Monday, October 9, 2017

The Salon Wrap-up for October 8, 2017: "What's in a Name?"

As Mark laid out at the top of the evening: "language lies." It is symbolism incarnate, and requires a certain kind of leap of acceptance. Indeed, even chimpanzees are able to recognize the name of an apple, and sign “hurt ouch apple” when handed an onion. The theme of this evening, "What's in a Name," allowed us to sing songs with particular names in them, or songs about identity. Our Co-host was the lovely Ruth Carlin (with "Co-Co-Host" Paul Greenwood at the piano), who started the evening's events with a sultry, eyebrow-raised version of "Bill" from Show Boat. After a short intermission, Ruth returned to sing in many languages about her unique love, "Irving," and by the end of the nimble song we were in love with...Irrrrrving...too! Switching gears, she sang "Suzanne," a meditative Leonard Cohen song that was featured in her last show. She then lit up the stage with brimstone and promises of blood with the infamous and well-remembered "Pirate Jenny" from The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. At the end of the evening, she put us into a musical trip with "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" as a slow and lovely waltz.

Ruth Carlin
Ruth will premier her new show "Kaleidescope Eyes" for four dates: November 4th, November 12th, November 14th (at 7pm) and November 11th (at 1pm). Lina Koutrakos will be directing with Paul Greenwood at the piano at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Salon Spotlight!

Amy Engelhardt (arriving here straight from LA but originally from NJ) has a huge smile and a great deal of nostalgia for things that "sucked," which she claims is an East Coast phenomenon. Sitting at the piano herself, she sang some original songs (as World Premieres!) detailing some of these sucky things. Amy began her Spotlight set with her sultry, bluesy "That Minor Third," which highlighted her clever lyrics and ability to turn the melody towards an ironic phrase. As a bridge and tunnel kid growing up, she was excited to then sing "Bridge and Tunnel" (from Triptych, her original set of short musicals commissioned by New York City's New York Transit Museum); it humorously lamented all the tolls, travel, and stuck-in-traffic woes involved in dating between NJ and NYC, with a little nod to Chris Christie. She left us with another new song, the free-flowing and plaintively sweet "Will You Love Me?"

Amy will perform "My Own Devices II" tonight on Monday, October 9th (7pm) at Don't Tell Mama, 343 W. 46th Street, NYC, and "Triptych," a showcase of three original 10-minute musicals (sponsored through a New York City commission!) at The New York Transit Museum on Tuesday, October 17th, 2017 (6pm). Directed by Rene Ruiz with musical direction by Matthew Liu, starring Jennifer Malenke, Rene Ruiz and Evan Ruggerio, it will be set and performed on the Crosstown M42 bus situated there!



Quick Wrap - Classical Corner

Tonight's Classical Corner dared to bring in some heavy hitting vocals in a celebration of some well-"named" Diva roles from Opera repertoire. Our stellar guest singer was María Fernanda Brea Moeller, whose soprano voice is preternatural in strength, clarity and expression. Mark first heard her Opera Open mic at Edo Sushi with Matthew Martin Ward years ago, and his jaw dropped at her voice and ability to interpret a lyric. She has studied Opera at Manhattan School of Music, Julliard, and has been seen singing Opera in San Francisco and recently will return to Palm Beach Opera. I've sung with her myself at church, and to hear her voice reverberate against church walls is a more-than-religious experience! Read more about Maria here.

María Fernanda Brea Moeller
Her first number, "Chanson Triste," was written by composer Henri Duparc, who only wrote a few pieces in his life, with French lyrics by Jean Lahor. When she was at Julliard, Maria's teacher assigned this piece to her, and it has blossomed even further as she has worked on it over the years. The French lyrics, which Mark spoke through at the top of the song, have been translated thusly:
In your heart sleeps a moonlight,
a soft summer's moonlight,
and, to flee from this relentless life,
I shall drown myself in your brightness.
I shall forget past sufferings,
my beloved, when you cradle
my sad heart and my thoughts
in the loving peace of your arms.
Oh! Sometimes you will take
my sick head upon your knees,
and will tell it a ballad
which will seem to speak of us;
and in your eyes full of sorrows,
in your eyes then I shall drink
so many kisses and tokens of love,
that perhaps I shall recover.
(translated by Christopher Goldsack)
She then cooed her way through the romantic "Me voilà seule...Comme autrefois" from Les Pêcheurs de Perles by Georges Bizet. A dramatic aria, it is basically the "My Boyfriend's Back" song; in it, a Priestess thinks how she might have seen her ex-boyfriend in the town, and wants/hopes/desires to know if she was simply seeing things or not (spoiler: she wasn't just seeing things, and those particular things get steamy from there on!). Maria's emotional delivery and fully rounded voice kept us on the edge of our seats!

As a final song we heard her native tongue (Maria originally hails from Venezuela) singing "La petenera" from La Marchenera by Spanish composers F. Moreno Torroba and G. del Toro. She sang the role of Valentina, a Countess, who is politically powerful yet at the same time is being snubbed by the man she wants to marry. This song is sung-slash-dictated to the town Balladeer, who is now supposed to take her story and make it well known to her would-be lover and the whole city. The way Maria sang, it was no question that the Balladeer soon had fire, spite, and a very pointed love letter to sing in the streets.

Thank you, Maria, for singing for us last night!

Side Note: Warm-hearted Jen Bradley brought a bouquet of lavendar and yellow roses for the entire group to share and take home!

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: Ruth Carlin (with Paul Greenwood at the piano)
Mark Cummings
Susan Mack
John Carlucci
Rian Keating
Jen Bradley
Marcia Roney (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Barb Malley (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Ira Lee Collings (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (self at the piano)
Mary Roser
Classical Corner
BREAK
Co-Host: Ruth Carlin (with Paul Greenwood at the piano) 
Tanya Moberly
Leanne Borghesi and David Maiocco (with David Maiocco at the piano)
Ritt Henn (with self on ukulele)
Frances O'Flynn (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Andrea Wolff (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Katie McGrath (with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano)
Caitlin Fahey
Rod Ferguson
Co-Host:  Ruth Carlin (with Paul Greenwood at the piano)

Thank you to this evening's videographer, James Eden, 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:

Wednesday, October 11, 2017 (7pm): Ritt Henn performs his original works in the show "Songs From the Great American Rittbook" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Thursday, October 12, 2017 (7pm): Rod Ferguson in "Some Others I've Seen: Stumbling Towards Love" at Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston, MASS.

Saturday, October 14, 2017 (4pm): Marcia Roney is "Letting Go" with the help of Matthew Martin Ward at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Monday, October 16, 2017 (6pm): Opening night of the Cabaret Convention features Tanya MoberlyAdam B. Shapiro, Matthew Martin Ward, Ritt Henn, and others, at the Rose Theatre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street.

Thursday, October 19, 2017 (1pm): "Wild About Harry" with Mark Cummings in Tuckahoe, NY.

Thursday, October 19, 2017 (7pm): Rod Ferguson in "Some Others I've Seen: Stumbling Towards Love" at Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston, MASS.

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.

Saturday, October 21, 2017 (4pm): Caitlin Fahey is a Party of One" at Don't Tell Mama,  345 West 46th Street, 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.

Thursday, October 26, 2017 (7pm): Rod Ferguson in "Some Others I've Seen: Stumbling Towards Love" at Club Cafe, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston, MASS.

Friday, October 27, 2017 (7pm):
 Tanya Moberly and Ian Herman are appearing at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, October 27, 2017 (10pm): Katie McGrath will perform "Significant Others" as a Benefit of Operation Lipstick.

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 (7:15pm): Ira Lee Collings in "The Gay Geezer: Life Is A Song – So Why Not Sing it?” at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th 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,

Thursday, November 2, 2017: Barbara Malley will perform "Oh My God: Am I a Diva?" with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano, as a benefit for Housing Works at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Thursday, November 2, 2017 (7pm): "Manhattan Cabaret Arts" featuring Susan Mack, John Carlucci, and Mary Roser - with Direction by Collette Black - at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, November 4, 2017 (4pm): Marcia Roney is "Letting Go" with the help of Matthew Martin Ward at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Monday, November 6, 2017 (9:30pm): 
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.

Monday, November 6, 2017 (7pm): Leanne Borghesi will have "Mood Swings" at The Triad, 158 72nd 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 (9pm): Leanne Borghesi will have "Mood Swings" at The Triad, 158 72nd Street, NYC.

Saturday, November 11, 2017 (5:30pm): Andrea Bell Wolff will perform "Prisoner of Love" with Matthew Martin Ward at the piano and Peter Napolitano as Director) 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.

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.

Tuesday, November 14, 2017 (6:30pm): Rian Keating (with Woody Regan, Musical Director) in "there is a time: songs of love and life" 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.

Saturday, November 18, 2017 (7pm): Rod Ferguson and others (Musical Director: Brian Patton) in "The USO Radio Show: A Tribute To The Music Of The World War II Years" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, November 18, 2017 (4:00pm): Rian Keating  (with Woody Regan, Musical Director) in "there is a time: songs of love and life" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Wednesday, November 29, 2017 (7pm):
 Sally Darling (with Matthew Martin Ward) presents "Totally Noël" at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, December 1, 2017 (7pm): Caitlin Fahey stars in debut show "Party of One" with Rick Jensen (MD) and Lina Koutrakos (Dir) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 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 Lukor - 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 15th, the theme will be "Livin’ Your Dream" with Co-Host: Barbara BrussellAs the Salon Spotlight, it'll be Heather Mac Rae! Bring your songs about inspiration, goals, the struggles we face, or those who make it all worth striving for!

--Sierra Rein
"Blogette" for The Salon
See an "oops!" or is something incomplete? Email me.

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