The Kleinbort Collection: The Songs of Barry Kleinbort

Post author:Jacqueline Parker
Post published:March 11, 2025
Reading time:3 mins read

The Kleinbort Collection:
The Songs of Barry Kleinbort

Birdland, NYC, March 3, 2025

Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker

Photos by Maryann Lopinto

Imagine that you have been given a beautiful candy box, but instead of chocolates, inside you find nuggets of gold. That was the experience at Birdland where Jamie deRoy and cast presented the music and lyrics of Barry Kleinbort. While he is known for directing some of the most successful cabarets shows Kleinbort’s other talent is songwriting, for which he has won numerous awards.

The lineup of superlative talent who brought these songs to life included (in alphabetical order) Loni Ackerman, Lewis Cleale, Lorna Dallas, Gregg Edelman, Penny Fuller, Eric Michael Gillett, Judy Kaye, Nicolas King, Karen Mason, Gretchen Reinhagen, Caroline Roelands, and Haley Swindal. The piano duties were shared by the well-known music directors Christopher Denny, Paul Greenwood, and David Gaines; Tom Hubbard accompanied them all on bass. With all this expertise on one stage, a memorable evening was in store for the audience.

Kleibort is known for his special material, and Judy Kaye showed us how special it is when she got the evening started with “I Get Around,” a list song that was hilarious and perfectly suited to Kaye’s talents. Lewis Cleale and Haley Swindal changed the pace with “To Be Wanted” and “Ev’ryone Needs Someone,” two tender songs that warmed our hearts. Karen Mason’s ability to infuse vulnerability and honesty into her delivery made “The Kindest Man” almost a private confession that one felt privileged to overhear.

A surprise was the two numbers that qualify as great NYC songs: “Big City Rhythm” and “Everything is Waiting for Me.” Both of them captured that feeling of excitement that is so uniquely New York, made even more thrilling by Nicolas King’s personal enthusiasm. Eric Michael Gillett added his own magic to “I Belong,” which captured the wonder and gratitude that come with realizing that you have landed where you were meant to be—in New York City!

One of the most difficult songs of the evening, and certainly one of Kleinbort’s most ambitious, was “A Sondheim Song.” This devilishly clever tune was put in the capable hands of Gillett, and he delivered it beautifully, making sure every sly reference was clear and appreciated.

Kleibort shared the credit for “Time” with Joseph Thalken, who wrote the music. Again, Mason brought her technical prowess to this song, which, when paired with her ability to totally open her heart to her audience, made the show one of the most exciting and unforgettable evenings in cabaret.

Tags: Gretchen Reinhagen, Big City Rhythm, New York City, David Gaines, Eric Michael Gillett, Haley Swindal, Jamie deRoy, Everything Is Waiting for Me, Judy Kaye, Nicolas King, Bass, Vocalists, I Belong, Birdland, composer, American Songbook, Jacqueline Parker, CD, A Sondheim Song, Tom Hubbard, Paul Greenwood, Nightclubs, Singer, Karen Mason, Piano, Musicals, The Kleinbort Collection 2025, Cabaret Reviews, Great American Songbook, Penny Fuller, Lyricist, Caroline Roelands, CD Reviews, Broadway, Time, Christopher Denny, music directors, Gregg Edelman, Cabaret, Loni Ackerman, NYC, I Get Around, Joseph Thalken, Broadway Musicals, American Songbook Association, Lorna Dallas, To Be Wanted, Cabaret Scenes, Clubs, ASA, songwriter, Ev’ryone Needs Someone, Maryann Lopinto, Lewis Cleale, The Kindest Man

Jacqueline Parker

Like Ethel Merman, lifelong New Yorker Jacqueline Parker began her career as a stenographer. She spent more than two decades at the city's premier public agency, progressing through positions of increased responsibility after earning her BA in English from New York University (3.5 GPA/Dean’s List). She won national awards for her work in public relations and communication and had the privilege of working in the House of Commons for Stephen Ross, later Lord Ross of Newport. In the second half of her career, Jacqueline brought her innate organizational skills and creative talents to a variety of positions. While distinguishing herself in executive search, she also gave her talents to publishing, politics, writing, radio broadcasting and Delmonico's Restaurant. Most recently, she hosted Anything Goes! a radio show that paid homage to Cole Porter and by extension the world of Broadway musicals and the Great American Songbook. Other features of the show were New York living, classical music, books, restaurants, architecture and politics. This show highlighted the current Broadway scene, both in New York and around the country through performances and interviews with luminaries including Len Cariou, Charles Strouse, Laura Osnes, Steve Ross and Joan Copeland. Her pandemic project was immersion into the life, times and work of Alfred Hitchcock, about whom she has written a soon-to-be-published article. Jacqueline has been involved in a myriad of charitable causes, most notably the Walt Frazier Youth Foundation, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sisters of Life, York Theatre, and the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. She is a proud Founder of Hidden Water. Her greatest accomplishment is the parenting of her son, a lawyer specializing in mediation. She has many pretend grandchildren, nieces and nephews, on whom she dotes shamelessly, as well as a large circle of friends to whom she is devoted. Her interests in addition to theater and cabaret are cooking, entertaining, reading, and spending time on Queen Mary 2.