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The Musical Theater Project
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    • Mission
    • Leadership
    • For TMTP Members >
      • Celebrating You !
      • Curtain Call: Member Newsletter
      • Member Events
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  • Concerts
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  • School Programs
    • Kids Love Musicals! >
      • Distance Learning >
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TMTP's Blog

Life Is a Cabaret!

10/16/2020

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Every October Manhattan is usually bursting with song as the Mabel Mercer Foundation presents the annual Cabaret Convention. The artform specializing in live and intimate song interpretation certainly wasn't created with "social distancing" in mind, but nobody's gonna rain on this parade. For the first time ever, audiences around the world can enjoy a virtual version of the event jam packed with star power. You can register to attend one of many sessions at the link below. In the meantime, here are TMTP's selections for must-listen cabaret albums. 
REGISTER HERE FOR THE 1ST VIRTUAL CABARET CONVENTION
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"Part of my love for this album comes from the fact that I was there -- and had no idea it was being recorded in 1975! But mostly, as I've listened to and lived with the album through the decades, I am awed by the excellence and style of the King of Cabaret in songs ranging from Ellington and Strayhorn to Sondheim. Being right there for a Short performance (especially at his home, the Carlyle Hotel) was tantamount to a kind of religious experience. As much as I admire many contemporary cabaret artists, there's still no one else who can touch him."
​- Bill Rudman

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"While I've only listened to a few cabaret albums, my appreciation for Sara Zahn's Both Sides of Bernstein on TMTP's Harbinger Records label tells me I should listen to all of my colleagues' recommendations on this list! The journey her show invites the audience to take is subtle and powerful. Her artistry and rapport with the audience is crystal clear. I was blown away by her juxtaposition of Bernstein's "So Pretty" (protesting the Vietnam War) and "Take Care of This House" (From 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue). Sensational."
- Heather Meeker

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"What more can you say about Liza Minnelli! Growing up, she was one of my favorites to sing along with. Not many people can belt out a song like she can. My favorite selections on this album are the songs in the New York Medley. The finale of this medley is my personal favorite - "Theme from New York, New York". I used to sing with her on this song for a better part of my childhood while dreaming of seeing the big lights of Broadway. There is just something magical about the energy in her voice and you can hear it in each one of her songs."
​- Heidi Lang

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"This is a fabulous album. Benanti's voice is glorious in its own right, but her humor really shines in this live performance. Her stories and interactions with the audience are laugh out loud funny with moments of sincerity and true class. She creates a listening experience that makes you feel like you're there in person, which is not easy to accomplish. Plus her song selection is so eclectic with standards from the Great American Songbook, contemporary Broadway and even a tribute to her 'favorite folk pop rock soprano,' Joni Mitchell."
​-Joanna May Cullinan

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"One of my favorite actors and singers is Mandy Patinkin. I remember playing his self-titled album on a near endless loop as I soaked in his tender interpretation of classics such as "Over the Rainbow" and "I'll Be Seeing You" while marveling at his vocal gymnastics and over the top interpretations of both familiar - "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?" - and novel - "Coffee In A Cardboard Cup" - tunes. In addition to Bernadette, I believe that his interpretation of Sondheim is true genius. His covers of "Anyone Can Whistle" and "No One is Alone" do not disappoint."
- Jodi Maile Kirk
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"I love both Barbara Cook and the music of Stephen Sondheim, so this live recording of her Carnegie Hall cabaret-style concert is a real winner for me! It features classic Sondheim, plus some songs Sondheim wishes he had written (some of those by Harold Arlen and Irving Berlin). No one can deliver a ballad quite the way she can - a classic artist and a class act. From the time she was young, I have admired how she used her pure soprano in service of the lyric. And her version of Hugh Martin's "The Trolley Song" is irresistible!"
-Nancy Maier

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What's Bill Up To?

10/9/2020

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We’re thrilled when our participants tell us they have learned, laughed, cried and loved (our
slogan) at one of our events—but I must confess I’m just as happy when I learn something,
which happens all the time.

Example: Now available on our Let’s Go to the Movies series is my preview of the Fred Astaire film A Damsel in Distress (1937). We’ve provided the link to the film, and you can be part of our live-streamed Q&A on October 15.

I programmed it because it’s such a curiosity: Set in Britain, it’s the only musical film starring
Fred in which his leading lady, the 20-year-old Joan Fontaine (remember her from Hitchcock’s
Rebecca?), could neither sing nor dance! I’ll tell you what’s positively disarming, though: In
their dance routine for George and Ira Gershwin’s “Things Are Looking Up,” Fred generously
does everything in his power to make her look good.

And here’s what astonished me: the film, which I hadn’t seen in about 25 years, turns out to be a
delightful confection featuring the great comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen; the last
complete score by the Gershwin brothers before George’s untimely death of a brain tumor (their
score includes “A Foggy Day” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It”); and a screenplay co-written
by P.G. Woodhouse, the droll British humorist who created the “Jeeves” stories.

So give it a whirl…Will you cry? Probably not. But there’s a fair chance you’ll learn, laugh and
love. Not bad for a film that’s virtually forgotten today.

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    Author

    The Musical Theater Project's authors include Bill Rudman,  Heather Meeker and Joanna May Cullinan -  and guest writers from time to time!
    ​

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The Musical Theater Project
5755 Granger Road, Suite 830
Independence, OH 44131-1460
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Contact Us

office: 216-860-1518
box office: 216-860-1518, ext. 2
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email: ​info@musicaltheaterproject.org
  • About
    • Mission
    • Leadership
    • For TMTP Members >
      • Celebrating You !
      • Curtain Call: Member Newsletter
      • Member Events
      • Tell Us Your Peter Pan Story
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Auditions
    • Volunteer
  • Concerts
    • The Song Is You! Concert Series
    • Rendezvous Cabarets
    • On-Site Cabarets
    • Lecture-Demonstrations
  • School Programs
    • Kids Love Musicals! >
      • Distance Learning >
        • Unit 1: Cinderella
        • Unit 2: Jungle Book
        • Unit 3: The Wizard of Oz
        • Unit 4: Peter Pan
        • Unit 5: Charlie Brown
      • KLM Resources
      • Teacher Preparation
    • Two-Day Residency
    • Extended Residency - Special Needs Classrooms
    • Intergenerational Workshop
    • Meet Our Teaching Artists
    • Sponsorship
  • Radio Programs
    • Footlight Parade >
      • For Program Directors
    • On the Aisle
  • Recordings
    • About Harbinger Records
    • Recent Releases
    • Harbinger Playlists
    • News & Reviews
    • Catalog by Title
    • Catalog by Artist
  • Donate
    • Become a Contributing Member
    • TMTP Annual Report
    • Legacy Giving >
      • Legacy Gift Options
      • TMTP Organizational Fund
  • Resources
    • Bill's Picks
    • Diversity and the American Musical
    • Links & Books
    • Overture Newsletter
  • TMTP Online
    • Movies At Home
    • TMTP Playlists
    • KLM's Mid-Week Musical Pick Me Up
    • TMTP's Blog
  • Store