South FLorida Cabaret Singers
Inaugural Open Mic
Monday, January 30, 7-9:30 pm
Café Centro, West Palm Beach, Florida

South FLorida Cabaret Singers are finally organizing, and our inaugural event is an Open Mic Night on Monday, January 30, 2023, in the piano lounge of Café Centro, 2409 N. Dixie Hwy., West Palm Beach, FL 33407, from 7 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.  Here’s the story:

There’s a hush in the room.  The lights come up on the stage.  The singer is announced, the piano begins, and the magic ensues!  This is not karaoke.  This is not a cover or a tribute band.  This is a concert as unique as a fingerprint.  No two stories are the same.  No two arrangements or interpretations of a song are alike.  However, the music and the patter are personal, relatable.  This is the Art of Cabaret Performance.

A newly formed community, South FLorida Cabaret Singers (SoFLoCab) has scheduled their Inaugural Meandering Mic Night in the Piano Lounge of Café Centro in West Palm Beach, thanks to owner Sal K.  The room is intimate, welcoming, and reminiscent of cabaret rooms around the country.  The food and beverage are divine, and the baby grand piano is new and in tune.  On January 30, 2023, approximately 20 vocalists are signed up to sing.  Additional singers will be accommodated if time permits.  Singers will be accompanied by the extraordinary Bobby Peaco, a multiple MAC & Bistro Award-winning music director, pianist, and composer who hails from the best NYC cabaret rooms and Broadway orchestra pits.  While Peaco played for a Blake Edwards production, Julie Andrews said, in that perfect accent of hers, “You play brilliantly, Bobby!” On January 30, 2023, singers, their families, friends, and fans will gather for a special night that sparkles with the joy and energy of new beginnings, shared passions, and mutual admiration. 

There is already a thriving cabaret scene in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, even in St. Louis, MO.  But what about South Florida?  Down here, the theaters hire well-known stars and Broadway celebrities, and local celebrities like Avery Sommers, Jill & Rich Switzer, or Deborah Berman Silver.  But what of the lesser-known local talents?  Most are relegated to “do the condo circuit” or provide “track shows” at progressive care centers, or even to provide background music at noisy bars and restaurants—all valuable sources of entertainment—but we know that live music, vocalists, and instrumentalists in an intimate setting create an inimitable resonance, vibration, and connection between performer and audience.  In fact, many of the local cabaret singers are driven to hone their skills, whatever their level of experience in the entertainment world.  They attend Master Classes taught by such luminaries as Marilyn Maye, Sally Mayes, Faith Prince, and Jeff Harnar when they come down to Florida to perform.

So, who is behind the scenes, bringing these golden opportunities and connecting the community of voices-yet-to-be-heard?  The brand-new “South FLorida Cabaret Singers” is the brainchild of co-producers David Meulemans, https://www.youtube.com/user/DavidJMeulemans and Meri Ziev https://meriziev.com/ .

David introduced Meri Ziev to the world of cabaret.  Her first foray into the art form was in their duet show, Steve & Eydie: A Celebration!.  But in a Master Class with Sally Mayes, Meri became smitten with storytelling through song.  Ziev has performed at Davenport’s Cabaret & Piano Bar in Chicago, Stirling Events Center, inAustin, The Kranzberg Arts Center, Jazz at the Bistro, and The Stage at KDHX, in St. Louis. Her New York City cabaret debut at Don’t Tell Mama was a sold-out success: “Meri Ziev has golden pipes, is a compelling storyteller and her lovely show ‘New Words’ is a heartfelt self-portrait full of surprises.” — Jeff Harnar, Multiple Award-Winning New York Cabaret, Concert, and Recording Artist. 

“Meri Ziev is a woman with heart, hope, and humor…She is a ball of sunshine, from start to finish, one impossible to resist.” — Stephen Mosher, Broadway World.

“Meri Ziev is a radiant performer with a wonderful voice, warm, twinkling eyes & a wealth of stories & songs to share.  Meri leaves every audience member feeling just a little bit better about the world than when they walked into the room.” — Andrew Poretz, Theater Pizzazz. 

Meri Ziev is thrilled to have a cabaret community in her own backyard.  Literally! She performed poolside and in the driveway during the pandemic shutdown!

David Meulemans is a South Florida singer with an international career. Making his American cabaret debut in 2011 at Yale University’s International Cabaret Conference, David has performed around the U.S. and in the U.K.  During his residence at NYC’s Metropolitan Room, his Lucky to Be Me show met with resounding “thumbs up,” was hailed as the “perfect night of cabaret” and as “the kind of cabaret show NYC needs more of.”  In the U.K.. he has performed on several London stages, including at Crazy Coqs at Café Zedel in Journeys of the Heart, and Welcome to My World at The Pheasantry on Kings Road.  His other shows include December Songs, Steve & Eydie: A Celebration with Meri Ziev, and Borscht Belt Buddies with Chicago’s Carla Gordon. 

David has been producing cabaret Master Classes for our south Florida performers since 2012, when he brought the Marvelous Marilyn Maye to the Royal Room at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, where our own Rob Russell held court in the days of cabaret there.

The South FLorida Cabaret Singers plan to schedule additional Open Mic Nights, “meandering” to different locales to accommodate those scattered to the north and the south, with a rotation of the best music directors around, including Phil Hinton and Elijah Taj Gee.  With so much to share, the SoFLoCab Singers will meet again to discuss the possibility of formally organizing in the fashion of MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets) or CCP (Chicago Cabaret Professionals). 

Contact: Meri Ziev at  zievfl@gmail.com for more information or to subscribe to the South FLorida Cabaret Singers email list.