The 35th New York Cabaret Convention

Put on a Happy Face: A Celebration of Charles Strouse

Rose Theater, NYC, October 22, 2024

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Kicking off the 35th New York Cabaret Convention, Jeff Harnar and Andrea Marcovicci hosted—for the 10th time—the opening night, a celebration of the work of Broadway composer Charles Strouse. A wide range of performers, many with personal and professional connections to the honoree, offered songs both well-known and obscure. To make things even more celebratory, it was the first time in the history of the Convention that an honoree was present to receive the accolades of his peers and his audience. (Strouse was the composer of all of the songs mentioned; lyrics were by Lee Adams unless otherwise noted.)

To kick things off, Bryce Edwards gave a rollicking“You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” (Lyrics by Martin Charnin from Annie) a perfect period flair, backed by the sterling band of Jon Weber on piano, Ritt Henn on bass, Sherrie Maricle on drums, and Danny Bacher on tenor saxophone, all of whom would be the regular contributors throughout the evening. Then the hosts took over for a delightful medley of two more Annie numbers, “NYC” and “I Don’t Need Anything but You,” in which they displayed their warm regard for each other.

An early emotional highlight of the evening was Ari Axelrod’s powerfully understated “Children of the Wind” (from Rags) with lyricist Stephen Schwartz at the piano. Following the performance, Axelrod was surprised and visibly moved when he was presented with the Julie Wilson Award. In a strong contrast, Leanne Borghesi slinked her way through a highly sultry “Blame It on a Summer Night,” also from Rags.

Tovah Feldshuh sent her regrets, but she also sent along her good friend—direct from purgatory— Leona Helmsley, who regaled the audience with stories of her husband (“You’ve Got Possibilities” from It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman) and her less-successful son (“Kids” from Bye Bye Birdie). It was all hilarious. In her 35th (or so) appearance at the Convention, Karen Mason recreated her debut performance, with an arrangement by Brian Lasser, of “I Want to Be with You” (Golden Boy) filled with yearning passion. Bringing some leading man magnetism to the stage, Craig Rubano assured the audience that “There’s Always One You Can’t Forget” (Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner from Dance a Little Closer) but only after he recalled his first role in a Strouse musical playing Wilbur the Pig in Charlotte’s Web. Another number from Dance a Little Closer followed: “No Man Is Worth It” delivered with enthusiasm by Lumiri Tubo.

Karen Akers brought her trademark cool magic to the aching “It Would Have Been Wonderful” (Lyrics by Martin Charnin from Annie Warbucks) before Those Girls delivered “It’s the Hard Knock Life” (Charnin from Annie) in superb close harmony. Continuing the Annie segment, Marta Sanders completely embodied her character of Miss Hannigan with a riotous “Little Girls.” To bring the first half to a close on a happy note, the one-of-a-kind Marilyn Maye encouraged the audience to “Put on a Happy Face” (Bye Bye Birdie).

The second half opened with a singalong led by Harnar of “We Love You Conrad” (Bye Bye Birdie) followed by the DTM Dial Tones (a group created on the moment that consisted of the piano-bar performers at Don’t Tell Mama), who delivered a fun “The Telephone Hour.” Continuing the Bye Bye Birdie score, Marieann Meringolo blazed through “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” and Marissa Mulder torched “One Boy” with enormous feeling. Madalyn Matthews gave a brilliantly acted version of “Wanting” (Schwartz from Rags).

Moving on to the highly successful musical Applause, original cast member Lee Roy Reams shared some delightful tales about the production, including his having played the first openly gay character in a Broadway musical, before he launched into the title tune. The daughter of two more cast members, the lovely Maude Maggart, delicately sang her mother’s song, “The Best Night of My Life.” Ann Anello, who had toured with Strouse in his revue By Strouse, used her rich mezzo-soprano voice to score with “Welcome to the Theater.”

Probably the most obscure song of the evening, “Take 10 Terrific Girls” from the film The Night They Raided Minsky’s, was given an appropriately bawdy delivery by Danny Bacher, complete with a bit of a strip tease. Shifting the mood, Harnar proved his standing as one of the best balladeers around with a heart-wrenching “Night Song” (Golden Boy). Marcovicci followed with a touching “Once Upon a Time” (All American), after which the two joined forces for a hysterical performance of “Those Were the Days” from All in the Family featuring Harnar’s perfect imitation of Jean Stapleton’s screech.

The evening came to a close when the trio MOIPEI who offered a charming and sincere version of Annie’s “Tomorrow” (Charnin), then they were joined by the entire company for an encore of that song. It was the perfect ending to a very special night.