My Weekend ... Plus!
Saturday through Tuesday
September 24 through September 27
September 24 through September 27
Saturday night I went to Don't Tell Mama's to see Sue Matsuki's People You Should Know / Let's Hear It for the Boys! Sue's guests were JP Schutz, Brian Walters and Sean McVerry plus poet David Bibbey. Sue opened the show with Bob Levy's All I Really Need Is You before introducing Brian Walters, who was also the musical director. Between hysterical banter with Sue, Brian sang a very funny parody, Blah, Blah, Blah, plus two ballads he wrote, Close To Mine and The Lullaby. Brian has a genuine stage presence. And coupled with his deep, warm voice, he should make quite an impact on the New York cabaret scene!
After singing Aware by English folk singer Zoe Lewis, Sue introduced JP (John Patrick) Schutz as "for the above 40". As she said, about Brian and Sean, "I have bras older than them". They are both in their very early 20's (20 and 21). In fact John had met Brian when 9 year old Brian came up to John after a concert and asked some very impressive musical questions. They are currently working together in a Frankie Valli and the 4 Season's revue, OH WHAT A NIGHT. John started his set with a ballad, Somewhere Around the Bend, from FIONA, a musical he wrote with Neil Berg. This was a bit of a departure from the comedic and parody type songs he's known for, but it showed that he's more then capable of handling, with great flare, a tender moment. He finished with two of his novelty numbers, Rushing Things a Bit, a complaint about retail Christmas starting well before Halloween, and his signature song, Titanic Parody, a take on TITANIC: THE MUSICAL written in the styles of various name composers. Sue then brought up David Bibbey, who entertained us with a whimsical poem about his wandering ways before his marriage to his lovely wife, Douglas. Sue then launched into Mary Liz McNamara's comical song, Haiku.
The last performer of the evening was Sean McVerry who performed three of his own songs, Brooklyn Birdge, Soviet Union and Dejeuner (French for lunch). Each song took on a different style, from a folkies vibe to a pop/Springsteen flavor, each in a strong, rich voice. This young man has a great musical future!
The evening closed with John and Sue, along with vocal help from Brian, sang moving ballad, Someone's Always Threre from FIONA. The song was inspired by a mother's reply to her young daughter about her missing father, which John overheard shortly after 9/11.
Sunday afternoon took me to Midtown for the annual Broadway Flea Market. It was smaller this year and only ran one block, 43th Street from Broadway to 8th Avenue. I walk the block twice, decide what 3 posters (the limit I gave myself) I would buy. I settled for a poster for LOOPED, an autographed one for THE LOOK OF LOVE, for my "flop" collection and an autographed poster of FOLLIES, one of the best musicals I've seen this season. I also bought one CD, Marcy and Zina: The Album because Marcy was on hand to autograph it. Before I headed home, I stopped at Junior's so I could bring home a piece of red velvet cake.
Tuesday night found me heading to Don't Tell Mama's again, after bumping into my friend Rob, who told me about two English singers he was going to see. LYRICAL LINGUISTS FROM LONDON: Ellen Verenieks and Frank Loman turned out to be a delightful English romp that starts with a duet of Dangerous Cabaret and then is followed solos that run from Brel and Sondheim to contemporaries such as Goldrich/Heisler and Buccchino, closing with two duets, Sondheim's Move On and a reprise of Dangerous Cabaret. My only complaint, when they sound so good together, they should have done one or two more duets. Many of the duet shows I've seen have had this same fault. Hopefully we'll see Ellen Verenieks and Frank Loman in New York some time soon!
For those who do not know, Don't Tell Mama's is a piano bar with two cabaret rooms and a more recently opened restaurant serving excellent "New American Cuisine". It is located at 343 West 46th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Phone: 212-757-0788 (after 4:00pm daily). I highly recommend the piano bar if one is looking for a place to hang after seeing a Broadway or Off-Broadway show and check out the cabaret schedule, too.
MJN On Line
Wednesday, September 27, 2011
After singing Aware by English folk singer Zoe Lewis, Sue introduced JP (John Patrick) Schutz as "for the above 40". As she said, about Brian and Sean, "I have bras older than them". They are both in their very early 20's (20 and 21). In fact John had met Brian when 9 year old Brian came up to John after a concert and asked some very impressive musical questions. They are currently working together in a Frankie Valli and the 4 Season's revue, OH WHAT A NIGHT. John started his set with a ballad, Somewhere Around the Bend, from FIONA, a musical he wrote with Neil Berg. This was a bit of a departure from the comedic and parody type songs he's known for, but it showed that he's more then capable of handling, with great flare, a tender moment. He finished with two of his novelty numbers, Rushing Things a Bit, a complaint about retail Christmas starting well before Halloween, and his signature song, Titanic Parody, a take on TITANIC: THE MUSICAL written in the styles of various name composers. Sue then brought up David Bibbey, who entertained us with a whimsical poem about his wandering ways before his marriage to his lovely wife, Douglas. Sue then launched into Mary Liz McNamara's comical song, Haiku.
The last performer of the evening was Sean McVerry who performed three of his own songs, Brooklyn Birdge, Soviet Union and Dejeuner (French for lunch). Each song took on a different style, from a folkies vibe to a pop/Springsteen flavor, each in a strong, rich voice. This young man has a great musical future!
The evening closed with John and Sue, along with vocal help from Brian, sang moving ballad, Someone's Always Threre from FIONA. The song was inspired by a mother's reply to her young daughter about her missing father, which John overheard shortly after 9/11.
Sunday afternoon took me to Midtown for the annual Broadway Flea Market. It was smaller this year and only ran one block, 43th Street from Broadway to 8th Avenue. I walk the block twice, decide what 3 posters (the limit I gave myself) I would buy. I settled for a poster for LOOPED, an autographed one for THE LOOK OF LOVE, for my "flop" collection and an autographed poster of FOLLIES, one of the best musicals I've seen this season. I also bought one CD, Marcy and Zina: The Album because Marcy was on hand to autograph it. Before I headed home, I stopped at Junior's so I could bring home a piece of red velvet cake.
Tuesday night found me heading to Don't Tell Mama's again, after bumping into my friend Rob, who told me about two English singers he was going to see. LYRICAL LINGUISTS FROM LONDON: Ellen Verenieks and Frank Loman turned out to be a delightful English romp that starts with a duet of Dangerous Cabaret and then is followed solos that run from Brel and Sondheim to contemporaries such as Goldrich/Heisler and Buccchino, closing with two duets, Sondheim's Move On and a reprise of Dangerous Cabaret. My only complaint, when they sound so good together, they should have done one or two more duets. Many of the duet shows I've seen have had this same fault. Hopefully we'll see Ellen Verenieks and Frank Loman in New York some time soon!
For those who do not know, Don't Tell Mama's is a piano bar with two cabaret rooms and a more recently opened restaurant serving excellent "New American Cuisine". It is located at 343 West 46th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Phone: 212-757-0788 (after 4:00pm daily). I highly recommend the piano bar if one is looking for a place to hang after seeing a Broadway or Off-Broadway show and check out the cabaret schedule, too.
MJN On Line
Wednesday, September 27, 2011
No comments:
Post a Comment