but has been seen working in the past with Liza Minelli, performing throughout the world and on Broadway, and has won MAC, Bistro and Nightlife Awards.

Valerie Lemon, after briefly singing "You Are My Sunshine," brought "If I Sing" from Closer Than Ever by Maltby & Shire. Then, Scott Earley (who Stage Managed ToTT) showed that certain talents sometimes can be found backstage as he sang "Stars" from Les Miserables. Bringing her high soprano operatic roles of the past into the light, Maureen Taylor wowed us all with an aria from The Barber of Seville, "Una Voce Poco Fa," displaying some beautiful trills, firey rolled "r's" and "don't-F-with-me" attitude mixed in. Then our favorite Etcetera Etc employee, David Ballard sang "Tell My Father" from Civil War, the piece he auditioned for College with (and by the looks of him, that was only about 3 months ago!). After David, Dani Rhodes turned the 2nd floor of the Etcetera Etcetera Restaurant into a tent revival, pulling from her roots in Gospel with "Death is Gonna Lay His Cold Icy Hands on Me." In addition to announcing her involvement in a performance of a collection of short plays, "6 Pack + 1," Dani also announced her involvement in a partnership as a new fiancé! Salon wishes them both the best!

Matthew Ward grabbed his rightful place at the piano, reminisced about his years inhaling smoke at Marie's Crisis, and then played around with a few "pretty ballads in C" before finalizing his claim on the song "Steal Away." Then Steve Schachlin led a rousing call and response to his original work "Lazarus Come Out." Steve's song cycle "New World Waking: Songs on the Road to Peace" will be a star performance at the 2010 benefit for the Brecht Forum on June 20th. To complete the fully stocked evening, Talk of the Town's Jeffrey Biering and Stephen Wilde sang the whimsical "Two Heads (are Better than One)" from ToTT.

So many people, myself included, are intrigued by the content of Talk of The Town – I wasn't in New York yet when the first two runs of the show were taking place, but there were a number of people asking "when is this show going to be up and running again." I'm sure that when ToTT is brought back to audiences, it will live up to its own namesake and be…the Talk of the Town!

NEXT WEEK, May 23, The Salon welcomes with excited arms the theme of "Sondheim," with special co-Host and Bistro/MAC/Nightlife Award-winner Daryl Glenn, and Special Guest performer-legend-Emmy-and-three-time-Tony-nominee (Tony award-winner, Best Actor, Sweeney Todd) Len Cariou!!! This evening will probably be packed, so to receive a good seat arrive early and bring several Sondheim selections if you want to sing on-theme.
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Friday, May 14, 2010

Update from Producer Tanya Moberly May 13, 2010!

SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, May 16th from 7PM to 10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is "Back to Our Roots”. So revisit the first song you ever sang in public, or that opera Aria from college, or find something about where you’re from or something particular to how you grew up, and share it with us Sunday.

Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon!

Our Co-Hosts and Special Guests will be the Incredible Charter Members of Salon: The Cast of “The Talk of the Town”- Jeffrey Biering, Donna Coney Island, Michael Daly, Adam MacDonald, Kristin Maloney, Chris Weikel & Stephen Wilde! This inspiring show about the Algonquin Round Table crowd was produced in the Oak Room by the Peccadillo Theatre Company, and composer Ginny Reddington will be there as well. They will perform numbers from that wonderful show as well as revisiting many other gems from the early days of Salon.

The following Sunday, May 23, our theme is “Sondheim” with Co-host Daryl Glenn and Special Guest Len Cariou! Due to the anticipated popularity of this evening, you may want to arrive early. And it might be a good idea to have more than one Sondheim selection ready that night as duplication seems not only likely but inevitable.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Arianna, and a $12 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further info visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141).There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open at 6:15 and sign up begins at 6:30 with 'Etceterette', Jan Brennan.

Salon will now continue every Sunday (except July 4th) through Labor Day!!!
May 23rd: “Sondheim”
Co-Host: Daryl Glenn
Special Guest: Len Cariou

May 30th: “Boats, Beaches & Boardwalks – All Things Nautical”
Guest Host/Pianist: Matthew Ward
Co-Host: Jay Rogers
Special Guest: TBA

June 6th: “Vicissitudes”
Guest Host/Pianist: Bill Zeffiro
Co-Host: Vicki Van Tassel
Special Guest: Steve Ross

June 13th: “A Girl and a Guitar”
Guest Host/Pianist: Tracy Stark
Co-Host: Gretchen Reinhagen
Special Guest: Lisa Brigantino


-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for May 9, 2010

It was a fable-filled evening at Etcetera Etc this past Sunday. The guest co-host of the night was Terese Genecco, singer and band leader of "the longest running nightclub act on Broadway," – Terese Genecco and Her Little Big Band. Terese is a multi-MAC Award winner and nominee for her CD's and live performances as well as a Bistro Award winner. The special guest performer was jazz songstress Shaynee Rainbolt, who will be headlining at Ashford and Simpson's Sugar Bar monthly. Shaynee has multiple MAC Awards and nominations under her belt as well!

Terese started the evening off on a high note with a rousing "A Lot of Livin' to Do" from Bye Bye Birdie. Then we had a back-to-back tribute to that wonderful fairyland adventure, The Wizard of Oz, as Steve "The Whistler" Herbst whistled "Over The Rainbow" and Stephanie Zagoren jazzed up "Ding! Dong! The Witch is Dead." Then Joey Infante sang the tango "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and to stay on the dream theme, Sunny Leigh followed that up with "Out of My Dreams" from Oklahoma. Sunny has a new music video out of her song "The Other Woman," which can be viewed here. Next, vocalist Elli Fordyce crooned then swung her way through "It Could Happen to You." Elli will be singing at The Pizza Place in Yonkers, NY on June 3rd at 7pm, and will be a part of the Any Wednesday series at Barnes & Noble on July 4th, 6pm. She also will be at Midday Jazz, St. Peters at 1pm on July 21st.

Kevin McMullan next came to the stage, breaking some ice with a joke about Cinderella, then singing a lovely ballad entitled "Lonely Little Dreamer." Edie Stokes sang “How Are Things in Glocca Mora?” from the popular fairy tale musical Finnian’s Rainbow, then multi-MAC and Bistro Award nominee/winner Ray Jessel sang “If I Wish…” Next, Barry Lloyd sang “The Tempo of the Times” from the equally titled show he will produce in the fall at the Metropolitan Room. A friend of Terese Genecco, Lloyd is called the “Crown Prince of Cabaret in San Francisco” and has a CD out entitled “Barry Lloyd Live,” and another one to be released soon, aptly titled “Barry Lloyd Still Live.” After Lloyd sang Barbara Porteus with “How High The Moon” with Barry Levitt at the piano. She will have two Feinstein’s shows coming up in July: Saturday, July 31st and Sunday, August 1st. Then Helena Grenot sang “Baby Mine,” the sweet lullaby from Disney’s Dumbo, and dedicated it to James and Andrew, her two sons. Her show “Damned if I Know,” directed by Peter Napolitano with music direction by Barry Levitt, will be at Don’t Tell Mama on May 18th and 21st! Following up with the fairy tale-Disney theme, Valerie Lemon (at Feinstein’s October 24th) sang the hilarious “Disneyland.”

Next, Steve Schachlin sang “He’s Coming Back,” a ballad for Mother’s Day he said. Then Joe Regan, Jr. sang a Jane Russel song entitled “You’ll Know.” Maureen Taylor soon followed with “I Had a Dream About You” (her live recording of her Bob Merril tribute will take place this weekend on May 15th!), then Sierra Rein (me!) sang the Baker’s Wife’s “Moments in the Woods” from Into the Woods (my group Marquee Five won a MAC Award the previous Tuesday for Vocal Duo/Group!). Etceterette Erin Cronican became vulnerable with “Memory” from Cats, and Marnie Klar played Cinderella with “On The Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods. That group closed the first half of the evening!

The second half started off with a Happy Birthday song for David Gillam! Then Special Guest Shaynee Rainbolt stepped up to take the stage. She stayed on-theme with a lovely duo mix of “Neverland” from Peter Pan and “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Then she traveled briefly into Standards-Land with “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Finally, she brought tears to many eyes with a beautiful song by John Bucchino, “It Feels Like Home.”

Mark Janas’ Classical Corner brought us into the world of Fairy Tale Music – simple harmonies yet with an underlying storytelling flow, danger, and survival mixed in. He first performed simple pieces from a Fairy Tale suite. Then, with the help of Matthew Ward, they performed selections from the Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel. Then Tanya Moberly sang the third Into the Woods song of the evening, as the Witch with “Last Midnight.” Her “Theater Songs” show will be on May 19th at Don’t Tell Mama, and will include some Sondheim. After Tanya, Bill Zeffiro came to the piano and crooned some witty Randy Newman with “Big Hat, No Cattle.” Then Mark Ostrow played an original song for his Salon debut – a funny song “Congratulations, You’re Fired” (or I believe that might be it). He’s a consultant for copywright law via Boosey & Hawkes, so if any performer needs a consultant, that’s what he does! Next, Louise Poster sang an uptempo song from her childhood, “Row, Row, Row” (is that the right title?).

Next up was a debut Richie Eisenberg piece, sung by Erin Cronican, called “If I Could Sing Like Liza.” Then Danielle Erin Rhodes soulfully sang “Candle on the Water” from the wonderful cell-animation/live action movie, Pete’s Dragon. Keni Fine sang the charming “Upon the Carousel,” and then Stephen Elkins and Company from BMI sang from his song cycle inspired by the 5 stages of grief. Terese Genecco, who will have her Elvis show at the Razz Room sometime in December (yay!), finished off the evening with a wonderful “Star”-themed medley of “Second Star From the Right,” “Twinkle, Twinkle,” and “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

NEXT SALON, May 16th, the Co-host AND Special Guest will be Charter Salon Members/Cast of “Talk of the Town”: Jeffrey Biering, Donna Coney Island, Michael Daly, Adam MacDonald, Kristin Maloney, Chris Weikel and Stephen Wilde! The theme is “Back to Your Roots!”

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Friday, May 7, 2010

Update from (MAC Award Winning) Producer Tanya Moberly

SALON, that Bistro Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 - on Sunday, May 9th from 7PM to 10:30PM.


NEWSFLASH: THE SALON WON THE 2010 MAC AWARD FOR OPEN MIC!!!

The optional theme for the evening is "Fairy Tales”.
Remember, any material, on or off theme, is always welcome at Salon!

Our Co-Host for the evening will be the Bistro & Multiple MAC Award winner, Terese Genecco! Terese appears with her Little Big Band on the last Tuesday of every month (May 25th, June 29th, July 27th, etc...) at The Iridium Jazz Club, 1650 Broadway (51st St) NYC 10019, 212-582-2121. Sets at 8pm & 10pm. For more information: www.teresegenecco.com /www.iridiumjazzclub.com

Our Special Guest will be the Multiple MAC Award winner, Shaynee Rainbolt! Shaynee will be performing Wednesday, June 9th with her Quartet at Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, 254 West 72nd St. NYC 10023, 212-579-0222. Sets at 8 & 9:30pm. For more information: www.shayneerainbolt.com /sugarbarnyc.com.


There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Erin Cronican, and a $12 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further info visit www.etcrestaurant.com or call 212-399-4141).There are no reservations; seating is on a first come/ first served basis, with one intermission. Doors open at 6:15 and sign up begins at 6:30 with 'Etceterette', Marnie Klar.

Salon will now continue every Sunday (except July 4th) through Labor Day!!!

May 16th: “Back to Our Roots”
Co-Host & Special Guest:
Charter Salon Members/Cast of “Talk of the Town”: Jeffrey Biering//Donna Coney Island/Michael Daly/Adam MacDonald/Kristin Maloney/Chris Weikel/Stephen Wilde

May 23rd: “Sondheim”
Co-Host: Daryl Glenn
Special Guest: Len Cariou

May 30th: “Boats, Beaches & Boardwalks – All Things Nautical”
Guest Host/Pianist: Matthew Ward
Co-Host: TBA
Special Guest: TBA

June 6th: “Vicissitudes”
Guest Host/Pianist: Bill Zeffiro
Co-Host: Vicki Van Tassel
Special Guest: TBA

-Sierra Rein, The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Thursday, May 6, 2010

The Salon Wins a MAC Award (and Many Saloners too!)


 
It was a wonderful evening at BB King's this past Tuesday, May 4th!  Hosted by Sharon McNight, the evening included many performances, comedy, honorary awards and (of course!) MAC Award WINS!  Playbill.com has a full list of nominees and winners, BroadwayWorld.com has a great article and a bunch of pictures of on-stage antics, and the Official MAC Website undoubtedly will update with pictures and more news soon.
 
Mark Janas, Peter Napolitano and Tanya Moberly were on hand to accept their 2010 MAC Award for Open Mic, allowing the production teams of The Algonquin Salon, the Oak Room Salon and the current Etcetera Etc-based Salon to be recognized for their work in making this an extremely productive, safe, and wonderfully welcoming event for performers to practice their craft.  We hope this will bring new faces and many more returning regulars to our mic and behind the piano!
 
In addition to the win for The Salon, there were a number of past Salon attendees, hosts, gonquettes, etceterettes, and special guests who will be given the newly-designed glass MAC Award Trophy.  Hector Coris (photo) received a MAC Award for Male Vocalist, Danielle Granianowski (photo) won for New York Debut - Female, Gretchen Reinhagen (photo) nabbed one for Musical Comedy, Marquee Five (photo) got Vocal Duo/Group, Lennie Watts for Director, Tracy Stark (who hilariously conducted her own intro and outro award acceptance music!) for Musical Director, Susan Winter for Recording, and Ray Jessel (photo) for Special Musical Material.  Undoubtedly other winners have attended Salon in the past - let me know if I've missed anyone!
 
Performers at the MAC Awards included Salon regulars Julie Reyburn (who sang "Sing Happy"), Danielle Erin Rhodes (who sang her MAC Attack parody she debuted at the Salon a few weeks ago!) and future Salon co-host Terese Genecco (with Sean Harkness on guitar) sparked her way through "Hearbreak Hotel."  Plus, Hector Coris' fantastic song "American Idol Moment" was sung brilliantly by Angela Schultz.
 
Photos from the evening (culled from various cameras and camera phones throughout the evening) will be posted soon!
 
In any event, the production team of The Salon thanks everyone who has attended our open mics throughout the year - and to the venues (The Algonquin Hotel, The Oak Room Supper Club, and Etcetera Etcetera Restaurant)!!!
  
 -Sierra Rein, The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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The Salon Wrap-Up for May 2nd, 2010: "It Better Be Funny!"

Salon this past Sunday was full of snorts, guffaws, chuckles, and hawr hawr hawr’s, it having the theme of “It Better Be Funny.”  As Mark so eloquently taught us at the top of the evening, comedy is a defensive gesture against the unknown threat of surprise.  I don’t know what would have happened, had anyone not been funny…maybe Tanya’s spiked heels would have been involved.  But everyone brought some hilarity, and certainly a lot of talent, to the stage – so, everyone survived!
 
In the first set of the evening, co-host Danny Leary (Q talk, MTV, Animal Planet, CW Morning Show, “On the Rocks with Danny Leary”), warmed us up comic-genius style, replete with sideburns and belt buckle.  Check out his website for some upcoming appearances, including a visit to Hollywood (June 2nd at the Hollywood Improv in LA)!  Danny introduced the first singer, Ann Dawson – she sang Sophie Tucker’s “You’ve Got to Be Loved to Be Healthy,” which is a step by step instruction guide on how to stay out of the health care debate.  Next came Edie Stokes, singing the lovelorn “River Seine,” then Valerie Lemon (appearing at Feinstein’s Oct 24th) sang the rambunctious “Humphrey Bogart.” Then came Mark Levy with the comedic “what if” song “The Old Dope Peddler,” which I googled to find was written by the great Tom Lehrer as a parody of “The Old Lamplighter” by Charles Tobias.  After him, Jillian Laurain rocked Mark Janas’ groove with “The Joint is Really Jumpin’ at Carnegie Hall.”  Jillian will be performing on May 11that the Metropolitan Room, 7pm.  Then Sunny Leigh accentuated the room with “Accentuate the Positive,” Jennie Litt and David Alpher (Jennie on vocals, David on piano) sang their hilarious “Thong Song” (<-- scroll down towards the “T’s” & read the lyrics!), and then Annie Lebaux sat behind the piano to sing her Joni Mitchell-inspired song (heavy vibrato and all), “Speed Dial.”
 
Always the man with a funny Noel Coward song, Bill Zeffiro first sang a dirty 25second Randy Newman ditty cut from “The Three Amigos,” then sang Coward’s “Louisa.”  After Bill, an ACTUAL Louisa, Louisa Poster (in a fittingly pretty burnt amber dress), sang “Orange Colored Sky.”  Next, Annie Kozuch sang “Beat My Dog” by Jay Leonhart (her CD release party happens May 25th!), Jane Glick sang the sultry comedic song “Dont’ Ask a Lady, and  Helena Grenot (Don’t Tell Mama, May 18th & 19th) sang the popular Sue Matsuki song “White Girls Can’t Sing the Blues.  Next, Raissa Katona Bennett and Candy Benge battled it out with a duet (!) of “Glitter and Be Gay, and I will tell you pearls literally flew off the stage after those ladies finished duking it out!  I (Sierra Rein) had to follow that up, but luckily I had the funny lament “Lowering My Standards” by the (now MAC Award winning vocalist) Hector Coris to keep the night’s theme going.  Next, Etceterette Danielle Erin Rhodes sang a parody of “Almost Like Being in Love,” except she extolled the benefits of a certain soap-like product…Dove!  To finish the first set, Maureen Taylor sang “It Would Never Have Worked.”  Taylor’s live CD recording of her Bob Merrill tribute, “Taylor Made: A Celebration of Merrill” will take place May 15th at 5pm at The Metropolitan Room.
 
Special Guest performerKarith Foster then took over the stage with her standup comedy and had us all in stitches.  Karith is a well-known comedian, TV and radio personality, author and, as she says on her blog, she considers herself a “lady.”   However, under that well-spoken ladylike exterior is a biting wit and unique perspective on her upbringing in Texas as a black woman (in Plano, TX, she starred in her high school’s all white – well, almost - production of “A Raisin in the Sun”).  All said, Karith was a truly special guest to The Salon – we all appreciated her hilarious standup comedy immensely!  Karith is performing this weekend at Stanford & Son’s in Kansas City.
 
After Karith, Mark Janas began playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” and before I could tell him “hell, Mark, even *I* can play ‘Moonlight Sonata!’), Tanya Moberly (as Lucy) began wooing Mark as “Schroeder.”  Continuing the Classical Corner, Mark then gave us a wonderful series of examples of comedy in the classical world (including Brahms’ penchant for practical jokes).  To finish the Classical Corner, Mark invited Danielle Erin Rhodes to sing parody lyrics to “I Dreamed a Dream” (in a Project Runway spoof) as written by his students at the Manhattan School of Music.  Mark and Peter Napolitano had been working with the students on lyric writing, and this was a wonderful exploration of their talents!
 
After the Classical Corner, Salon regular Kevin McMullen sang “Mammy” in honor of Mother’s Day, Whitney Chapman sang “Regretting What I Said: A Musical Apology,” and Richie Eisenberg sang his original “The Essence of Love” which - despite it’s subject matter - didn’t stink.  After Richie, Courtney Graves had his Salon debut and sang “I’d Like to Hate Myself in the Morning” by John Meyer.  Then Joan Jaffe (MAC Nominee!) sang the biting “Queens” with Matthew Ward at the piano.  Lyricist Michael Colby then sang (with composer Ned Paul Ginsburg at the piano) the song “Mei-Ling” from their musical “They Chose Me.”  Etcetera favorite David Ballard arrived from downstairs to sing “Way Ahead of My Time,” Mark Watson sang a ditty from 1900 entitled “Ticklish Reuben” (according to Wikipedia, it is a “laughing song” genre, and Watson certainly did fulfill the abyss of laughter well!), then Matthew Ward closed the evening with a “Sensitive Song.”  Matthew will be hosting the Salon on May 30th with the theme “Boats, Beaches, and Boardwalks!”
 
Speaking of themes, this Sunday’s theme is “Fairy Tales,” and it will be co-hosted by the hot-as-hell Terese Genecco and Shaynee Rainbolt will be our Special Guest.  So bring your songs from sources like Into the Woods, Peter Pan, songs from Disney, nursery rhymes, music about the personal myths and magic in your life, or perhaps a song your Mother might sing to you (oh crap it’s Mothers Day on Sunday! Must send a card now).
 
See you Sunday!

-Sierra Rein, The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

BREAKING NEWS: THE SALON WINS A 2010 MAC AWARD!

Peter Napolitano, Mark Janas and Tanya Moberly accepted a MAC Award last night at BB King's in Times Square for best Open Mic (for all the various incarnations of the Salon in the past year: Algonquin Salon, Oak Room Salon, Salon). More information, pictures and thanks to come, but thanks NOW go to all the wonderful singers, spoken word artists, musicians, composers and fans who have attended the Salon in the past!!!

More to come!

-Sierra Rein
The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.
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Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Salon Wrap-Up for April 25th, 2010

Voce Quartet: (L-R) Paul Harris, Dave Kindinger,
Keith Harris, and Stephen Wilde

This past Sunday at The Salon was one for the record book, folks. The Etcetera Etc Restaurant was packed, and the theme of the evening, "It Takes Two (or More) to Tango," was evident. We saw sooo many people on the little platform stage! The a cappella vocal quartet VOCE, with frontman Stephen Wilde, hosted the evening and special guest was the vocal quintet Marquee Five. We also had a number of other special groups in attendance - read on!

First up was VOCE, which crooned through "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" and "Love Me Tender." They then turned the mic over to Tanya Moberly and Danielle Erin Rhides, who rocked a duet of "Sounds." Then Bill Zeffiro and Lianne Marie Dobbs bantered with each other on "How About You?" Staying at the piano, Bill played for Sunny Leigh on "Just In Love." Next, making her Salon and New York Debut, Lisa Rein (yes, that's my sister, visiting from California!) sang her original song "Machines of Loving Grace" with George Kelly at the piano.

After Lisa, the stage was flooded with men (always a nice thing for me to type) as Broadway Voices, a subgroup of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, got up to sing. With piano and musical direction by Adam West Hemming, they sang "Infinite Joy" and "Heart and Music," two songs from their show "What More Can I Say?", an evening of music by William Finn. This show will take place at THE WEST BANK CAFE/LAURIE BEECHMAN THEATER (407 West 42nd Street, NYC - 212-695-6909 - www.westbankcafe.com ) on Sunday, May 2nd at 1:00 & 4:00 pm and Monday, May 3rd at 9:30 pm. Broadway Voices features the talents of Dan Baillie, Ben Coleman, Michael Connolly, Tim Howard, Sonelius Kendrick Smith, Michael Morisi, Jim Vivyan, Seth Watsky, TJ Witham and Phil Zipkin. All proceeds will benefit the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, a two-hundred voiced chorus with service to the LGBT community.

Then, Erin Cronican and Stephen Wilde sang what I consider the best duet ever, "Suddenly Seymour," as the rest of the audience joyously filled in the urchin greek chorus (without the need of girl group wigs). We then had back to back lady songwriters, with Kathy Hart singing her song "Sing Your Song," and Annie Lebeaux, who sang an original of her and Mickey Leonard's entitled "All Systems Go," a funny tech-filled conversation between two computer nerds. Annie is now entertaining with her piano at Butler's (52nd & 1st Ave., NYC on the East Side) each Wednesday thru Saturday starting 7pm each night.

Next came Kevin McMullan, who engaged the audience with a high energy call and response singalong through "Minnie the Moocher." Then, Talk of the Town castmembers Adam MacDonald, Kristin Maloney, and Chris Weikel cracked us up with the witty song "Work is a Four Letter Word." They and other members of TOTT will be hosting and special guest-ing The Salon on May 16th with the theme “Back to Our Roots.” Then Helena Grenot sang "Gee Baby Aint I Good To You," (her Don't Tell Mama show will perform May 18th and May 21st), Ray Jessel sang his heartbreaking original "I'm Not So Good at Goodbye," and Richie Eisenberg sang all about the wonderful pairs in the world, "Two Again." To close the first half, Jan Brennan crooned "Happiness is Just a Thing Called Joe," and Arianna sang "Out of Sight Out of Mind" from A Tale of Two Cities.

The second half began with the special guest group of the evening, Marquee Five. This quintet is dear to my heart because...full disclosure...I'm in it, along with Adam West Hemming, Mick Bleyer, Vanessa Parvin, and Julie Reyburn. Marquee Five is nominated for a 2010 MAC Award for Vocal Group for it's debut show last year, "We Can Make It: The Songs of Kander and Ebb," directed by Peter Napolitano and featuring Mark Janas at the piano. Adam West Hemming wrote many of the arrangements, and music directed the show. M5 sang two songs arranged by Hemming for the show - "All That Jazz" and "We Can Make It," then sang a medley of songs entitled "Travel and Weather Together Medley," arranged by Hemming as a taste of what might come from the group in the future. We had a wonderful time singing and felt incredibly welcome as special guests that night!

Marquee Five: (L-R) Mick Bleyer, Sierra Rein, Adam West Hemming,
Vanessa Parvin, and Julie Reyburn

After Marquee Five came Mark Janas' Classical Corner. We were captivated by Julie Reyburn, who sang Der Hirt auf dem Felsen (The Shepherd on the Rock), a famous lied for soprano, clarinet, and piano by Franz Schubert. Mark played piano and visiting clarinetist Edward Gilmore (who won a Julliard concerto competition) duetted beautifully with Julie's soprano. I love that I can sing jazz, musical theater, and rock then sit down at least once each Sunday for some wonderful classical music!

Once the trills of the Shepherd faded, we had the first of two lady trios for the evening - Erin Cronican, Tanya Moberly and Marnie Klar sang "At the Ballet" from A Chorus Line. Then Zachery Stains sang "How Deep is the Ocean," Annie Kozuch and Scott Tucker sang "I'd Give It All For You" from Songs for a New World (Annie's upcoming CD Release 'Here With You' will be at the Beechman May 25th), and Stephen Wilde and Jeffrey Biering revamped their roles from The Talk of the Town with "Two Heads are Better Than One." More castmembers from TOTT then joined them for two songs from the show - "Merry Band of Friends" and "The Velvet Rope." After them, Raissa Katona Bennett showed off her funny skills by singing the hilarious song "Bacon," which she'll be singing at “A Benefit for Zani's Furry Friends” at Birdland on May 1st. Her Bistro Award-receiving concert series The Concerts at Tudor City Greens is starting the 2010 season this Wednesday, May 5th at 6pm! You can catch their Facebook page as well as more information on Raissa's website or blog.

Next came Valerie Lemon, who will be appearing at Feinstein's in October with a Marvin Hamlisch show (and Marvin will be in attendance!), who sang "What I Did For Love." Then three students from the Manhattan School of Music - Alexa Smith, Rachel Hall, and Brian Henry - came up to sing from Alice in Operaland, an adorable children's educational opera written to teach children about music. They portrayed Alice and Tweedledum and Tweedledee, who appropriately taught Alice the difference between a solo, duet, trio, quartet, and chorus. After them, the second female trio of the evening grabbed the stage with a full set brought by David Gillam. Julie Reyburn, Sierra Rein & Erin Cronican - with Bill Zeffiro at the piano - riffed through Sondheim's "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" as...ahem...flowers!

Lisa Rein and George Kelly returned to the stage with Sierra Rein backing up vocals on Lisa's original piece "Miss You." Bill Zeffiro sang the biting Rogers & Hart song "I Wish I Were in Love Again" with Lianne Marie Dobbs, then Manhattan School of Music students Brian Henry and Alexa Smith came back to the stage to sing "Unworthy of Your Love" from Assassins. VOCE closed the evening with two more incredible a cappella songs - "Don't Break This Heart of Mine" and "Lonely Nights." For more of VOCE's performance schedule, click here. They will be competing in the 2010 Barbershop Harmony Society International Competition in Philadelphia PA in late June. Best of broken legs guys!

Mark Janas, Julie Reyburn and Edward Gilmore in The Classical Corner

-Sierra Rein The Blogette for The Salon
Spelling mistakes? URL's I missed? Did I mess up? Please email me.

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