SHOOTING ONESELF IN THE FOOT
or How to Make a Sow's Ear out of a Silk Purse by Roy Sander It's one thing when performers miss their mark because of a shortage of talent—that is, of course, regrettable. But it is especially...
View ArticleA FEW BASICS
A Few Basics A singer in Australia who is preparing to do her first solo cabaret show sent me an e-mail asking a few basic questions. I answered her directly—but it occurred to me that the issues she...
View ArticleA LETTER TO THE NEW YORK TIMES
I sent the following letter to the editor of the New York Times in response to this review, posted on July 10, 2006 To the Editor: At the close of his recent review of Brandon Cutrell (New York Times,...
View ArticleSOME THOUGHTS ON THE MAC AWARDS
Now that the 2006 MAC Awards are behind us, I would like to voice some opinions on the subject. Not about this year's show, but about the Awards process, which is a much more fundamental matter....
View ArticleON MEDLEYS AND OTHER MATTERS
Let me open with a rather broadly stated observation: Too many people are doing too many medleys in too many shows. Now I'll narrow in and expand on this. [Perversely, and yet delightfully, this...
View ArticleGETTING IT RIGHT...AND OTHER MATTERS
Is it my imagination, or are cabaret singers getting increasingly sloppy with lyrics? I suspect this malpractice has long existed—it's just that I've been growing increasingly impatient with it. I'm...
View ArticleWHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
I'm delighted to have been asked to comment on encores. If I can help put an end to this silly convention, my life—or at least this afternoon—will have been worthwhile. I long to return to the days...
View ArticleON DIRECTORS
A singer asked for my comments on directors. I'm happy to oblige. The first question is whether cabaret shows need to have a director. An analysis of the thousands of shows I have attended yields no...
View ArticleIT'S NOT ABOUT YOU
Time was when cabaret was a performing arts form in which audience members sat at tables and the people on stage had a job to do: to entertain the audience. Period. Rather simple, eh? Alas, at some...
View ArticleCOMMON MISTAKES
For this first column, I'd like to talk about mistakes I've observed many singers making over the past few years. They fall into two categories: (1) dropping focus and control, and (2) piano bar...
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