By Andrew Poretz . . .

On October 21, the 36th annual Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention opened at the Frederick P. Lowe Rose Room (Jazz at Lincoln Center) on with The Best Is Yet to Come: A Celebration of Cy Coleman. Hosted by Jeff Harnar & Andrea Marcovicci, the evening saw some of the best and brightest performers in cabaret under one roof.

The A-list house band of bassist Steve Doyle and drummer Ron Tierno played for most of the performers, except where indicated. All songs were composed by Cy Coleman; the lyricists are in parentheses.

The always exciting and sizzling Carole J Bufford, in a hot red flapper dress, dazzled with a terrific opening number even before the hosts’ appearance, with “Hey Big Spender” (Dorothy Fields), accompanied by pianist Ian Herman. Imagine a more fabulous version of a young Shirley MacLaine and you’ll get the idea.

Hosts Harnar and Marcovicci, resplendent in tuxedo and gown, dueted on a medley of “Doodlin’ Song” and “Some Kind of Music,” with Coleman’s own lyrics. This was the song Coleman would always sing at party. Nicolas Perez accompanied on piano, with particularly excellent voicings.

The popular young throwback performer Bryce Edwards, banjo and Songophone kazoo in hand, was stellar with “Hey There Good Times” (Michael Steward), along with pianist Jon Weber, who seemed to use four hands for his stride solo.

Celebrated bon vivant married couple Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano performed a marvelous segment, all with Carolyn Leigh lyrics. They dueted on a marvelous arrangement of “When in Rome.” Fasano sang the rather obscure and beautiful “I Wanna Be Yours,” cut from Little Me. With just Comstock’s deft accompaniment and Fasano’s superb vocal, it was a show highlight. 

Richard Skipper made his long-awaited Cabaret Convention debut with a sparkling “It’s Not Where You Start,” dedicated to Tommy Tune, and backed by pianist Michael McAssey.

The handsome, silken-voiced Craig Rubano wowed with “The Other Side of the Tracks,” with his longtime accompanist Beth Ertz.

Grammy-winning pianist, singer and songwriter Nicole Zuraitis performed “I Walk A Little Faster” accompanying herself on piano. Her spectacular vocal and gorgeous playing supported her intense and spiritual arrangement, taking the entire piece to a new level.

The impossibly handsome Jonathan Karrant has a voice that is dripping with sex appeal. His take on “Why Try to Change Me Now” (Joseph McCarthy) displayed a masterful interpretation, backed by pianist Jon Weber.

Eden Casteel is a comedic performer with a gorgeous, classically trained voice and excellent comic timing. Combining performance art and traditional performance, she came to the piano wearing a hooded green costume, and played and sang an unrelated classical piece while Harnar, from offstage, “argued” with her over her agreed number. Finally, Casteel stood up, removed her costume to reveal a beautiful white dress, and performed a wild “Veronique,” accompanied by pianist Nicolas Perez.

Crooner Frank Dain made a fine Convention debut with a lovely “Come Summer” (Leigh). Jazz pianist Kathleen Landis cleverly used the opening vamp of “The Best is Yet to Come” to open the song.

Carolyn Montgomery, also debuting, sang “The Rules of the Road” (Leigh), with Jon Weber (piano), Warren Vaché (trumpet) and Jonathan Kantor (sax).

Karen Akers performed “The Colors of My Life,” cut from Barnum, accompanied by Alex Rybeck. The song showed another side of Barnum, and Akers’ emotional connection to this material was palpable.

Before the final song of the first act, the hosts honored the late, great Danny Bacher, whose parents and brother were honored guests, with a moving tribute. (Bacher passed away in late 2024.)

“Show Broad” Marta Sanders closed out the first act with “Here’s to Us” (Leigh) complete with a big finish, accompanied by Nicolas Perez.

The second act opened with Ari Axelrod, who let his hair grow in for a show. He was magical on “You There In The Back Row” (Barbara Fried), with pianist Larry Yurman.

The hosts read a sweet note from Coleman’s widow, Shelby Coleman, and in a clever device, organized much of the second act into tributes to two Coleman Broadway musicals, starting with City of Angels (David Zippel). A vocalized, very “Manhattan Transferesque” overture was performed by the Angel City 4 (original cast members Amy London, Peter Davis and Steve Weisbart, along with his daughter Rachel). Yaron Gershovsky and trumpeter Ron Horton accompanied them. Gershovsky, the pianist and arranger for Manhattan Transfer for decades. was credited with creating the amazing four-part harmonies. –

Towering, big-voiced beauty Leanne Borghesi, fabulous in all pink, tore the roof down with “You Can Always Count on Me,” the kind of number you’d see in a Warner Bros. cartoon like “Red Hot Riding Hood” – all that was missing was an oversexed wolf with his eyes telescoping out. Pianist Perez accompanied with Jim Piela on clarinet.

Anne Kittredge made a dramatic entrance, her green gown sweeping the stage. Accompanied by Christopher Denny, she sang a heart-wrenching “With Every Breath I Take.”

Broadway and cabaret legend Lee Roy Reams told a delicious story related to Sweet Charity, with delicious name dropping. He was in great voice for an energetic medley of songs from the show, accompanied by Alex Rybeck. He even danced a bit, looking limber and fit. He was surprised and moved to receive the well-deserved Mabel Mercer Award.

To open a “Sweet Charity Suite,” Karen Mack made a swell solo Convention debut with “Baby, Dream Your Dream” with pianist Michael McAssey, then introduced the other members of her harmony singing group Those Girls (Eve Easton, Rachel Hanser, Wendy Russell) for a madrigal arrangement of “The Rhythm of Life” with intricate harmonies and contrapuntal singing. Pianist Steven Ray Watkins accompanied.

Broadway and musical comedy great Tovah Feldshuh thrilled with the funny “Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10,” a number cut from the show but later given to her by Coleman. It was her go-to audition song for many years. Pianist James Bassi accompanied.

Donna McKechnie was fantastic on “Where Am I Going?” with Ian Herman. She magically took on the character as she introduced the piece. McKechnie also told a marvelous story about Coleman and Fields working together.

Jeff Harnar, with the help of a brilliant arrangement by Rybeck, completely reinvented “Witchcraft” (Leigh), and included the rarely sung verse. It was slow, spooky and sensual. Harnar surprised with a falsetto that was nearly countertenor, and somewhat otherworldly.

The hosts performed several more songs before Ann Hampton Callaway closed out the show with a spectacular “The Best Is Yet to Come” (Leigh) with Jon Weber on piano.

Photos: Richard Termine