Update from Tanya Moberly - "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret”

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, August 22nd from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret”.

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

Our Co-Host will be Delightful MAC & Bistro Award winning Danielle Grabianowski! Danielle will be returning to The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St, NYC 10010, 212-206-0440, on October 28th, November 3rd & November 18th. For more information: www.daniellegrabianowski.com.

Our Special Guest will be the Sensational, Multiple MAC, Bistro and Golden Pineapple Award winning Cabaret Icon, Sidney Myer! Sidney is not only an extraordinary performer, he also sits on the Board of Directors for MAC and has been the booking manager at Don't Tell Mama for the last 18 years.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Erin Cronican and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information 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 and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Dani Rhodes at 6:15pm.

August 29th: “World Cruise”
Co-Host: Adam Shapiro
Special Guest: Karen Oberlin

Visit our website www.markjanasthesalon.com and our Facebook page, thanks to our Blogettes – Sierra Rein and Erin Cronican!

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

The Salon Wrap-Up for August 8, 2010- "Dream a Little Dream"

Erin Cronican here! Sierra Rein is off celebrating her 5 year wedding anniversary with her main squeeze, Pete, so I am filling you in on the great time that was had last Sunday.

It was an inspiring night at The Salon as we trilled our way through nearly 40 tunes with the theme “Dream a Little Dream- Dreams, Goals & Aspirations.”

Our Co-Host was Ricky Ritzel, one of Cabaret's Finest Ancestors, 13-time MAC Award Winner and Former President of MAC. As Sierra wrote in the last blog, Ricky is best known for inventing the 2-drink minimum (google 'last supper'), and is also half of the duo “The Loungeoleers.” Ricky started the evening by accompanying himself on the piano, singing “I’ve Got a Crush On You,” after which, he and host Mark Janas played a fun little piano duet. Ricky then handed it over to Salon attendees- first to Ronnie Giles, which crooned “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Louisa Poster was next with a light and fluffy, “Dipsy Doodle.” Soon after, Susan Hodgson gave us her rendition of “The Light in the Piazza” from the musical of the same name. Next was the ever clever Richie Eisenberg, who sang “Never Too Late” followed by Kristin Maloney with the wistful and gorgeous ballad, “Sweet Dreams.” You can see Kristin in the upcoming NYMF show, “The Great Unknown.”

Mark Levy rocked the house next with his tongue twister, “The Nightmare Song” from Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Iolanthe.” Next was Sunny Leigh with “I Have Dreamed” from “The King and I,” followed by Kevin McMullan with “My City.” Bobbie Horowitz next gave us a touching rendition of “Teenage Dreams” and Gini Dustin wowed us with her original, lovely tune, “Lonely City Nights.” Then we had Bill Zeffiro entertain us with his multi-cultural uptune, “La Comedia E Finita” followed by Steve Schachlin’s haunting melody, “Holy Dirt,” from his show “New World Waking” a song cycle about peace. Next, Edie Stokes sang the warm ballad, “Two For The Road” and Mark Watson charmed us with “Pictures of You.”

It’s always wonderful to see Salon members working together on ensemble pieces, and producer Tanya Moberly and Salon Co-Founder Kristin Maloney gave a hilariously acted and sung rendition of “Dog Dreams.” Etc Etc super server, David Ballard, came to the stage next with “Purpose” from “Avenue Q” and Alison Nusbaum cracked us up as she comically boozed her way through a torch song. After that, Etceterette/Blogette Erin Cronican (yours truly) came to the stage with a dream of different sorts, going through the motions of auditioning with “Climbing Uphill” from “The Last Five Years.” Erin can next be seen in “Nab-A-Date” a musical with a possible Off-Broadway run in 2011. Next, with Ricky Ritzel on keys, The Salon was formally introduced to Madame with co-star Rick Skye, who sang “The Oldest Living Showgirl in Vegas.” Madame has a Feinstein’s gig on August 19 (for adults only- she can get racy!) And the first act was closed by Etceterette Marnie Klar, with a touching rendition of Stephen Schwartz’s “Liontamer.”

Act II of the Salon was kicked off by none other than the Magnificent Multiple Mac & Bistro Award winning Marcus Simeone, our Special Guest of the evening. Marcus started with “Too Many Rivers to Cross”, and then gave us a poignant song about gay marriage and its acceptance globally -- but not domestically. Marcus ended the 3 song set with an amazingly moving “When Angels Cry.” Marcus can next be seen performing in “Calling All Angels II”- two extraordinary evenings of exceptional talent to benefit The Gregory Kennell Fund: Fridays, August 13 & 20 at 7:00 at the Metropolitan Room.

Following Marcus was Classical Corner, with our very own Mark Janas. This week, Mark exposed us to the delightful music of Chopin (who was born 200 years ago this March.) Mark introduced us to Chopin’s four Ballades by breaking down the themes and teaching us about the nuances of the writing. He concluded the segment by opening the grand piano so we could fully experience the sound of these solo piano compositions. It was truly magical, and Classical Corner continues to be a unique and valuable part of The Salon.

Next up was producer Tanya Moberly, who sang a heart-wrenching medley of “Some Lucky Girls” and “Somewhere That’s Green.” Not a dry eye in the house, even from Tanya! Following Tanya was the ever charming Joey Infante, who soothed us with his ballad medley, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” and “When You Wish Upon a Star.” After accompanying Joey on piano, Mike McDonald stayed at the keys and performed, “I’ll See You In My Dreams.” Matthew Ward was next, making us remember our childhoods with a lovely, “Rainbow Connection.” To satisfy the musical theater crowd, Salon regulars Mark Watson and Sunny Leigh performed their version of “The Music Man” hit “Till There Was You.” To bring the energy back up from all of the ballads, Joan Jaffe brought the funny with her song, “There’s a Broken Heart for Every Light on Broadway.” And no Joan Jaffe performance would be complete without a little dancing- in this performance she showed off her soft shoe (wow- say that 5 times fast!)

Next up was Marc Ostrow, who introduced us to one of his original tunes, “I Often Wonder if She Ever Thinks of Me.”After Marc came Jordan Siwek, a young singer/songwriter who brought in his new tune, “Shall I Compare You?” Jordan made lots of connections after this honest performance, something that we at The Salon are very proud of. We love to hear when professional connections are made through our event! Following Jordan was Keni Fine, who did a parody song called “I’ve Thrown a Custard in Her Face” as well as "Henry the Eight Foot Man" to a tune oddly like that of “I’m Henry the VIII, I am” from the Herman’s Hermits. Next we had the sultry tones of Ellen Bullinger, who warmed the crowd with her rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from “Les Miserables.” Ricky was then able to coax up jazz great Daryl Sherman, who accompanied herself with a medley of “Let’s Fly Away” and “Come Fly With Me.” And Ricky Ritzel finished off this week’s Salon with one more playful tune before closing out the evening and bidding all of us sweet dreams.

Next week we will NOT be hosting The Salon due to a special event being held at our venue. But please do join us August 22, where our co-host will be none other than Danielle Grabianowski with the theme “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret” and our Special Guest will be Sidney Myer. And Sierra Rein, The Salon’s regular Blogette, will be back at the keys.

-Erin Cronican
Co-Blogette for The Salon

The Salon Wrap-Up for August 1, 2010: "It's Mathematical - Numbers about Numbers"

1 + 1 = :):):):)

It was a lively and jocular evening on the 1st of August at The Salon! The theme was "It's Mathematical - Numbers About Numbers ," and for the guest co-host we put one and one together to make comedy music/improv/standup duo Booth & Pat! The guest performer was the fabulous Jim Brochu, who added a lot of talent to the stage! (Let's see how many math jokes I can make before I annoy even myself).

Co-Hosts Booth and Pat ("the environmentally conscious BP") are the sum product of high energy, humor, two mics and a guitar. They take well-known songs and put them on their ears, or create medleys of familiar tunes and play with them. In addition to their singing talents, they were also able to provide self-effacing humor and keep the hosting ball in the air between singers. Booth & Pat first did a great medley of songs that provide the same chord progression throughout (apparently "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is a cousin of "Let It Be." They then went into a tongue-twisting, fast-paced version of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies (there are a lot of numbers in that song!).

We then switched gears to have Mark Levy sing a classic rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening," with Mark Janas resuming his place at the piano. Ronnie Giles - a newcomer to The Salon and guest of David Rigano - came up to sing "They Can't Take that Away From Me," and did a little dance as well on stage. Ronnie will be seen as a drunken executive in the upcoming Hollywood film "Wall Street 2," and will be traveling to Warsaw, Poland to complete footage of the film "Finding Joseph." We then welcomed back Tony Imgrund, who sang "10,432 Sheep," a Jule Styne song made recently popular by Audra McDonald.

Michael Colby then sang "Tarts" from his show Happy Haunting (lyrics by Michael, composed by Gerald Jay Markoe). After Michael, Roberta Feldhusen (with her husband Roy at the piano) sang "Simple Little Things" from 110 in the Shade. Matthew Ward then stood to perform a Malty/Shire piece, "You Go To My Head." We then had composer David Rigano bring up an oldie from his composing past, "The Math", a delightfully sweet and funny song from his show Orchard Park. David will be directing a short play - The Secret Plays in the Work(s) In Progress Festival, and is having his show Facing East in workshop at the D Lounge on September 21st as a Trevor Project benefit.

I think Richie Eisenberg was waiting and waiting and waiting in anticipation for the theme of this evening, for he was practically beaming while he sang his song "Two Again." Steve Schalchlin stepped up to the piano to sing "The Edison Diner," lyrics by Amy Lyn Shapiro. Then Kevin McMullan (with Matthew Ward at piano) performed the unique "The Thousand Island Song." Kevin will have his new show, "Two Old Souls and A Band of Gypsies" at the Laurie Beechman in October and November of this year! After Kevin, our Producer Tanya Moberly sang "The Music That Makes Me Dance," which has a gorgeously appropriate "numbers" verse intro. Her show, "Theater Songs," will take place on September 30th at Don't Tell Mama - mark it down, people!

Next, we had a humorous rendition of the 2nd Barenaked Ladies song of the evening, "If I Had a Million Dollars." Our favorite singing waiter, David Ballard, sang "Tonight at Eight," and then Marcie Chasen (also in the Metrostar Competition!) sang "Making Love Alone." Sierra Rein (who couldn't come up with a viable numbers song that evening...sorry) sang "By Strauss," a favorite Gershwin number. We then had Maureen Taylor (who would rather measure by quality, she says) sing "Still" from Titanic. Finally, Jan Brennan sang "Unusual Way" from Nine. Jan is in the midst of the Metrostar Challenge at the Metropolitan Room!

What do you get when you add presence, grace, power, emotion, humor and a big voice? You get Jim Brochu, our special guest performer of the evening. Jim, who has been known for The Big Voice: God or Merman? and most recently the Dramadesk Award-winning show Zero Hour, is now proud to say his hometown is New York, after Zero Hour extended its original 7-week run into 10 months (and counting!). And, although he couldn't give us *quite* exactly what and where his next show will be, it will be announced soon! Check his website jimbrochu.com!

Jim started out with the joyous "On a Wonderful Day Like Today" from The Roar Of The Greasepaint - The Smell Of The Crowd, then "Who Can I Turn To?" by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. He then did a duet, "Living in the Closet" from The Big Voice as his partner, Steve Schalchlin sang and played the piano. Then, on Mark Janas' request, Jim and Steve sang the poignant and powerfully emotional "How Do You Fall Back in Love?" Jim was also lovely to recall how he once held Ethel Merman's ashes in his arms (while visiting a relative of her's), and how a young man approached him after a show in San Diego five years ago - that man was noneother than David Ballard, our favorite singer-waiter!

The Classical Corner with Mark Janas concentrated on the different mathematical levels of counting. He began with Beethoven's Opus 132 in A minor (which Mark wrote his Master's thesis on!), and showed how the location of the downbeat changed the feel of each movement. He then went into Beethoven's 7th Symphony Scherzo, and asked Booth to count a straight 4-count while Mark yelled out the strong notes. It was mind-boggling to listen to!

We next had Tanya Moberly, who performed "Ten Cents a Dance." Next, our sound man Boris Pelekh - along with his guitar - performed his original song "Something's Coming", which is a staple in his 5-piece rock band Hey Guy (which also features our regular sound man Tommy Shull. Patrick Cook, who is a teacher at BMI, then came to the piano to play and sing his hilarious song "Thank You, Jacques Brel." Whitney Chapman sang "Cat's in the Cradle," Tony Imgrand sang "Go the Distance" from Disney's Hercules, and Mark Levy sang "Once Upon a Time."

Richie Eisenberg then sang another "Two"-themed piece of his own composition, this time a somber song entitled "Table Set for Two." Jan Brennan brought the lovely "Moonfall" from The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Steve Schalchlin brought in the ever-sweet "When I Rescued You, You Rescued Me" from Broadway Barks. Matthew Ward brought in the theme-worthy singalong "Inchworm," and David Rigano sang the mildly insane and random humor song "When It's Nighttime in Italy" (David is a collector of old music with completely odd lyrics!). After David, the always lovely Maureen Taylor sang "When I Am Here Alone" from The Little Women, and Ronnie Giles performed "Learnin' the Blues" by Dolores "Vicki" Silvers. Sierra Rein (with the help of her iPhone) performed "I Hate Men" (which is an entire lie in her book, by the way), and then Booth and Pat closed the evening with "Gibberish Medley," a hilarious collection of songs with themes like "Mmmm-bop" and The Muppet's "Manamanah."


TOMORROW!!! Sunday, August 8th, SALON, that Bistro & MAC Award winning open mic created and hosted by Mark Janas, returns to Etcetera, Etcetera - 352 West 44th Street, NYC 10036 from 7-10:30PM.

The optional theme for the evening is “Dream a Little Dream – Dreams, Goals & Aspirations”.

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

Our Co-Host will be one of Cabaret's Finest Ancestors, 13-time MAC Award Winner and Former President of MAC - Ricky Ritzel! Ricky is best known for inventing the 2-drink minimum (google 'last supper'), and is also half of the duo “The Loungeoleers”. For more information: www.rickyritzel.com.

Our Special Guest will be the Magnificent Multiple Mac & Bistro Award winning Marcus Simeone. Marcus will be appearing in CALLING ALL ANGELS II – a Benefit for Gregory Kennell on August 13th & 20th at 7pm at The Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd St, NYC 10010, 212-206-0440. For more information: www.marcussimeone.com.

There will be a $10 cash cover at the door, collected by 'Etceterette', Marnie Klar and a $15 food/drink minimum (cash or credit) per person. (For further information 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 and sign up begins with 'Etceterette', Liz Ulmer at 6:15pm. Erin Cronican will be our Blogette for the evening!

MORE UPCOMING SALON DATES, THEMES, and GUESTS:

August 15th: NO SALON

August 22nd: “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda – Songs of Regret”
Co-Host: Danielle Grabianowski
Special Guest: Sidney Myer

August 29th: “World Cruise”
Co-Host: Adam Shapiro
Special Guest: Karen Oberlin

Visit our website www.markjanasthesalon.com and our Facebook page.

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