Diane Ambrose & Phil Alexander :A Chanteuse and a Gentleman

Post author:Bart Greenberg
Post published: March 25, 2026
Reading time:2 mins read

Diane Ambrose & Phil Alexander

A Chanteuse and a Gentleman

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, March 13, 2026

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Diane Ambrose was the chanteuse and Phil Alexander was the gentleman at the piano in A Chanteuse and a Gentleman, their show at Don’t Tell Mama. There was a great deal of truth in the show’s advertising. Clad in an elegant gown and opera-length gloves, Ambrose seemed to have transported herself from a 1950’s supper club. Though she asserted that she had sung in this room 40 years ago, she seemed unaffected by time. At the piano, Alexander could really swing when the material demanded it, and he provided a lush Broadway-style accompaniment when it didn’t.

The program was based on tributes to singers Ambrose had admired and who had inspired her. In some cases, she had been inspired too much, which resulted in her providing imitations in phrasing and emphasis that said too little about her. She also tended to credit the singers rather the songwriters. The selections for her Frank Sinatra segment included “You Make Me Feel So Young” (Josef Myrow/Mack Gordon)—which could have used a bit more build, and “The Way You Look Tonight” (Jerome Kern/Dorothy Field). When she turned to Barbra Streisand, things became more problematic. She did dedicate “Why Did I Choose You?” (Michael Leonard/Herbert Martin) to her husband, which made for a lovely and sincere moment. But that moment was dissipated by her making her phrasing, her gestures, and even her breathing pure Barbra. The same was true for “Don’t Rain on My Parade” (Bob Merrill/Jule Styne); despite showing off her powerful and controlled pipes, it still fell a bit flat because there wasn’t enough of her in it.

Ambrose did far better with “When Your Lover Has Gone” (Einar Aaron Swan) and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart), both of which allowed her own style and personality to come through. Even more powerful were a devastating “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” (Michel Legrand/Alan & Marilyn Bergman) and “You Won’t Forget Me” (Jackie DeShannon/Sharon Sheeley); the latter featured a great piano intro. With so much talent, Ambrose just needs to move away from her heroes and to establish her own personality.

Tags: American Songbook Association, What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?, Clubs, Why Did I Choose You?, Michael Leonard, composer, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, Josef Myrow, Herbert Martin, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Bart Greenberg, Dorothy Field, Cabaret Reviews, ASA, Don’t Tell Mama, Don’t Rain on My Parade, Diane Ambrose, Phil Alexander, A Chanteuse and a Gentlema, When Your Lover Has Gone, Einar Aaron Swan, You Won’t Forget Me, ackie DeShannon, Sharon Sheeley, Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, Broadway, Cabaret, Broadway Musicals, Jule Styne, Barbra Streisand, Mack Gordon, Frank Sinatra, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Bob Merrill, American Songbook, Lyricist, You Make Me Feel So Young, Jerome Kern, The Way You look Tonight, NYC, CD, Michel Legrand

Bart Greenberg

Bart Greenberg first discovered cabaret a few weeks after arriving in New York City by seeing Julie Wilson and William Roy performing Stephen Sondheim and Cole Porter outdoors at Rockefeller Center. It was instant love for both Ms. Wilson and the art form. Some years later, he was given the opportunity to create his own series of cabaret shows while working at Tower Records. "Any Wednesday" was born, a weekly half-hour performance by a singer promoting a new CD release. Ann Hampton Callaway launched the series. When Tower shut down, Bart was lucky to move the program across the street to Barnes & Noble, where it thrived under the generous support of the company. The series received both The MAC Board of Directors Award and The Bistro Award. Some of the performers who took part in "Any Wednesday" include Barbara Fasano and Eric Comstock, Tony Desare, Andrea Marcovicci, Carole Bufford, the Karens, Akers, Mason and Oberlin, and Julie Wilson. Privately, Greenberg is happily married to writer/photographer Mark Wallis, who as a performance artist in his native England gathered a major following as "I Am Cereal Killer."