THE 2020 MABEL MERCER VIRTUAL CABARET CONVENTION
Birdland, NYC, October 22, 2020
Reviewed by Peter Haas
In a star-filled, song-packed, sparkling evening, the Mabel Mercer Foundation presented the fourth and final show of its 2020 Virtual Cabaret Convention.
While the Convention’s first three nights, because of the pandemic, were available for streaming only via the Foundation’s own website, this closing night was broadcast in virtual form from the stage of Birdland.
Subtitled “Radio Free Birdland” and with KT Sullivan and Jim Caruso as hosts, complete with merry banter, the show offered a solid hour of top stars and favorite songs. “Pandemic or not,” announced KT, “we wanted to find a safe and wonderful means of keeping our Convention tradition alive.”
Among the evening’s performers were Karen Mason, singing “Just In Time”; Billy Stritch, performing “That Old Feeling” and “I Thought About You”; Karen Akers with “Live Alone and Like It” and “Whistling Away the Dark”; Jeff Harnar (celebrating three decades of partnership with his accompanist, Alex Rybeck), singing “This Time”; Christine Andreas performing “What a Wonderful World” and “If I Ruled the World”; Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano offering “Give Me the Streets of Manhattan”; and Natalie Douglas performing “How Can I Tell Him I Love Him” and “As Long As He Needs Me.”
The ever-elegant Steve Ross offered “When There’s a Shine on Your Shoes” and “I’ll Follow My Secret Heart,” and then was joined by KT on Noël Coward’s “I’ll See You Again.” The music-making was momentarily interrupted when Steve was presented with the Donald Smith Award, named for the founder of the Mabel Mercer Foundation and sponsored by long-time cabaret supporters, Larry and Adela Elow.
The Mabel Mercer Foundation, hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “American song’s best friend,” has been presenting its Cabaret Conventions for over 30 years. The Foundation is named for the late Mercer, who was a beloved club performer of the 20th century.
