The 30th Annual New York Cabaret Convention, presented by The Mabel Mercer Foundation, is held October 28–31 at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. All concerts begin at 6 PM.
The 2019 Cabaret Convention kicks off October 28 with The Sunny Side of the Street: Celebrating Dorothy Fields & Great Women Songwriters. Hosted by Deborah Grace Winer with musical direction by Mark Hummel, the evening features Karrin Allyson, Christine Andreas, Debby Boone, Darius de Haas, La Tanya Hall, Nicolas King, Jay Leonhart, James Naughton, Linda Purl, Margo Seibert, Stacy Sullivan, and Tom Wopat as well as the presentation of the Donald F. Smith Award.
Jeff Harnar and Andrea Marcovicci will host the October 29 tribute to Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying composer-lyricist Frank Loesser. Heart and Soul, featuring music direction by Alex Rybeck, will include performances by Karen Akers, Danny Bacher, Anna Bergman, Barbara Brussell, Liz Callaway, Eric Comstock, Sally Darling, Joshua Lance Dixon, Barbara Fasano, Tovah Feldshuh, Marilyn Maye, Marissa Mulder, Mark Nadler, Karen Oberlin, Steve Ross, David Sabella, Marta Sanders, Tim Schall, Jane Scheckter, Lisa Viggiano, and Lennie Watts.
The October 30 tribute to the late star of stage and screen, Judy Garland, will be hosted by Klea Blackhurst and John Fricke with music direction by Jon Weber. Judy! A Garland of Song will also feature performances by Stephanie Blythe, Leanne Borghesi, Carole J. Bufford, Nathan Chang, Natalie Douglas, Karen Mason, Sidney Myer, Anthony Nunziata, Will Nunziata, Hannah Jane Peterson, Ruby Rakos, Jennifer Sheehan, and Billy Stritch as well as the presentation of The Julie Wilson Award.
The convention will conclude October 31 with an evening titled Thanks for the Memory: Celebrating 30 Years of Cabaret Conventions, hosted by KT Sullivan, artistic director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation, with music direction by Jon Weber. Performers include Aaron Lee Battle, Celia Berk, Margo Brown, Tim Connell, Spencer Day, Shana Farr, Eric Yves Garcia, Sean Harkness, Christian Holder, Lina Koutrakos, Allora Leonard, Beckie Menzie, Tom Michael, Susie Mosher, Todd Murray, Gretchen Reinhagen, Anais Reno, Josephine Sanges, Marcus Simeone, Avery Sommers, Sandy Stewart, Mark William, and Amra-Faye Wright. The Mabel Mercer Award will be presented to Sandy Stewart that evening.
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Sullivan said in an earlier statement, “As founder of this organization, Donald Smith ceaselessly championed what he knew to be the ‘fragile world of cabaret.’ He would be delighted that we’re stronger than ever, three decades later, and fulfilling our charter in both necessary and new approaches to the entertainment. This year’s performers range in age and experience from the incomparable, 91-year-old Marilyn Maye to Anais Reno, who—at 15—won our Adela & Larry Elow American Songbook High School Competition Award just a few months ago. Vocalists are coming in from Chicago, Palm Beach, Colorado, and London to participate in the concerts, and we have 15 singers making their Cabaret Convention debuts in 2019.”
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Callaway, Mason, and more have been special guest performers on on Playbill Travel’s Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Cabins are now on sale for Broadway in the Great Northwest, Playbill Travel’s first domestic cruise featuring Kate Baldwin, Tedd Firth, Aaron Lazar, and Faith Prince (April 26–May 4, 2020), and for Broadway on the Mediterranean (August 31–September 7, 2020), featuring Audra McDonald, Will Swenson, Gavin Creel, Caissie Levy and Lindsay Mendez, and for Broadway on the Nile (December 27, 2020–January 7, 2021), with performers soon to be announced. To book a suite or stateroom, call Playbill Travel at 866-455-6789 or visit PlaybillTravel.com.
(Updated October 28, 2019)
