Cabarabia: Clifford Bell and Friends, Michael Feinstein, Michael Kirk Lane...and MORE!

I have decided to stick with love because hate is too great a burden to bear - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy August 17th, 2019!
August 17 is the 229th day of the year. 136 days remain until the end of the year.

Happy Birthday, Georgia Gibbs!
Happy Birthday, Maureen O'Hara!

Due to writing a show and LIFE, it has been a while since I sat down to write, but I felt a need to write about today's topic: Cabarabia: Clifford Bell and Friends. I've done several blogs over the years on Clifford's annual celebration of all things Barbra Streisand.
From the Producer of "OUR NAME IS BARBRA", now in our 22nd year!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 at 7:30pm

"CABARABIA: CLIFFORD BELL AND FRIENDS"

Acclaimed Cabaret Producer/Director Clifford Bell hosts of an evening of his talented friends.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 - Rockwell Table  and Stage

CABARABIA: CLIFFORD BELL AND FRIENDS
Featuring (live always subject to change)
alphabetically

CATTE ADAMS & MARC HUGENBERGER
EILEEN BARNETT
BLACK MARKET REVERIE
MARY BOGUE
ARTIE BUTLER
CHERYL CRANDALL
KIKI EBSEN
ILENE GRAFF & BEN LANZARONE
and more TBA!!

Musical Directors DAVID SCOTT COHEN, MICHAEL COLLUM and MITCH KAPLAN on piano,

KIRSH on bass, TOM BOWE on drums and JULIE SAX on sax!!!!
FOR TICKETS, Click HERE
Wish I could be there! Please GO! and leave a comment on this blog with your thoughts!

I saw this quote today and wanted to share it with you: Early in life, we follow the path mapped out by ego, a path of ambition, competition, and striving. When midlife dawns, we too often find ourselves stranded in a lonely and desolate place we never intended to visit. 

Our feelings of sadness and frustration tell us we took a wrong turn. Like a shift in the wind or a change in the tide, the yearning we feel at midlife is a call to renewal. The shift shows us the path home, the path to rediscovering our true self, our purpose, and the life of meaning that is our true calling.-Wayne Dyer 

In other News...

Liz Lark Brown

Five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein returns for his annual summertime engagement with a brand-new show of musical delights! In I Happen to Like New York, Feinstein will tip his hat in celebration of the great city of Manhattan with a special tribute to Bobby Short.
54 Below, Saturday, August 17th – Friday, August 23rd shows at 7pm nightly.

Three time MAC nominee and 2018 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Award Winner for Best Show, Michael Kirk Lane's Why? Just because! at Don't Tell Mama, Monday, August 19th at 7:00pm

Max Von Essen, Call Me Old Fashioned: The Broadway Standard, Plays at Birdland, Monday, August 19th
Tony Award nominated leading man, Max von Essen, will celebrate the release of his debut solo recording, Call Me Old Fashioned: The Broadway Standard, (LML Music), with one show at Birdand on Monday, August 19th at 7pm. Call Me Old Fashioned: The Broadway Standard embraces von Essen’s love of the golden age of Broadway and the American Songbook.

MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs), Bistro and Nightlife Award winning singer Liz Lark Brown is one of the featured guests joining piano bar entertainer and Host of Piano Bar Live, Michael McAssey tomorrow night Sunday Aug. 18th at 6:30pm at The Duplex.  I'm also part of this! 

Liz Lark Brown is a NYC-based actor/singer/voiceover artist. As a founding member of The Musical Theatre Factory, she is fortunate to have been a part of many new works by up-and-coming, award-winning composers. Liz is a longtime member of Joe Iconis & Family, and is so thankful to have a whole other family in the many wonderful and amazingly talented folks she’s worked with for years in piano bars (Don’t Tell Mama, Rose’s Turn, the Encore, Rubyfruit’s, and most recently, Brandy’s).

The other featured guests are Broadway star Karen Mason, pianist Mark Hartman and Broadway's

Gabrielle Elisabeth (Beautiful).
There is NO COVER CHARGE for PIANO BAR LIVE just a two Drink Minimum!

Please visit http://www.purplepass.com/pbl0818 to reserve tickets.

Opera at SpoonfedNYC - "A Night in Disney" - Monday, August 19th - 7pm 

Songs from Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin

Performed by Opera New York - Diected by Scott O'Bren

Artistic Director: Judith Fredricks 

Pianist: Michael Pilafian 

SpoonfedNYC is located at 331 W. 51st (bet. 8th and 9th Aves )

$10 Cover - $24 Food/Drink Minimum

For Reservations call: 212-580-7336 

Presented by Opera New York - www.operanewyork.com - 212-580-7336

“LOL Nidrei: Unforgivably Naughty Jewish Comedy” Returns to The Duplex August 22 at 9:30pm

LOL Nidrei: Unforgivably Naughty Jewish Comedy returns to The Duplex after a smash hit last year. There’s no better preparation for the Jewish High Holy Days and after seeing this show, you’ll have to repent. The show (produced by Dana Friedman) will be at The Duplex on Thursday, August 22 at 9:30pm.

Bristol Riverside Theatre concludes its Summer Music Fest series with a trip to the Great White Way...BRT style. Back by popular demand, Broadway Summer Spectacular brings Broadway to Bristol in one sensational concert, August 15-25. It'll be an evening packed with Broadway's best from composers like Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman, and Leonard Bernstein. Led by Keith Baker and the BRT Concert Band, the program features BRT favorites Elyse Langley, Michele Sexton, Liam Snead, and Tasha Waters. Read MORE

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following act: August 26 (Monday) at 7:00PM

Klea Blackhurst "One of the Girls"
Singer/actress Klea Blackhurst turns her long association with one of Broadway's most esteemed composers, Jerry Herman, into a brand new solo show, "One Of The Girls." The show will focus attention on the powerful, loving and memorable women in Jerry's life...both real, like his dear mother Ruth and characters like Mame, Dolly Levi and Zaza.

Jim Caruso's Cast Party will make it's Nashville debut on Saturday, September 7 at 8pm. The "extreme open mic," hosted by Caruso and accompanied by Billy Stritch, will take place at The Franklin Theatre (419 Main Street, Franklin, TN).

The balance of life and death and how life can turn on a dime was originally on a double bill at The

Public Theatre, last night it opened on Broadway at the Hudson Theater. 

Simon Stephens’, Sea Wall starring Tom Sturridge begins the evening and Nick Payne’s, A Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal finishes up this contemplative evening of masterful acting. Read MORE

John Davidson will be back to NYC at @birdlandjazz (9/9). Birdland sold out last time, so get your tickets now! johndavidson.com/appearances

Carol Ostrow AND THE ACTORS' TEMPLE BOARD OF DIRECTORS are celebrating their 103rd year with a Fall Benefit for the temple, Mark William, COME CROON WITH ME. Mark William, an incredibly talented young singer and dancer who frequently appears on New York stages, will be performing in the beautiful shul on 47th Street. The benefit will take place on Monday, November 18, 2019 from 7:30pm-10:00pm in their very own recently renovated sanctuary located at 339 West 47th Street, NYC. $75 tickets are now on sale at www.theactorstemple.org/events.

Read MORE

The beloved Tony Award-winning musical You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown is hitting the road beginning in January 2020. 

Directed by Michael Unger, this reimagined production will celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip and the treasured characters created by Charles M. Schulz.

SAVE THE DATE: October 16th:  I am producing and moderating an event for Dancers Over 40 on October 16th in NYC celebrating Marge Champion. Can you believe she is turning 100 on September 2nd! I just had lunch with her a few months ago in LA and am happy to report she is still going strong! I have John Anthony Gilvey (Before the Parade Passes By: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical), Greg Vander Veer (https://www.documentary.org/online-feature/meet-docuweeks-filmmakers-greg-vander-veer-keep-dancing)  and Larry Fuller in place.

Now, go and do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return!

Concetta Bertoldi FB Live With Richard Skipper

 NYT best selling author & medium, and talks about her new book! To watch click follow on FB Richard Skipper and click the link #ConcettaBertoldi

A Few Audience Testimonials about Richard Skipper Celebrates

Richard Skipper is a charming, endearing person, with a passion for his craft but most of

all a passion for helping others. His interview skills are flawless, seamless, and get results. We are so pleased he gave a terrific show, but even more pleased he interrupted his busy schedule to help us promote our new book! Nurses on the Inside- Ellen Matzer

Wow!!! I cannot adequately express how very much I enjoyed Richard Skipper' show on August 5th!!! He was endearing and he has amazing stage presence!!! LOVED hearing him sing!!! I realize I

have known Richard (Ricky) a long time but I had not seen him on stage for 10 years! I laughed, cried and thoroughly enjoyed EVERY moment! He is amazing!!! I am so deeply thankful I was able to be there for his special night!!! I look forward to his next performance!!! Giant hugs!❤️ He really is talented!!!

Vickie Byrd, NC

I was so happy to see Richard Skipper's anniversary show at St. Luke's on August 5th! He is a consummate entertainer. The show was fun and engaging. Richard is a natural entertainer who is clearly full of joy on stage. I also learned something - he and I share the same favorite movie! NYC is the better that he braved moving here 40 years ago.

-Lisa Dennett

Visit RichardSkipper.com to learn about Richard Skipper's next event. You never know who

you might see there and what might happen! If you have attended a Richard Skipper Celebrates Event, please add your thoughts in the GuestBook at RichardSkipper.com

With grateful XOXOXs,

 

CallonDolly.com

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NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.  FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY!

This Blog is Dedicated to Horace! I miss you, buddy!

Please do what YOU can to be more aware that words and actions DO HURT...but they can also heal and help!  
  Keeping America great through Art!     

Here's to an INCREDIBLE tomorrow for ALL...with NO challenges!

Please leave a comment and share on Twitter and Facebook
Keeping Entertainment LIVE!

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED DAY

Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Musings on cabaret...

The ride: well it can be rough. Hang on tight, let go sometimes and make sure you choose the right people to take it with you.


Even before I knew Sherry Eaker, I knew of Sherry Eaker. It was because of BACK STAGE, the theatrical trade paper geared to the performing artist. When I first came to New York, I used to buy the paper religiously EVERY Thursday morning.
It would be the deciding factor on how the next weeks and possibly my life would unfold. That's where I got all my info for auditions and practically everything else to do with my profession. BACK STAGE was the brainchild of Ira Eaker, Sherry's father. Sherry eventually became the editor-at -large of the paper. A few years ago, the paper changed hands and I have not bought it since.

In the late eighties, I started dabbling in cabaret. When that happened, the first thing I would read when I got BACK STAGE was BISTRO BITS, the column by the late great Bob Harrington. Bob was an integral part of the cabaret world and largely responsible for its resurgence in the 1980s. Bob loved writing about cabaret, and cared so much about what and whom he was writing.

His reviews began appearing in March 1984 under the headline "Bistro Bits", although only on a per-show basis when space in the paper allowed.
Realizing the need for additional coverage of this burgeoning industry, Sherry Eaker created an entire column dedicated to cabaret, and the first "Bistro Bits" column appeared on November 2nd, 1984.
"Bistro Bits" got an immediate and positive response. Janice Hall, 2011 Bistro Award winner for Tribute Show
"Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlene Dietrich"
Metropolitan Room, Urban Stages (Video by Corinne Cohen)

I was 18 when I first arrived in New York. When I discovered DON'T TELL MAMA, I was in heaven! THAT was the world that I wanted to be part of. I lived on 47th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues. DON'T TELL MAMA was my neighborhood hangout.

One thing that I learned early on was IF I desired to make a success of what I am working on,I would need to enlist the aid of people whose knowledge is superior to my own. Bob Harrington was that person. You see, not only did he write about cabaret artists (as a reviewer), he wrote about the craft of being a cabaret ARTIST! Notice, I used the word "reviewer" instead of "critic". I believed Bob was INTERESTED in elevating the art form rather than tearing it down.
(Sean Harkness 2011 Bistro Award winner for Instrumentalist)
For me, it was always the work. I LOVE the creative process. I love when creative people come together for the common good of creating art. When you go to see a show, the audience should never see the blood, sweat, and tears that go into a show.
Yet there are so many people who make that happen to make that person in the spotlight shine! A cabaret act needs a technical team to create its sound, look, and flow.

"I've learned how special the audience is, the feeling you get from people being right in front of you, becoming part of your act.
They tell you if they are amused or moved by your interpretation and how they perceive you and your personality."
Julie Wilson, The Cabaret Artist's Handbook by Bob Harrington, Edited by Sherry Eaker


Someone wrote to me that Tuesday night's Bistro Awards gave him a wonderful opportunity to see the best of what was being offered in cabaret today and that can be attested to by anyone who was in attendance Tuesday night. The show ran like a well oiled machine.
The BISTRO AWARD was established by Bob Harrington in 1985 in his “Bistro Bits” column in the trade weekly Back Stage, then under the editorship of Sherry Eaker. For the first few years, the awards were merely listed in Harrington’s column as notable performances he had seen during the calendar year. The first formal presentation of the awards was held in 1990 at Eighty Eight’s, a popular cabaret venue in the West Village. From there, the show moved on to The Ballroom in Chelsea, and then relocated to the Supper Club in the Broadway District, where it remained for many years. This year marks the fourth year at Gotham Comedy Club.
When Bob Harrington was alive, he knew more about what some entertainers did than they did.

"Richard, everything was amazing. It was a gorgeous, tight show. The direction was so impressive! I laughed, I cried, I had goosebumps. It was an honor to be part of such a great night! PS The after show dinner was delicious. So are you. xox"
Faye Lane, 2011 Bistro Award winner for Musical Comedy
"Faye Lane's Beauty Shop Stories"
Soho Playhouse
Trying to put together a definition of what cabaret is for a column sometime ago, then Back Stage editor-at-large and frequent boitegoer Sherry Eaker interviewed a number of that year's Bistro Award winners. Their responses were anything but a consensus, which in an all-encompassing way begins to suggest a definition — a loose and perhaps not entirely satisfying one. Cabaret can be anything that takes place in a cabaret room or anything taking place in other, larger rooms where cabaret performers participate. And that's the burden of the reviews that reflect those shows.
One of the members of the Bistro committee is Erv Raible. NYC based director, coach, publicist and consultant. Executive Director / Artistic Director of the International Cabaret Conference at Yale University, and Executive Director of Erv Raible Cabaret & Concert Artists International.
Owned and booked the cabarets and piano bars: The Duplex (1978-84), Brandy’s (1980-85), Don’t Tell Mama (1982-89) and the legendary Eighty Eight’s (1988-99); and through these venues presented over 4000 performers to the public. Co-founded The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & clubs (president for 11 years, produced the first 9 MAC Award shows). Has written book and lyrics for Wallis & Edward: The Love Story of the Twentieth Century? and is co-lyricist for Ship of Fools: The Musical. Is directing and developing Hildegard of Bingen and the Living Light. Is developing a music documentary Silent Voices: Words and Music of the Holocaust, Hate, Hope and the Human Spirit for the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Also on the committee is Roy Sander. Roy Sander has been covering cabaret and theatre for over twenty years. He's written cabaret and theatre reviews, features, and commentary for seven print publications, most notably Back Stage, and for CitySearch on the Internet. He covered cabaret monthly on "New York Theatre Review" on PBS TV, and cabaret and theatre weekly on WLIM-FM radio. He was twice a guest instructor at the London School of Musical Theatre. He is currently Chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC.

Elizabeth Ahlfors was born, raised and educated in New York (NYU). Her first love was always music, cabaret, and theatre – in the audience, not performing.
She writes for Cabaret Scenes, citycabaret.com, bBistroawards.com, totaltheater.com, and Curtain Up's "Cabaret Nights." She was previously Philadelphia correspondent for theatre.com and InTheatre Magazine and reviewed for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia City News, and Spotlight Magazine. She is a member of the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle.

I would venture to say that most people reading this blog have probably experienced, in one way or another, the magic of cabaret, either as a member of the audience or as a performer singing in an intimate venue.(Lua Hadar, pictured)Lua Hadar with her band TWIST debuted their CD at New York's famed Iridium Jazz Club on Broadway, May 10, 2008. The song is George Gershwin's American Songbook classic, "Soon," in an arrangement inspired by Ella Fitzgerald. Jason Martineau, music director, at the piano, with the New York band.Cabaret is a distinctive art that requires a lot of soul-searching, risk-taking, creativity, and honesty.
I would like to help you reach your goals in cabaret. "It is never too late to be who you might have been" --anonymous

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(845) 365-0720
or
richard@richardskipper.com



Beyond the 3 "F"s
How to Build an Audience and Create a Following (The following is from my press release)

RICHARD SKIPPER, critically acclaimed, multi-award winning performer, director, co-producer of the 2010 & 2011 Bistro Awards, career consultant is bringing years of experience to this workshop. The cost of the workshop is $125 for three hours. Please call (845) 365-0720 for more information and to reserve your space Richard's shows continue to be wonderful successes around the country (he recently appeared off-Broadway in Richard Skipper as "Carol Channing" in Concert), and as he continues making his business great, he looks forward to sharing his experience with others.

This workshop will focus on how to get you the attention that you need. Richard's shows have been sell-outs. Other topics will include how to use the internet to your advantage in marketing; how to get your name "out there"; cold calling; creating a contract specific to your needs; how to create a press kit that shows you to your best possible advantage and more! Richard gets a sense of the various levels of each workshop and custom makes, on the spot, a class catering to the needs of the actual group in the room. He will ascertain YOUR agenda prior to the workshop beginning so that each participant will leave with all of their questions answered, so come prepared!

Richard is also available for one-on-one consultations which afford you the personal time with him catering specifically and only to your needs.

On board with Richard is graphic designer, GLEN CHARLOW, who brings over 15 years in the business to the participants of this class and who will discuss the concept of image; how to use the internet effectively and how your website "sells" you even before you pick up the phone. To read more on Glen Charlow please visit: www.gcdtp.com.
Whether your goal is to use cabaret as a launching pad for other artistic opportunities, or simply to experience the pleasures that are unique to cabaret, the information you will receive from these workshops will help you gain a better understanding of the art and the business of cabaret, and will ultimately allow you to arrive at your destination.

For general information on workshops or Career Coaching, please contact Richard Skipper directly at 845-365-0720 or Richard@RichardSkipper.com.

(THE CABARET ARTIST'S HANDBOOK by Bob Harrington, edited by Sherry Eaker was a MAJOR source of this blog)

Tomorrow's blog will be YOU TELL ME...the first three suggestions I receive!

Please contribute to the DR. CAROL CHANNING & HARRY KULLIJIAN FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS: http://www.carolchanning.org/foundation.htm

TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!


Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com