Billy Stritch and Marilyn Maye double your pleasure at the St. Louis Cabaret Festival

When does a three-hour cabaret evening feel too short? Why, when it stars Billy Stritch and Marilyn Maye, of course.

Billy Stritch at Birdland

As part of the St. Louis Cabaret Festival, The Cabaret Project—a non-profit dedicated to promoting, developing, and sustaining cabaret in St. Louis—presented a dynamite double bill on Friday, August 1st: Mr. Stritch's Cy Coleman tribute and Ms. Maye's high-energy tribute to life, love, and sad saloon songs.

Full disclosure: I'm a member of the board of The Cabaret Project. With an evening of this quality, though, that's pretty much beside the point.

Mr. Stritch calls his show "I've Got Your Number: the Jazz of Cy Coleman," and, in fact, his set list relied as heavily on Coleman's stand-alone songs as it did on numbers from his Broadway shows. Examples of the former included "Witchcraft" and the ballad "It Amazes Me" (which Mr. Stritch singled out as one of his favorites). From the Broadway stage, we had familiar hits like "The Other Side of the Tracks" and "I've Got Your Number" (both from "Little Me"), as well as obscure goodies like "I'm Watching You" from "Nothing But the Truth," a show that died aborning. The songs Coleman wrote to lyrics by Carolyn Leigh—regarded by many as his best creative partner—were heavily favored.

It was a nicely balanced show, and performed in the dynamic, breezy, jazzy style that has made Mr. Stritch one of the most admired singer/songwriters on the cabaret and jazz scenes. He's also an impressive pianist, throwing off complex jazz riffs with deceptive ease and trading licks with drummer Jim Eklof and bassist Gerald Spaits, who backed up both him and Ms. Maye. They've both played with Mr. Stritch and Ms. Maye for many years, as their easy camaraderie made apparent.

It was, in short, a tribute to one of America's most versatile songwriters that was as entertaining as it was educational.

After intermission, the stage and the audience belonged entirely to cabaret and supper club legend Marilyn Maye who, at the ripe young age of 86, can still tell a joke, belt the blues, and croon a ballad with the best of them—all with a charm and energy that would be the envy of someone half her age.

From the moment she hit the stage—with an ingenious medley of "Rainbow" songs—until she exited almost ninety minutes later with an exuberant reading of Jerry Herman’s “It’s Today” (apparently her signature encore these days), Ms. Maye had the crowd at the Sheldon in the palm of her hand. As I noted in my review of her 2007 appearance at the now-defunct Cabaret at Savor, her boundless energy and obvious delight in her material, in combination with her cheerful, off-the-cuff repartee, inevitably establish an immediate bond with those of us on the other side of the spotlight.

Elaborate and intelligently assembled medleys seem to be the backbone of Ms. Maye's act these days. She and Mr. Stritch, her long-time music director, put together some doozies for this show, including a nine-song set based on the weepy ballads that, according to Ms. Maye, are typical of what you get when you open a show up for requests. Starting with Barry Manilow's "Paradise Café" and winding up with Arlen and Mercer's world-weary classic "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)," it was a bravura survey of some of the most notable "alcohol and lost love" songs from the Great American Songbook.

Mr. Stritch did the keyboard honors and joined Ms. Maye on some powerful jazz vocals. At one point Ted Firth (Ms. Maye's "other" music director) took over at the keyboard for a number that wound up with him and Mr. Stritch playing four-handed piano, to the delight of the audience.

For jazz and cabaret lovers, it just doesn't get much better than that.

The St. Louis Cabaret Festival concluded on Saturday, August 2nd, with a showcase the featuring 32 singers from the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, a professional training program that runs concurrently with the festival. For more information on The Cabaret Project, visit the web site.

Chuck's Choices for the weekend of August 1, 2014

As always, the choices are purely my personal opinion. Take with a grain (or a shaker) of salt.

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New this week:

The Cabaret Project presents A Cabaret Double Header with singer and pianist Billy Stritch performing I've Got Your Number: the Jazz of Cy Coleman, followed by An Evening with Marilyn Maye with Stritch on piano on Friday, August 1, 8 PM as part of The St. Louis Cabaret Festival. "Stritch is one of the premier singer-pianists on the New York jazz and cabaret scene, a Grammy winning songwriter and Broadway vet.. In this brand new show, that recently played New York's Birdland as well as London (four stars in The London Times!). Billy explores the pop/jazz side of the legendary songwriter Cy Coleman...Marilyn's great career highlights include a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist, 76 appearances on The Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson, Billboard hits, countless club/concert appearances and leading theatrical roles. Her recording of 'Too Late Now' is enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum's Best Performers of the Best Compositions of the 20th Century collection alongside works by Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland." The performance takes place in the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

My take: This is a pair of high-energy, dynamite performers. Mr. Stritch has a breezy, jazzy style that should be a perfect match of Broadway veteran Coleman's music. Ms. Maye is simply a force of nature, an authentic living legend of the cabaret stage.

The Cabaret Project presents Faith Prince with Alex Rybeck on piano in Have a Little Faith on Wednesday, July 30, 8 PM as part of The St. Louis Cabaret Festival. "Prince has been dazzling Broadway audiences since winning the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her performance as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, opposite Nathan Lane. She counts 3 additional Tony nominations and 11 other Broadway shows to her credit, including a starring role in this past year's Broadway revival of Annie. Faith's career has included roles in films and television and she has sung with major orchestras throughout the U.S. Her solo cabaret shows have played in New York at 54 Below and Joe's Pub, among other venues. Her recent 2013 performance at The Royal Room in Palm Beach, Florida resulted in the live CD Total Faith and her award-winning performance, A Leap Of Faith, was recorded at Joe's Pub and available on DRG records. Faith takes the stage in her solo St. Louis cabaret debut singing songs from her career as well as from her heart." The performance takes place in the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

My take: Ms. Prince is a major Broadway talent and Mr. Rybeck is one of the more in-demand music directors in the Big Apple. Expect big entertainment when you put them together.

The St. Louis Cabaret Conference presents the St. Louis Cabaret Conference Showcase on Saturday, August 2, at 7 PM. "30 singers from around the country take to the stage in a celebration of their work. This culmination of the 5 day St. Louis Cabaret Conference has become an annual go-to showcase for cabaret lovers in the Lou! Join us in celebrating 30 new faces of cabaret! Directed by Mailryn Maye, Faith Prince, Tim Schall. Music Direction by Billy Stritch, Tedd Firth, Alex Rybeck." The performance takes place at the Kranzberg Center, 501 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlouiscabaretconference.com.

My take: I have taken the Cabaret Conference several times in the past, so I know the level of talent involved as well as the amount of care taken in assembling the final showcase. It's always a wonderfully balanced, expertly directed evening featuring talent from around the country as well as from St. Louis.

Soprano Lucy Sauter
(Blance in Streetcar)

Union Avenue Opera presents Andre Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire, based on the play by Tennessee Williams, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM, August 1 - 9. Performances take place at the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union at Enright in the Central West End. The opera is sung in English with projected English text. For more information, visit unionavenueopera.org or call 314-361-2881.

My take: I won't have an opportunity to see this until next Friday, but I'm putting it in here simply because it's the local premiere of a major work by an American compose noted equally for his work in the jazz and classical worlds. I can't think of a more appropriate person to set Williams's classic to music. "Mr. Previn has a fine ear for voices," wrote New York Times critic Bernard Holland of the work's 1998 premiere. "He knows how to flatter and coax it and send it gracefully from one musical episode to the next.....one had the impression that Mr. Previn had been writing for the musical theater all his life."

The Cabaret Project presents The Streisand Songbook with Ann Hampton Callaway on Thursday, July 31, 8 PM as part of The St. Louis Cabaret Festival. "Platinum award-winning singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway celebrates the music of one of America's most powerful and enduring musical artists: Barbra Streisand. Singing timeless classics from five decades of the celebrated diva's career, Callaway crafts a loving musical portrait of Streisand, the musical icon for whom Callaway has written several personally tailored songs. A Tony-nominated actress (Broadway's Swing!) and multiple award winning singer, Callaway puts a unique pop/jazz spin on unforgettable Streisand classics from Barbra's Broadway years, through her film and pop hits. " The performance takes place in the Sheldon Concert Hall. For more information: thecabaretproject.org.

My take: Ms. Callaway is no stranger to St. Louis audiences, having made numerous appearances at the Sheldon and the Jazz Bistro. She has a voice that is spectacularly flexible, equally at home in jazz, Broadway, and cabaret.

Held Over:

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical Always..Patsy Cline through August 31. "Jacqueline Petroccia and Zoe Vonder Haar star in the return engagement of the show critics called 'exceptional, must see entertainment.' The touching and true story of Country music legend Patsy Cline and her friendship with Texas housewife Louise Seger returns to STAGES this spring. Combining down home country humor, heartache and 27 of Patsy Cline's unforgettable hits such as 'Crazy,' 'Walkin' After Midnight,' and 'Sweet Dreams,' Always... Patsy Cline endures as a piece of genuine Americana." Performances take place at The Playhouse at Westport Plaza. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

My take: Call this a qualified recommendation. If you're a lover of Patsy Cline or country music in general, I think you'll have a great time at this show, which is really more of a celebrity impersonation review than a book musical per se. Jacqueline Petroccia captures Cline's voice and manner so accurately it's eerie and Zoe Vonder Haar is a hoot and a half as Louise Seger, the real-life Houston fan who became a close friends and correspondent of Cline. With over two dozen Patsy Cline hits performed to perfection by Ms. Petroccia and a six-piece band, the show is a real feast for fans. See my KDHX review for more information.

Photo: Peter Wochniak

Stages St. Louis presents the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying through August 17. "Big business means big laughs in this delightfully clever lampoon of life on the corporate ladder. A tune-filled comic gem that took Broadway by storm winning both the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize, How to Succeed...boasts an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser including “I Believe in You,” “Brotherhood of Man,” and “The Company Way.” Bustling with humor, romance and song, this swingin' 60s send-up of Madison Avenue charts the spectacular rise (in record time!) of an ambitious young window washer to VP of Advertising!" Performances take place in the Robert G. Reim Theatre at the Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer Road in Kirkwood. For more information, visit stagesstlouis.org or call 314-821-2407.

My take: It's a sad commentary on the state of the nation that the cheerfully cynical satire of the mendacity, mediocrity, and Machiavellian backstabbing of corporate America that makes up the book of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" is as relevant now as it was when the show opened back in 1961. The Stages production is, as I write in my review for KDHX, a big, bright, hilarious technicolor cartoon that keeps the action firmly in the "Mad Men" era, so its sexism feels funny rather than creepy. The cast is wonderful, headed by Ben Nordstrom as perhaps the ideal J. Pierrepont Finch.

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.