Barbara bolted up to the stage in a bundle of energy to kick off the evening. She started with the hilarious and charming, "Putting Things Away" which was all about the love of shopping but hating the reality of what to do once you get the items home. At the top of her mid-show set, Barbara blew the audience away with a mash up of "This Nearly Was Mine" and "Once Upon A Time" - a stunningly innovative classic theater medley. She followed that with a song that I think all of us could relate to: the exasperated comedy song, "I'd Rather Sing A Song" (than be a doctor, etc!) Her third song of the mid-show set was a heartbreaking, "Strangers Once Again" - the audience was so silent you could hear a pin drop. To close out the evening, Barbara leapt to the stage to sing a darling song by Ron Miller called, "Whenever You Find Yourself" from a little known musical called, "Clothespins and Dreams."
Barbara will be appearing in The 28th New York Cabaret Convention at Rose Hall at Lincoln Center – Broadway at 60th St, NYC, 10019 – on Wednesday, October 18th at 6pm and at Don’t Tell Mama – 343 West 46th St, NYC 10036 – in THIS MOMENT on October 20th at 7pm. For more information: www.mabelmercer.org / www.donttellmamanyc.com
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| Co-Host Barbara Brussell |
Salon Spotlight
This week's Salon Spotlight was none other than Mark Nadler, an internationally acclaimed singer, pianist, tap-dancer and comedian and recipient of the 2015 Broadway World Editor's Choice Award for Entertainer of the Year.
Mark started his set by telling a hilarious story about a time he accompanied our co-host, Barbara, at a Sex and Love Anonymous Talent Show. (No joke.) After telling some more stories about their adventures, he mused on the theme and sat down at the piano to play and sing, "Autumn In New York." He then told a hilarious (and unfortunate) story about a couple of jazz singers who had a habit of cutting songs before the ending lyric. "Example: Don't they know it's the end of the world? It ended when we said...GOODNIGHT EVERYONE!" And after a charming story about Irving Berlin, he said he would oblige Barbara's request for a ballad with a poignant, "Come a Little Closer," which then segued into the delicate, "The Way You Look Tonight" by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. He closed his set with a jaunty, " 'S Wonderful" which morphed into Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" - sometimes at the same time in true mashup form! (Oh, and did I mention that he played the piano for himself AND ran around the room impersonating different "audience members" saying what they thought of his performance? AMAZING.)
Mark will be appearing at the Cabaret Convention Tuesday, October 17, 2017. For more information about upcoming shows, visit his website at www.marknadler.com
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| Salon Spotlight: Mark Nadler |
Quick Wrap - Classical Corner
Mark Janas gave us an amazing lesson on the quintessential music for living in dreams: Classic music theater! Mark defined classic as "something that has worn through time with a high standard." In music it technically refers to eras like Mozart's, but in music theater we think of musicals from 50 years and beyond.
One thing that Mark remarked on was that in many musicals the music was written from top to bottom but the composers themselves (rather than having others flesh out their melodies or orchestrations.) The first musical that he referenced in tonight's corner was Camelot by Lerner and Loewe. Did you know that when the show originated it ran 4.5 hours, instead of the promised 2.5 hours? (And I can attest to this, because when I did the show it was well over 3 hours and our union musicians walked out at the 3 hours mark every night because they we're being paid overtime!) Mark looked at one of the pieces from the show, "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" which has a classical/operatic structure with complex keys that change over and over and over and over. He then invited Erin Cronican (yours truly) up to the music to sing the song.
We then moved to Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Mark said that the first time he learned about the show was from his high school chorus teacher who said that when Willson wrote the piece everyone told him the show would never succeed because it was too old fashioned - too much a throwback. ("Poor Meredith," his teacher said, "Crying all the way to the bank!") Like some of Frank Loesser's music, the next song rides the fine line between musical theater and an art song. He demonstrated a section of the music that was reminiscent of Puccini's M Butterfly - and he said that like Bernstein's music in West Side Story, Willson innovated on what's classic to make it new again (and complex to perform!) He then asked Erin Cronican (me again!) to sing, "My White Night" from the musical.
We finally came to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Mark talked about having dinner with Mary Rodgers (Richard Rodgers' daughter, and Adam Guettel's mother). He asked her what it was like to grow up listening to great music being composed, like "Some Enchanted Evening" and she said it was repressive. Mark asked how, and she said that as a child she was rarely allowed to run around and be rambunctious because there needed to be quiet in the house! She also told a story of how one night there were dozens of luminaries in their home (Hammerstein, Gershwin, etc) and after she went to bed Gershwin got on the piano and sang through - for the first time ever - the full score for Porgy and Bess. Mark asked, stunned, "He was playing Porgy and Bess and you didn't hear it?!" She said, "Well I was only three year old!" (We love these stories, Mark!!) Mark then asked Janice Hall to come to the stage to share with us one of the most beloved anthems of music theater, "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel.
Mark Janas gave us an amazing lesson on the quintessential music for living in dreams: Classic music theater! Mark defined classic as "something that has worn through time with a high standard." In music it technically refers to eras like Mozart's, but in music theater we think of musicals from 50 years and beyond.
One thing that Mark remarked on was that in many musicals the music was written from top to bottom but the composers themselves (rather than having others flesh out their melodies or orchestrations.) The first musical that he referenced in tonight's corner was Camelot by Lerner and Loewe. Did you know that when the show originated it ran 4.5 hours, instead of the promised 2.5 hours? (And I can attest to this, because when I did the show it was well over 3 hours and our union musicians walked out at the 3 hours mark every night because they we're being paid overtime!) Mark looked at one of the pieces from the show, "The Simple Joys of Maidenhood" which has a classical/operatic structure with complex keys that change over and over and over and over. He then invited Erin Cronican (yours truly) up to the music to sing the song.
We then moved to Meredith Willson's The Music Man. Mark said that the first time he learned about the show was from his high school chorus teacher who said that when Willson wrote the piece everyone told him the show would never succeed because it was too old fashioned - too much a throwback. ("Poor Meredith," his teacher said, "Crying all the way to the bank!") Like some of Frank Loesser's music, the next song rides the fine line between musical theater and an art song. He demonstrated a section of the music that was reminiscent of Puccini's M Butterfly - and he said that like Bernstein's music in West Side Story, Willson innovated on what's classic to make it new again (and complex to perform!) He then asked Erin Cronican (me again!) to sing, "My White Night" from the musical.
We finally came to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Mark talked about having dinner with Mary Rodgers (Richard Rodgers' daughter, and Adam Guettel's mother). He asked her what it was like to grow up listening to great music being composed, like "Some Enchanted Evening" and she said it was repressive. Mark asked how, and she said that as a child she was rarely allowed to run around and be rambunctious because there needed to be quiet in the house! She also told a story of how one night there were dozens of luminaries in their home (Hammerstein, Gershwin, etc) and after she went to bed Gershwin got on the piano and sang through - for the first time ever - the full score for Porgy and Bess. Mark asked, stunned, "He was playing Porgy and Bess and you didn't hear it?!" She said, "Well I was only three year old!" (We love these stories, Mark!!) Mark then asked Janice Hall to come to the stage to share with us one of the most beloved anthems of music theater, "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel.
Roster of performers for the evening (in order of appearance):
Click link to visit the performer’s website or other links, when available.
All piano accompaniment by Mark Janas unless otherwise noted.
Co-Host: Barbara Brussell
JoAna Gray
Christy Frye
Todd Fernandez (also on piano)
Annie Lebeaux (also on piano)
Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (also on piano)
David Ballard
Erin Cronican
Janice Hall (with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Classical Corner: Mark Janas, Erin Cronican, Janice Hall
BREAK
Co-Host: Barbara Brussell
Tanya Moberly
Salon Spotlight: Mark Nadler
Annie Lebeaux (encore, also on piano)
Todd Fernandez (encore, also on piano)
Frances O'Flynn (encore, with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Janice Hall (encore, with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (also on piano)
JoAna Gray (encore)
Tanya Moberly (encore)
David Ballard (encore)
Co-Host: Barbara Brussell
Salon Spotlight: Mark Nadler
Annie Lebeaux (encore, also on piano)
Todd Fernandez (encore, also on piano)
Frances O'Flynn (encore, with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Janice Hall (encore, with Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (also on piano)
JoAna Gray (encore)
Tanya Moberly (encore)
David Ballard (encore)
Co-Host: Barbara Brussell
Special thanks to tonight's musicians: Mark Janas, Matthew Martin Ward, Mark Nadler, Annie Lebeaux, and Todd Fernandez.
Thank you, also, to Gill Alexandre on lights and sound, David Ballard and our amazing waitstaff, and the management at Etc Etc.
Ongoing Shows:
Monday nights (7pm): Opera Open Mic at Shanghai Mong with Mark Janas and Matthew Martin Ward, 30 West 32nd Street, NYC.
Weekly: Bill Zeffiro plays and sings with a rotating list of guests at La Rivista, 313 W 46th St, NYC.
Upcoming Shows:
October 16-19, 2017 (6pm): This year's Cabaret Convention features Tanya Moberly, Adam B. Shapiro, Matthew Martin Ward, Barbara Brussell, Mark Nadler, Ritt Henn, Shana Farr, and others, at the Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street.
Friday, October 20, 2017 (7pm): Barbara Brussell is appearing in her show, "This Moment" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, October 20, 2017 (8pm): Mark Janas, Ritt Henn and Sean Harkness will play for Kathleen Turner in "Finding My Voice" at Feinstein's San Francisco, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco.
Saturday, October 21, 2017 (8pm): Mark Janas, Ritt Henn and Sean Harkness will play for Kathleen Turner in "Finding My Voice" at Feinstein's San Francisco, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco.
Saturday, October 21, 2017 (4pm): JoAna Gray in "Defying Expectations, Defining Dreams" (Director: Faith Prince, Musical Director: Christopher Denny) at The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, NYC.
Sunday, October 22, 2017 (2-7pm): Erin Cronican is hosting a Artist Flea Market to benefit The Seeing Place, at West 3rd Common, 1 West 3rd St, NYC
Monday, October 23, 2017 (6pm): Sierra Rein will perform "Love in the Time of Recession: A Musical" an original 20-minute musical by Peter Saxe as part of "Across a Crowded Room" at The Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 (7pm): "Bedtime Stories" with Marnie Klar (Directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, October 27, 2017 (7pm): Tanya Moberly and Ian Herman are appearing at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, October 28, 2017 (2pm): Tanya Moberly directs the return of "A Life Behind Bars," written and performed by Dan Ruth, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.
Sunday, October 29, 2017 (7pm): Sierra Rein (as part of Marquee Five) will sing in "Sondheim Unplugged: Into Sweeney Todd's Woods" at Feinstein's 54 Below,
Friday, October 20, 2017 (7pm): Barbara Brussell is appearing in her show, "This Moment" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, October 20, 2017 (8pm): Mark Janas, Ritt Henn and Sean Harkness will play for Kathleen Turner in "Finding My Voice" at Feinstein's San Francisco, 222 Mason Street, San Francisco.
Saturday, October 21, 2017 (4pm): JoAna Gray in "Defying Expectations, Defining Dreams" (Director: Faith Prince, Musical Director: Christopher Denny) at The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street, NYC.
Sunday, October 22, 2017 (2-7pm): Erin Cronican is hosting a Artist Flea Market to benefit The Seeing Place, at West 3rd Common, 1 West 3rd St, NYC
Monday, October 23, 2017 (6pm): Sierra Rein will perform "Love in the Time of Recession: A Musical" an original 20-minute musical by Peter Saxe as part of "Across a Crowded Room" at The Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC.
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 (7pm): "Bedtime Stories" with Marnie Klar (Directed by Tanya Moberly) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, October 27, 2017 (7pm): Tanya Moberly and Ian Herman are appearing at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, October 28, 2017 (2pm): Tanya Moberly directs the return of "A Life Behind Bars," written and performed by Dan Ruth, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.
Sunday, October 29, 2017 (7pm): Sierra Rein (as part of Marquee Five) will sing in "Sondheim Unplugged: Into Sweeney Todd's Woods" at Feinstein's 54 Below,
November 4-19 2017: Erin Cronican is directing and starring in, "Jack Goes Boating" a play with The Seeing Place Theater, 64 East 4th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017 (7pm): Marnie Klar performs "Bedtime Stories" (directed by Tanya Moberly with Stephen Ray Watkins at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, November 10, 2017 (7pm): Marnie Klar performs "Bedtime Stories" (directed by Tanya Moberly with Stephen Ray Watkins at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, November 11, 2017 (5:30pm): Andrea Bell Wolff will perform "Prisoner of Love" with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, November 11, 2017: Frances O'Flynn will perform (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Monday, November 13, 2017: Amy Beth Williams, with Tanya Moberly directing, performs "A Thousand Beautiful Things" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, November 17, 2017 (7pm): Tanya Moberly and Mark Janas are appearing at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017 (7pm): Sally Darling (with Matthew Martin Ward on piano) presents "Totally Noël" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, December 8, 2017 (7pm): Tanya Moberly and Steven Ray Watkins at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, December 10, 2017 (4pm): Marnie Klar performs "Bedtime Stories" (directed by Tanya Moberly with Stephen Ray Watkins at the piano) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Saturday, December 16, 2017: Andrea Bell Wolff will perform "Prisoner of Love" with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano and Peter Napolitano as Director as part of "Winter Rhythms" at Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street, NYC.
Monday, December 18, 2017: Amy Beth Williams, with Tanya Moberly directing, performs "A Thousand Beautiful Things" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Thursday, December 21, 2017 (7pm): Matthew Martin Ward will present his show "After the Fair" at the Winter Rhythms Festival - starring Rebecca Luker - at Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street, NYC.
Wednesday, December 27, 2017: Sally Darling and Matthew Martin Ward bring back her show "Love, Lust, and Longing" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
Friday, December 29, 2017 (7pm): Tanya Moberly and Sean Harkness are appearing at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
NEXT SALON!
On Sunday, October 22th, the theme will be "Longing For Change" with Guest Host: Ian Herman, your Co-Host, Dawn Derow, and Salon Spotlight, Marnie Klar.
--Erin Cronican
"Blogette" for The Salon
See something you'd like to edit/add? Email me.
Friday, December 29, 2017 (7pm): Tanya Moberly and Sean Harkness are appearing at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.
NEXT SALON!
On Sunday, October 22th, the theme will be "Longing For Change" with Guest Host: Ian Herman, your Co-Host, Dawn Derow, and Salon Spotlight, Marnie Klar.
--Erin Cronican
"Blogette" for The Salon
See something you'd like to edit/add? Email me.
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