Stephen Hanks News

Cabaret performers and musicians and fans of the art form tend to refer to the people in this tight-knit niche as "the Cabaret Community." Well, that community is really coming together for one of its own with a benefit concert to raise funds for the extremely popular actor, director, and cabaret performer Erin Cronican, one of a very rare group of women in her 30s who is staging a fierce battle with breast cancer. The star-studded show, billed as Cabaret Beats Cancer and a call to arms to "Crush The Beast" is at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, 212-757-0788) on February 27 at 5 pm.

After performances that generated standing ovations from SRO crowds, and subsequently earned a 2015 BroadwayWorld.com New York Cabaret Award nomination for "Best Alt Cabaret Show," Raquel Cion is bringing Me & Mr. Jones: My Intimate Relationship with David Bowie back to The Slipper Room, the popular burlesque/variety club on New York's Lower East Side (167 Orchard Street), for a three-show run beginning Thursday, March 24 at 8 pm (with additional shows on April 21 and May 15, also 8 pm). Tickets are $15 General Admission; $25 for Reserved. www.slipperroom.com

This March, Feinstein's/54 Below, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. Scroll down for details!

There are milestones in everyone's life--events that are so strongly embedded in your memory that you can actually recall the date, the time, the place, and the feelings you had when they occurred. Events like a joyful marriage, the birth of a child, or the loss of a loved one all help to define us as human beings. For a woman you can add to that list a diagnosis of breast cancer. Erin Cronican, a young professional singer, director, writer, show business coach, and self professed “Actor and All-Around fun gal” is a beloved member of the New York theatrical and cabaret communities who is currently undergoing 28 radiation treatments (having previously completed three months of intense chemo therapy) for breast cancer.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

Jeff Macauley loves Dinah Shore. That's usually the case when a cabaret performer devotes an entire show to a star's body of work. But there's affection and admiration, and then there's all-encompassing passion and adoration that informs the performer's every note, lyric, and anecdote, and thereby imparts that love to us (whether or not we were previously fans). By that standard, MWAH! The Dinah Shore Show, Macauley's 1998 Backstage Bistro Award Winner for 'Outstanding Theme Show' (revived last Saturday night as part of Stephen Hanks' monthly New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits series at the Metropolitan Room--is one of the most successful shows of its kind I've seen.

When vocalist Todd Murray discovered several of the musicians for his excellent show Croon were unavailable for their scheduled Valentine's Day appearance last Sunday afternoon at the Metropolitan Room, he asked Sean Harkness (the guitarist in the show) to join him for a two-hander. The fortuitous accident yielded a terrific presentation of romantic material from sentimental to ardent, a pared down sharing of unadulterated heart and high musical craft that deserves wider audience. “It's our goal to put you in the mood,” Murray tells us. They do.

Cabaret performers and musicians and fans of the art form tend to refer to the people in this tight-knit niche as “the Cabaret Community.” Well, that community is really coming together for one of its own with a benefit concert to raise funds for the extremely popular actor, director, and cabaret performer Erin Cronican, one of a very rare group of women in her 30s who is staging a fierce battle with breast cancer. The star-studded show, billed as Cabaret Beats Cancer and a call to arms to “Crush The Beast” is at Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th Street, 212-757-0788) on February 27 at 5 pm.

Stephen Hanks' Cabaret Life Productions (with support from Associate Producer Fr Jeffrey Hamblin, MD) presents cabaret performing veteran JEFF MACAULEY for the February 2016 installment of the BroadwayWorld.com Award nominated NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS at the Metropolitan Room on February 13 at 7 pm.

Concert and cabaret performer LISA JASON--who has earned raved reviews for her singing from Provincetown to New York to the Caribbean--will make her debut at the celebrated “Broadway Supper Club” Feinstein's/54 Below on Friday, March 4, 2016 (9:30 pm) with her heartfelt Judy Garland Tribute Show called THE WISH. Featuring Manhattan Transfer Musical Director Yaron Gershovsky as Musical Director, Arranger, and Pianist--Lisa Jason celebrates the true essence and artistry of the legendary singer and movie star, not only through Garland's classic songs, but through her poignant poetry and revealing interviews and monologues, creating a new understanding of her timeless interpretations and her iconic persona.

After BroadwayWorld launched its New York Cabaret Awards in 2012, the cabaret section's editors realized that the selected categories and the popular vote nature of the election didn't adequately recognize some great performances and shows for that particular year. So in 2013, BWW added "Editor's Choice Awards" to the mix to not only reward special performances but also to acknowledge people who have helped grow cabaret and foster the spirit of the art form. This year, BWW New York Cabaret Editor Stephen Hanks and his reviewing staff-including Alix Cohen, David Clarke, Billie Roe, Rembert Block, and John Hoglund-selected seven stars of cabaret for this special honor. Now that the Awards for 2015 performances and shows are official, we wanted to tell you a bit about this year's "Editor's Choice Award" winners and offer them a chance to thank the New York cabaret community. Congratulations to all these worthy Award recipients.

She's been married and not. She's had serious relationships, flings, and romances with men of all ages (but mostly younger). She's experienced all the charms, foibles, and idiosyncrasies of the opposite sex--and loves them anyway. Actress and comedian Charlotte Patton brings all of that worldly wisdom to her sensual, provocative, and playful show . . . Celebrating Men (Bless Their Hearts) back to the Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) on February 20 at 7 pm. Patton's show is Directed by Award-winning cabaret performer Karen Oberlin with Music Direction by MAC Award winner Barry Levitt and Jon Burr on bass. Peter Napolitano contributes as Creative Consultant.

Karen Oberlin's original performance of Heart & Soul: The Songs of Frank Loesser in 2010 (Loesser's Centennial celebration year) at The Algonquin Hotel's legendary Oak Room earned her a MAC Award nomination for “Best Major Artist” (as well as an award for the Live CD) and sterling reviews. Hence, the show's inclusion in Producer Stephen Hanks' monthly Metropolitan Room series, New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits (which launched last August and runs through 2016). Oberlin's captivating performance Wednesday evening showcased not only her acknowledged prowess with plumy ballads, but also her flair for comedy and an aptitude that handles nuanced jazz with seamless transitions. The vocalist was joined by her original collaborators, Musical Director Jon Weber on piano and Sean Smith on bass, while the show was directed by the piece's original helmsman, Eric Michael Gillett.

Stephen Hanks' Cabaret Life Productions is proud to present cabaret performing veteran Jeff Macauley for the February 2016 installment of the BroadwayWorld.com Award-nominated NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS at the Metropolitan Room on February 13 at 7 pm. Macauley is bringing back his 1998 Backstage Bistro Award Winner for 'Outstanding Theme Show'--MWAH! THE DINAH SHORE SHOW-- during the month of the legendary singer and TV show host's 100th birthday.

On December 13, Meg Flather revived her 1993 solo show Portraits as part of Stephen Hanks' Metropolitan Room series NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS. Backed by Paul Greenwood on piano and John Mettam on drums, and with Lennie Watts on board as Director to tweak the former show, Meg mesmerized the Metropolitan Room audience with what has been hailed as a critically acclaimed performance, perhaps one of her best ever. Now Flather is bringing Portraits to Don't Tell Mama for three shows on Mondays--February 1, March 7 and April 4, all at 7 pm.

Urban Stages Founder and Artistic Director Frances Hill and Producer Peter Napolitano last night officially launched the 2015 'Winter Rhythms,' a 20-shows-in 11-days festival featuring more than 100 star cabaret performers and musicians. The opening night show was ANY WEDNESDAY SINGS AGAIN, an homage to the old cabaret series favorite, ANY WEDNESDAY, which was a popular CD release concert series from June 2005 (the first show featured Ann Hampton Callaway) to late 2011 and was staged at Tower Records and then Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Center. 

Stephen Hanks' Cabaret Life Productions and Associate Producer Fr. Jeffrey Hamblin, MD, are bringing back Karen Oberlin's 2010 Frank Loesser Tribute Show (with original Musical Director Jon Weber and bass player Sean Smith) as the first 2016 installment of the 'New York Cabaret's Greatest Hits' series at the Metropolitan Room on January 13 at 7 pm. 'I entered the cabaret world as a reviewer in late 2010 so I never saw this show,' says Hanks. 'I'm thrilled Karen Oberlin agreed to bring it back so those like me who didn't experience it will get a chance now.'

On Thanksgiving Day, BroadwayWorld announced the nominees in 14 categories for the 2015 BWW New York Cabaret Awards. BroadwayWorld's cabaret editors and reviewers congratulate all the deserving nominees and everyone who performs in the great art of cabaret in New York. But today, as you munch on the leftovers from last night's dinner, it's time to actually vote for that one performer who you think is the absolute best in each category. Voting ends on December 31 and after a review of the ballots, winners will be announced officially early the week of January 4, 2016. (Note: There will not be a BWW Awards Show this year.)

Happy Thanksgiving Day, Cabaret Fans! Here's some breaking news you can discuss and debate in between courses at tonight's dinner: It's the final nominees for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards. This year, the cabaret editors and writers at BWW have cited 116 nominees (including duos and variety show/recurring series producers) in 14 categories. In addition, this year six performers or musicians have been cited for special “Editor's Choice Awards,” led by veteran New York cabaret stars Karen Mason and Mark Nadler who have been named “Performers of the Year.”

After two years performing his highly praised show, It Was Me, honoring the songbook of famed lyricist Norman Gimbel at New York's Don't Tell Mama, Bistro Award-winning vocalist and BroadwayWorld.com 'Best Male Vocalist' nominee Jeff Macauley presented a new show this past spring at New York's Metropolitan Room. In Mr. Lucky: The Songs of Henry Mancini, Macauley celebrates the music of the iconic composer. Macauley's orchestra for Mr. Lucky is Award-winning Musical Director/pianist and arranger Tex Arnold, with Jon Burr on bass. Now Macauley is bringing Mr. Lucky to Don't Tell Mama on November 21 at 7 pm.