The Sweetest Sounds

The view from our balcony performance space

It was, as you may recall, the Red Queen who – in Through the Looking Glass – noted that “it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place”. It's a “slow sort of country” that runs otherwise, she opined.

Put me down for a slow sort of country, if you please. Lately just falling slightly behind has got me winded; Her Rosy Highness would have lapped me several times although, of course, she'd probably be moving backwards. I'd be tempted to think I'm moving backwards too if a daily look in the mirror didn't confirm that time does, in fact, march on.

All of which is a convoluted way of explaining why I haven't updated this blog in so long. Real life gets in the way of blogging (which is one reason for approaching blogs with caution).

There is, for example, the fact that I'm presenting a return engagement of my critically-acclaimed cabaret show Just a Song at Twilight – the Golden Age of Vaudeville this Saturday, July 24th, at 8 PM in the cool confines of the Kranzberg Arts Center. I'm running the show pretty much every night to keep it sharp and to correct things that I didn't like the first time around. I've also been doing my utmost to promote it – trying to cross the intersection of Art and Commerce without getting nailed by a distracted driver, so to speak. Get yer red-hot tickets at licketytix.com, at 314-725-4200 ext. 10 or at the door.

And then there's the new cabaret series for which I'm service as MC/director/talent wrangler. It's called Cabaret at the Café, the café in question being Café Cioccolato at 816 Olive here in downtown St. Louis. The space is a combination bar, chocolate show and art gallery with an intimate balcony performing space at the back. Very classy. This is, as far as I know, the first downtown cabaret series in town and if our first show on July 17th was any indication, it's going to be a hit.

We had a powerhouse sextet of performers: Debbie Schuster, Robert Breig, Ken Haller, Katie McGrath, Anna Blair and Jeff Wright. Carol Schmidt was our music director and backup vocalist, a role I'm hoping she'll be able to play for the series as a whole. Our next show is on Friday, September 10th, with future shows planned for October and December – possibly a Christmas-themed show for that one.

This is all very exciting, so even if I am running to stay in place, it seems worth it. St. Louis, as I have noted earlier, is exploding with cabaret talent these days. As with the local theatre scene, there are too many fine performers chasing too few spaces. The addition of Café Cioccolato to the list comes not a moment too soon.

More to come.