The Salon Wrap-Up for March 10, 2019: "Acceptance"

After last night, we had to accept the fact that it was an hour earlier than we thought, and Mark Janas admitted he was a little tired from orchestrating for Len Cariou and Kathleen Turner for Broadway Backwards (performing tonight, Monday the 11th!). But we had to accept this fact, and looked forward to a great evening of music at The Salon! Our Co-Host Scott Evan Davis's music is not a stranger to Salon friends; as an ASCAP, Broadway World and MAC Award Winner, with CDs entitled "Next" and "Cautiously Optimistic," Scott's music has been sung on many stages throughout country. His upcoming musical Indigo is in development by Broadway producer workshops, so that will hopefully be seen by New York audiences soon. Scott introduced the theme of "Acceptance" as an overriding that runs through a large amount of his composition over the years. First, Adam Rennie sat simply on a stool and pontificated about his own inner questions, asking what's "Next," the title of Scott's CD. Adam made special use of the flowing and ebbing of the melody and soaring tenor notes. Scott is a teacher/coach as well, so he played for a few of his coaching students, who at less than 10 years old both sang both pop and musical theater with equal professional talent and poise.

For the mid-show set, Scott sat at the piano again to play for Marta Sanders Cooper, who powerfully and emotionally sang "Save Me the Rose," about a woman accepting her place and looking towards the next step in life, in a rich alto belt. MAC Award Nominee for Best Female Debut, Emily Ellet, then performed "So Good," in the role of a daughter who is thrust into a family situation, and dealing with the dynamics of how they deal with their grandmother's failing mental abilities. This song is from Scott's musicals Indigo, which is having a few readings on the theme of non-verbal autism and how a woman learns how to get through being heard for the first time. Emily's soulful mix of bell-like power and round mezzo-soprano tones navigated the emotional lyrics and moments superbly. Marta returned to the stage with Analise Scarpaci to sing a relatively new song from Indigo. Marta played the grandma, with Analise playing her grandaugter with autism, singing "Just Drive" together on a different mental plane - in this realm, they are able to communicate out loud as they travel next to each other.  Next, Tanya took her spot to perform the song that won Scott his MAC Award for best song, "Before I Forget," a song she grabbed when he first sang it at Salon years ago. To end the evening, Scott invited another MAC Award Nominee for Best Female Debut Sierra Rein (me!) and her friend Kay ThePal (not nominated) to sing "If The World Only Knew," a power ballad of knowing one's inner strengths and power despite the blindness of others.

Scott Evan Davis, winning a MAC Award for song "Before I Forget"

Quick Wrap - Classical Corner

For classical corner, Mark opened up to discuss the Final Trio from Richard Strauss (music) and Hugo von Hofmannsthal (lyric)'s comedic opera Der Rosenkavalier. This is a comedy of errors and zany behaviors in three Acts, but in the final trio, the lead characters sing to reveal their inner monologues, leading them to accepting their own love or releasing of love of the other person within this musical love triangle. We had a dramatic reading of a translation of this scene by Maureen Taylor, Sierra Rein and David Ballard (as the Princess, Sophie, and Octavian respectively). Mark then played a recording of this glorious trio, but promises that one day it will be sung live at The Salon. The remaining lovers go on to have a little duet, simple and gorgeous. At the end of the last act, an apprentice Rose Carrier finds a single silver rose on the bare stage, and the music trips and floats its way around him as he joyously dances with the rose, to end the opera.

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: Scott Evan Davis and Adam Rennie (Scott Evan Davis on piano)
Tayden McAvoy (Scott Evan Davis on piano)
Maya Marcus (Scott Evan Davis on piano)
The Mama's Boys - Tommy Dose, Brian Kalinowski, and Jon Satrom

Deborah Stone
Ann Talman - "Woody's Order"
Anna Heffington
Lucille Carr-Kaffashan

Susan Mack
Barb Malley (Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Sally Darling (Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Matthew Martin Ward (self on piano)
Angela Leone
Leanne Borghesi
Maureen Taylor

Classical Corner with Maureen Taylor, Sierra Rein and David Ballard
BREAK
Co-Host: Scott Evan Davis (Scott Evan Davis on piano) with Marta Sanders Cooper, Emily Ellet, Analise Scarpaci
Tanya Moberly (Scott Evan Davis on piano)
Bobbie Horowitz (Matthew Martin Ward on piano)
Richie Eisenberg
Phillip
David Ballard
Joshua BennettDawn Derow

Co-Host: Scott Evan Davis and Sierra Rein...and Kay ThePal (Scott Evan Davis on piano)

Special thanks to musicians Mark Janas, Scott Evan Davis, and Matthew Martin Ward. More thanks to David Ballard on lights and sound, and the astounding waitstaff including Joshua and Leo, and management at Don't Tell Mama. Finally, thanks to Ruben Olvera for his Videography!

Ongoing Shows:

Wednesdays-Sundays: Adam Shapiro is performing in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish at Stage 42, 422 W 42nd St, NYC.

Upcoming Shows:

Monday, March 11th, 2019 (7pm): The Bistro Awards take place - Tanya Moberly, Marnie Klar, Sidney Myer, Sierra Rein, Lisa Viggiano, and more are being honored along with Judy Collins at The Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd Street, NYC.

Monday, March 11th, 2019 (8pm): Mark Janas' orchestrations and money for a good cause can be seen at Broadway Backwards, New Amsterdam Theatre, 214 West 42nd Street, NYC.

Friday, March 22, 2019 (7pm): Susan Mack's encore of "Nobody Else But Me" with Director Marilyn Maye at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, March 22, 2019 (8pm): David Ballard and Reuben Olvera will perform with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in Big Gay Sing: Body and Soul in NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, NYC.

Friday, March 23, 2019 (8pm): David Ballard and Reuben Olvera will perform with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in Big Gay Sing: Body and Soul in NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, NYC.

Sunday, March 24, 2019 (5pm): David Ballard and Reuben Olivia will perform with the NYC Gay Men's Chorus in Big Gay Sing: Body and Soul in NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, NYC.

Monday, April 1st, 2019 (7pm): The Mama's Boys (Tommy Dose, Brian Kalinowski, and Jon Satrom) perform trios of harmony with Musical Director Elliot Roth at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Monday, April 1st, 2019 (7pm): Matthew Martin Ward will be a part of Joe Keenan's “Everybody Rise: A Resistance Cabaret” at Theatre at Birdland, 315 West 44th St, NY.

Monday, April 1st, 2019 (8pm): Tanya Moberly directs "A Life Behind Bars" at City Winery, 155 Varrick St, NYC.

Monday, April 8th, 2019 (7pm): Mama's Boys performs trios of harmony with Musical Director Elliot Roth at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Friday, April 26th, 2019 (7pm): Barbara Malley with Musical Director Matthew Martin Ward in "OMG Am I A Diva?" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, April 27th, 2019 (4:30pm): Barbara Malley with Musical Director Matthew Martin Ward in "OMG Am I A Diva?" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Saturday, April 27th, 2019 (7pm): Lucille Carr-Kaffashan in "How the Light Gets In" with Jeff Cubeta (Music Director), Sean Harkness on guitar, Matt Scharfglass on bass, and David Hilder (Director) at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Thursday, May 2nd, 2019 (7pm): Lucille Carr-Kaffashan in "How the Light Gets In" with Jeff Cubeta (Music Director), Sean Harkness on guitar, Matt Scharfglass on bass, and David Hilder (Director) May 2nd at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019 (7:30pm): Leanne Borghesi will perform as part of "All The Things You Are: Celebrating Jerome Kern" at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, 154 W 57th St, NYC.

Wednesday, May 29th, 2019: Leanne Borghesi in "Mood Swings" at  The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

Friday, May 31, 2019 (7pm): Sierra Rein - as part of Marquee Five - performs "8-Track Throwback" with Dan Pardo on piano, Matt Scharfglass on bass, and Rich Huntley on drums, at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, 407 W. 42nd Street, NYC.

Thursday, October 17th, 2019 (7pm): Bobbie Horowitz presents "It's Just a Number" at Don't Tell Mama, 345 West 46th Street, NYC.

NEXT SALON: March 17th, 2019
Next week the theme will be "It’s Not Easy Being Green" - so interpret that in whatever way you wish! Our Co-Host will be singer, producer, teacher and all-around great gal Sue Matsuki and our Salon Spotlight will be Broadway singer-actor (straight from his multiple God-and-human roles as the male Swing in Once On This Island) - T. Oliver Reid!

- Sierra Rein
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