Playbill
The annual celebration of New York City nightlife, featuring Amra-Faye Wright, Bruce Vilanch, and more, will be held October 16–19
BY ANDREW GANS
AUG 16, 2017
Details have been announced for the annual Cabaret Convention, which will feature more than 60 performers. Presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation, the celebration of New York nightlife will be seen October 16-19 at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The gala opening will be followed by evenings that pay tribute to George Gershwin; Hoagy Carmichael, and Richard Whiting as well as the “golden age” of Manhattan’s supper clubs, boites, bistros, and piano bars. Show time each night is 6 PM.
KT Sullivan, artistic director of the Foundation, said in a statement, “Whatever we do, we take pride in assembling an amalgam of songs and styles. Our 2017 performers range from teenagers to senior citizens, and as ever, we have at least ten people on the roster who are brand new to the Cabaret Convention. It’s a feature of our charter that we introduce our audiences to entertainers they might well not have already seen or heard – and we love doing that.”
The current lineup follows:
October 16: Gala Opening Night, hosted by KT Sullivan and with Corinna Sowers Adler, Danny Bacher, Brent Barrett, Carole J. Bufford, Joshua Lance Dixon, Tommy J. Dose, Greg Gropper, Luba Mason, Marilyn Maye, Amanda McBroom, Tanya Moberly, Karen Oberlin, Lyric Peterson, Vivian Reed, Adam Shapiro, and Jacob Storms. Presentation of The Donald F. Smith Award, underwritten by Adela & Larry Elow. Presentation of The Mabel Mercer Award to Vivian Reed.
October 17: S’Wonderful: The Music of George Gershwin, hosted by Jeff Harnar and Andrea Marcovicci. With Karen Akers, Anna Bergman, Celia Berk, Eric Comstock, Barbara Fasano, Dominic Ferris, Shauna Hicks, Clint Holmes, Nicolas King, Stearns Matthews, Martin Milnes, Marissa Mulder, Mark Nadler, T. Oliver Reid, Steve Ross, Jennifer Sheehan, Deborah Silver, Gabrielle Stravelli, Jon Weber, and Aaron Weinstein.
October 18: Intimate Nights: The Golden Age of Cabaret, hosted by James Gavin. With Joanne Beretta, Barbara Brussell, Charles Busch, Charles Cochran, Natalie Douglas, Laura Kenyon, Carol Lipnik, Maude Maggart, Nellie McKay, Sidney Myer, Molly Pope, Ricky Ritzel, Spider Saloff, Bruce Vilanch, and Ronny Whyte. (This evening is dedicated to Barbara Carroll, “The First Lady of the American Keyboard.”)
October 19: Too Marvelous for Words/Stardust: The Music of Hoagy Carmichael & Richard Whiting, hosted by Klea Blackhurst. With Matt Baker, Joie Bianco, Shana Farr, Liam Forde, Eric Yves Garcia, Gregory Generet, Valerie Lemon, Kristoffer Lowe, Tammy McCann, Todd Murray, Josephine Sanges, Stacy Sullivan, Carol Woods, and Amra-Faye Wright. Presentation of The Margaret Whiting Award, underwritten by My Ideal Music. Presentation of The Julie Wilson Award, underwritten by Linda and Peter Hanson.
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall is located at Broadway and 60th Street. Presale advance tickets are now available only through The Mabel Mercer Foundation by calling (212) 980-3026, faxing (212) 980-3049, or emailing info@mabelmercer.org. Prices are $100, $50, and $25, and Premium Patron Seating is also available at $500 ($350 of which is tax-deductible).
Beginning September 5, remaining tickets will be available for sale only through Jazz at Lincoln Center by visiting JALC.org or their box office.
