All cabaret, all the time

Tim Schall

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Lovers of the art of cabaret will find a lot to like in Grand Center this week as The Cabaret Project of St. Louis presents its second annual St. Louis Cabaret Festival.  Held in conjunction with the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, a five-day professional training seminar for cabaret singers from St. Louis and around the country, the festival features four nights of widely varied performances by local and national artists.  Both the conference and festival are spearheaded by St. Louis cabaret entrepreneur Tim Schall.

It all starts on Wednesday, July 31st, at 8 PM with Billy Stritch Sings Mel Tormé. A musician and singer with substantial theatre credits, Stritch is perhaps best known as Liza Minnelli’s go-to “one man band.” His show, says The Cabaret Project web site, "breathes new life into Torme’s beloved standards such 'Born To Be Blue' and 'A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square,' bringing an easy sense of humor and exciting showmanship to his performances."  In addition to his work with Minnelli,  Stritch has performed and recorded with Tony winners Christine Ebersole and Linda Lavin.  He has recorded multiple CD’s, including several solo efforts.  The show takes place at at The Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Blvd.

Thursday, August 1st, at 8 PM brings a double bill of two powerhouse performers: Marilyn Maye and Jason Graae.  A cabaret legend who  appeared a record number of 76 times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Maye has been packing them in at Carnegie Hall, New York’s 54 Below, Feinstein’s, Birdland, and in clubs and concert venues throughout the country.  Reviewing her appearance here in 2007, I praised her "immediate and honest communication with the audience." "Maye’s boundless energy and obvious delight in her material," I wrote, "in combination with her cheerful, off-the-cuff repartee, establish an immediate bond with those of us on the other side of the spotlight."

Graae, meanwhile, is a stunningly talented singer/actor with enough energy to illuminate an entire city.  Reviewing his appearance here with Liz Callaway back in 2005, I wrote that "Graae’s comic timing is brilliant and his imagination protean." His range is wide, easily shifting from comedy to pathos, and he even plays the oboe.  For his appearance here, Graae will be performing Perfect Hermany.  It's his tribute to Broadway master Jerry Herman, whose hits include Hello Dolly, La Cage Aux Folles, and Mame.

The Marilyn May/Jason Graae double bill starts at 8 PM on Thursday at the Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington.

Friday, August 2nd, at 8 PM it's an evening with singer/songwriter John Bucchino at The Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Blvd.  A prolific composer for stage and screen, Bucchino has had his songs recorded by artists as diverse as as Art Garfunkel, Judy Collins, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Cook, Kristen Chenoweth, and Michael Feinstein. His theater and film scores include include Broadway’s A Catered Affair (winner of the Drama League Award for Best Musical, with a book by Harvey Fierstein), the Dreamworks animated film Joseph, King of Dreams, and lyrics for the children’s musical Simeon’s Gift (with a book by Julie Andrews).

The St. Louis Cabaret Festival concludes on Sunday, August 4th, at 7 PM with the St. Louis Cabaret Conference Showcase at The Bistro at Grand Center, 3536 Washington Blvd. After five days of working on their craft, each one of the Conference’s 30 singers (including yours truly) takes the stage in a solo turn for this culminating event.  The evening is directed by Marilyn Maye, Jason Graae, and Tim Schall with musical direction by Billy Stritch, John Bucchino, John Randall.

For more information, visit thecabaretproject.org.  Tickets for all events are available via MetroTix.  You can also hear an interview with Jason Graae on the Break a Leg podcast at 88.1 KDHX as well as a conversation with festival producer Tim Schall, Marilyn Maye, and Billy Stritch on St. Louis Public Radio.

The St. Louis Cabaret Conference and Festival are just two reasons why St. Louis is now regarded as a serious cabaret city.  Come one down to Grand Center this week and find out why.