Cabaret Review by Ron Fassler . . .

Sponsored by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, the 35th annual New York Cabaret Convention was presented over a three-night period this past week at Rose Hall in the Deutsche Bank Center at Columbus Circle. Each show clocked in at three hours with over seventy-five performers and close to forty musicians taking part. If you look at the list of participants featured on the front page of the program, it’s a veritable who’s who of not only New York shining lights, but international ones as well. This must-see event is tailor-made for anyone with an interest in great jazz, the art of the American Songbook, and seeing outstanding performers strut their stuff. 

I attended night #2 titled “I’m In Love Again” with Bobby Short,” a salute to the man who many revere as the singer/pianist who best epitomized the art of New York City cabaret. The charming and effervescent Natalie Douglas served as host with over-the-top introductions that held more superlatives than even a dictionary can boast. It was all in good fun and helped kept the enthusiasm at a constantly pitched level. Douglas was front and center for three songs, in addition to singing a snippet of the “Charlie” jingle, the famous commercial that featured Bobby Short back in the early ‘80s. Her “Black and Blue” was fiercely good; the awesome Fats Waller tune that stopped the show in the 1978 revue Ain’t Misbehavin’.  

Natalie Douglas, Hostess with the Mostest.

Twenty different singers stepped up to the mikes (many sat it out doing duel work at the Steinway) in a cornucopia of highly skilled individuals. Space limits me from reviewing each song individually, so I’ll stick with some highlights. But be assured: everyone made a significant contribution.

Bryan Eng, an actor/singer/pianist currently engaged in a residency at Bemelmans Bar at the Café Carlyle, is a new find to me. At just twenty-four, Eng’s got everything necessary for a sterling career. Confident, charming and a dazzling pianist with a superb voice, his rendition of “Just One of Those Things was superb. Billy Stritch was on hand to sing a glorious rendition of “Street of Dreams,” a brilliant song composed in 1932 by Victor Young, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. At intermission, I overheard someone as they were walking back to their seat say, “I always knew Billy could play piano but man–that was some serious singing.” Just prior to the break, Nicole Vanessa Ortiz delivered a powerful version of Cole Porter’s “I Happen to Like New York.”

Byan Eng performing “Just One of Those Things.”

Allan Harris delivered a very special “Midnight Sun,” the 1947 instrumental by Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke that was then later set to lyrics by Johnny Mercer. A difficult number to pull off, it fit perfectly in the Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based singer’s wheelhouse. Especially enjoyable was Eric Yves Garcia, who aped Bobby Short’s sophistication with two songs composed by Cole Porter, Short’s favorite. “Looking at You,” a 1929 Porter composition was nicely paired with “After You, Who?,” written for Fred Astaire in 1932 for The Gay Divorce. I also liked Aisha de Haas a good deal, who beautifully serenaded “The Nearness of You,” a Hoagy Carmichael/Ned Washington love song that was originally written for a never-produced film of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. How’s that for a piece of trivia?

A showstopping duet of unexpected delight came courtesy of the wonderful Jim Caruso, who sang “Ain’t Misbehavin’” to the accompaniment of his friend and ally Billy Stritch, as well as an appearance from Jonathan Arons on the trombone. A dancing trombonist, if you please (something I never thought or even heard of), and something you have to see with your own eyes. Funny, witty and supremely talented, he and Caruso had the audience in stitches and on their feet.

Jonathan Arons and Jim Caruso duet on “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

And it was kismet that an award was presented to Mark Nadler for his services to the cabaret community late in the evening. It gave him the eleven o’clock spot and this fantastic performer met the moment. In a display of extraordinary nimbleness of body, vocal inflection, and flat out star quality, he dazzled with Vernon Duke and Ira Gershwin’s “I Can’t Get Started” (first introduced by Bob Hope in The Ziegfeld Follies of 1936—another fun trivia fact). Not only was it hilarious, but it proved just how exciting old songs can be when pushed to their limits by a no-holds barred talent like Nadler. 

Ava Allen, Ava Nicole Frances, Christian Holder, Nicholas King, Diva LaMarr, David Raleigh, T. Oliver Reid, Steve Ross, Darnell White and NaTasha Yvette Williams also distinguished themselves in a night of great song and a celebration of Bobby Short’s 100th birthday. It was quite a party.

For information on the Mabel Mercer Foundation and future events, please visit: www.mabelmercer.org.

Photos by: Connor Weiss.

Headline Photo: The singers for “I’m In Love Again” with Bobby Short.”