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| Although the runs of most cabaret shows don't lend themselves to full-scale reviews at CurtainUp, on this page we attempt to bring readers a taste of cabaret life in New York. In the section called "New and Noteworthy," we provide news and reports about cabaret goings-on that are especially worthy of attention; in the "Cabaret Venue" section, a list of major cabaret venues of potential interest to theater-goers in New York and, where available, links to websites that contain up-to-date information on who's performing. |
New and
Noteworthy
Christine Andreas: "The Carlyle Set" By Brad Bradley
That Christine Andreas is a consummate musical performer with a lovely voice has been well known since her auspicious Broadway debut as Eliza in My Fair Lady in 1976, that fabled show’s first revival. That she’s been around so long is rather hard to believe, especially after viewing her up close in her glorious return to the Café Carlyle. Andreas’s eponymously titled program, "The Carlyle Set," honors both her inaugural appearance there a while back and the CD recording of the material she collected for that engagement. A second chance to see and hear her presenting this music is very welcome, for she sings and acts every song supremely with extraordinary vocal and body support.
Displaying a smoothly assured manner throughout the set, even over an audio-system glitch which weakened an otherwise brightly spirited opening song (the title tune from She Loves Me), Andreas easily won over a demanding audience filled with mostly press and performers. The artist admits to favoring the venue, stating that "the moment I step on that little stage, I have a sensation [as great as when at] … the Palace Theatre and Carnegie Hall;. …the room [is] the warmest place to be." That warm intimacy is not her imagination. In fact, one feels like a guest at her small home party, swept up in an intoxicating musical atmosphere.
While variety is not absent from the program, theater fans are well rewarded with a several gems from Rodgers and Hart as well as tantalizing morsels from Can-Can (Cole Porter’s 1953 classic will be at City Center’s Encores! from February 12-15) and the fifteen-year megahit, A Chorus Line, which was new when Andreas first stepped on a New York stage. And, rest assured, she does not foolishly omit her own stage successes, providing glistening nuggets from My Fair Lady, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and, in the aforementioned Rodgers and Hart sequence, "It’s Got to Be Love," from On Your Toes, a revival she famously starred in for veteran director George Abbott when he returned to his 1936 success nearly a half century later. Of the program’s other Hart lyrics, the greatest audience cheers came from a sensually-charged rendition of "Bewitched." The seasonally inevitable "My Funny Valentine" combined both plaintive and sweet qualities to give the song more texture than usual. The sublimely comic confessional of a serial spouse eliminator, "To Keep My Love Alive" presented Mr. Hart’s work in its wickedest wittiness, including an extraordinary embellished high note as acknowledgement to both the vocalist’s and the composer’s (Mr. Rodgers) remarkable musical powers.
Of the non-theater songs, the only one I could have done without is the Legrand/Bergman “"What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" which has an easily overworn pop-influenced arrangement that lacks the brightness or staying power of the renditions of Dave Frishberg’s "Listen Here" or the better known Coleman/Leigh tune, "The Best is Yet to Come." In the Cole Porter offering, "I Love Paris" finds every note dripping with zest, and while it is paired with a song that might be considered dangerous for a singer not known for French repertory, Andreas’s "La Vie en Rose" feels both very fresh and very French. In her hands, this combination is superb. The intimate instrumental quartet is wonderfully versatile and effective, and inflects much of the program with a gentle infusion of jazz, perhaps most beautifully applied to "In a Sentimental Mood."
That Andreas is very much at home at the Carlyle is also evident in her stage patter, which while surely scripted for the most part, is wonderfully natural, entertaining, and often humorous as well. Her occasionally even raunchy lyric readings suggest that her skills as a comic actress have barely been tapped.
Among the celebrities in the room was another theater diva, Karen Mason, whose talents have been seen too little lately. Her impressive club and stage resume should not be overlooked. Both the Carlyle and other producers from both cabaret and legit should take advantage of this remarkable vocal talent.
Christine Andreas: "The Carlyle Set"
Conception and Musical Supervision by Martin Silvestri.
Lee Musiker, Musical Director and Arranger.
with Kenny Asher (piano), Kenny Hitchcock (reeds), Ray Marchica (drums), and Dick Sarpola (bass).
Running Time: One hour, 15 minutes (no intermission).
Café Carlyle, 35 East 76th Street at Madison Avenue.
Viewed on Wednesday, February 4, 2004 by Brad Bradley.
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:45 p.m. Late shows on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10:45 p.m. From February 3-28.
Cabaret Venues
{Phone Numbers are 212 unless noted)
{Phone Numbers are 212 unless noted)
Arci's Place, 450 Park Avenue South 532-4370 Closed 3/15/02
Café Carlyle, 35 East 76th Street 744-1600
Danny's Skylight Room, 346 West 46th Street 265-8133 www.dannysgrandseapalace.com
Dillon's,) 245 West 54th Street, 212-307-9797
Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street 757-0788 www.donttellmama.com
The Duplex, 61 Christopher Street 255-5438 www.theduplex.com
Feinstein's, 540 Park Avenue 339-4095 www.feinsteinsattheregency.com
Firebird, 365 West 46th Street 586-0244 New Upstairs cabaret
Rose's Turn, 55 Grove Street, 212-712-8702
Joe's Pub, 425 LaFayette Street 539-8770 www.joespub.com
Judy's Chelsea, 169 Eighth Avenue 929-5410 (closed)
The Julie Wilson Room, 32 West 37th Street 947-8940 (New)
Rose's Turn, 55 Grove Street 366-5438 www.rosesturn.com
The Triad, 158 West 72nd Street 799-4599
West Bank Café/Laurie Beechman Theater, 407 West 42nd Street 695-6909
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