Dawn Derow and the Women of Kander & Ebb

By Frank Dain

Dawn Derow heads to NYC’s Triad Theater on November 18 and December 1, both shows at 7 pm, with an updated version of Sing Happy: A Revue of the Wonderful Women of Kander & Ebb. She premiered the show at the Provincetown CabaretFest in June 2025. The show is directed by David Sabella, with Ian Herman as music director/pianist, and choreography by Jason Reiff. We sat down with Dawn to discuss the show.

Frank What is it about the women in Kander & Ebb shows that inspired you to build a show around them?

Dawn What drew me to the women of Kander & Ebb is that they’re never just characters (written, I might add, by two gay men ahead of their time). These women are survivors, dreamers, and truth-tellers. They live on the edge of glamour and grit, balancing hustle, humor and heartbreak. I’m drawn to that resilience. I recognize myself in their paradox: a performer who loves the spotlight—snapping fingers, tapping toes, reveling in my own vamp—yet who also carries scars, sagas, and stories that inevitably become subtext onstage. (Yes, I like alliteration — don’t you?) And to make it all the more fated, both David Sabella and Jason Reiff were texting me at the same time, encouraging me to bring the Wonderful Women of Kander & Ebb into focus — reminding me that, as a vocalist, actress, and dancer, I could breathe new authenticity into this music for cabaret audiences.

Frank Which of these women are you most drawn to and why?

Dawn Well, talk about them in the show and it’s no surprise because I open with my favorite: Sally Bowles. For me, women like Sally Bowles, Velma Kelly, and Flora don’t simply sing — they fight, they seduce, they demand to be seen. They also manipulate, lie to themselves, and are flawed, but don’t we all have a little of that inside of us? They remind us that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same breath. Building a show around them allows me to honor not only their voices, but also my own journey as an artist who, like them, insists on living fully, boldly, authentically and unapologetically.

Frank How is this version different from the one you premiered at CabaretFest in Provincetown in June?

Dawn In June, I was honored when Patricia Fitzpatrick invited me to create a brand-new Kander & Ebb show for the 25th anniversary of CabaretFest. I treated that performance as a kind of workshop, a chance to get the material on its feet. With Ian Herman at the piano, we debuted it at the Post Office Café. Since then, I’ve expanded and refined the show, adding another solo for myself, bringing in two incredible female guest stars, and working more deeply on the choreography. Back in the spring, we had very little time together in person, so I worked with my best friend Jason Reiff over Zoom on the choreography, and with David Sabella, who was in Puerto Vallarta [Mexico] at the time , also via Zoom. This version feels much more fully realized, and I think it will continue to grow. I still have even bigger visions and goals for this particular show.

Frank Tell us about working with Ian Herman?

Dawn Ian and I first started working together in October 2017, so this is our anniversary season. He stepped in after Barry Levitt passed away to take over as music director for my show, My Ship: Songs from 1941, and since then we’ve built not only a strong musical partnership but also a genuine friendship. We always make each other laugh; our humor is so dry that we often have to give directors like Jeff Harnar, Lina Koutrakos, and now David Sabella a little “disclaimer” before making jokes and taking the piss out of each other. We say: “Don’t worry, this is just how we talk to each other.”

And musically, Ian is a genius. This is our fourth show together, each one completely different: Songs from 1941 with a trio, Dawn Derow Sings Eydie Gormé with Jeff Harnar and a trio, last year’s Women’s Work with a full four-piece rock band at The Cutting Room, and now this Kander & Ebb revue. For this show, I didn’t add a band because Ian is truly enough. He fills this style of music so completely that I know the audience will feel it. There’s even a moment where I give him a big solo while I change costumes, and he just improvises, literally creating in the moment. Sometimes he’s so good that I have to stop him and say, “OK, now play it exactly the way you did in rehearsal!” He’ll look at me blank faced and say, “I have no idea what I played.” Not always easy for a natural composer who makes up a new song every day, but that’s the magic of Ian Herman! I’m a lucky lady!

Frank Your director David Sabella has a history with Kander & Ebb, having played Mary Sunshine when the recent revival hit Broadway 28 years ago. What insight did he bring to your interpretation of their songs?

Dawn David brings a wealth of lived experience with Kander & Ebb, having embodied Mary Sunshine in Chicago for years, a role I recently had the thrill of seeing him perform ON BROADWAY last month. He understands the wit, irony, and heartbeat in their work. He always reminds me that every Kander & Ebb song is a scene, which means he pushes me to do the real work as an actress. He’s a very hands-on director, and because he knows the Kander & Ebb catalog inside and out, he introduced me to many songs I hadn’t known when I first set out to create this show. So he’s really been involved since the beginning which was probably while I was performing at ACT2 in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in February. David knows my versatility as a vocalist, and we often laugh that, as former opera singers, we share a similar approach to storytelling and technique on stage.

Frank Aisha de Haas is your special guest for your November 18th show, and Karen Mason is your special guest for your December 1st show. How did you pick them to join you?

Dawn It was actually difficult to choose, because I had a long wish list, and a couple of my other choices weren’t available. I feel very lucky that both Aisha and Karen said yes.

Aisha de Haas and I have been working together for a couple of years now on a new musical called Dorothy Dandridge: The Musical and have bonded over that. I’m enamored by her powerful vocals, her presence, her grace. She’s a phenomenal actress and singer. I knew right away that singing the duet “Class” from Chicago would be perfect for us.

Karen Mason was the very first woman I asked. Ever since I started in cabaret back in 2008, I’ve looked up to Karen, and over the years I’ve been lucky to call her a friend. After working with her husband Paul Rolnick on my album, we grew even closer. I listen to Karen’s albums regularly, she’s on my Spotify playlists. Her presence on stage is simply captivating. I don’t want to give away the duet we’re doing, but it’s new for both of us, and I think the audience is going to love it.

So truthfully, if you’re reading this interview, maybe you should come to both shows; because each of these fabulous women brings something unique, and the collaborations we create together will be completely different. I’m really excited to duet with both of them. They will also each sing a solo.

After doing Women’s Work last year, I’ve had a good healthy obsession with building shows around female voices. I love the idea of celebrating women, whether it’s through an all-women’s show, a series of siren songs, or even duets. In fact, I’ve been imagining a revival of Women’s Work as a duet show, with some of my favorite powerhouse femme fatale cabaret and Broadway singers. Maybe that will be next year.

But in the meantime, Aisha and Karen joining me on stage feels like the perfect step in that direction.

By the way, fun fact: I think I have created some 20 cabaret shows in the last 17 years. THIS new Sing Happy production will be my first revue devoted entirely to one songwriting team—the legendary Kander & Ebb. After all, “Life IS a cabaret, ol chum, so come to the cabaret!”

For more information about Dawn and for tickets to her shows, visit dawnderow.com