Lionel R. Shockness: Awakening(s)… Mixologist to Psychologist

Post author:Bart Greenberg
Post published: October 15, 2026
Reading time:2 mins read

Lionel R. Shockness

Awakening(s)… Mixologist to Psychologist

Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, September 27, 2026

Reviewed by Bart Greenberg

Lionel Shockness is cool. He’s also smooth in his delivery of standards. He brought his show Awakening(s)… Mixologist to Psychologist to Don’t Tell Mama for a charming and emotionally satisfying biographical afternoon. The main theme of his show, “the importance of purpose,” was well illustrated throughout. Lina Koutrakos directed the show with her trademark light touch and clarity, and music director/pianist Gregory Toroian offered strong support with his arrangements that provided a showcase for the singer’s small but true voice. Additional contributions came from Tom Hubbard on bass, David Silliman on drums, and creative consultant Sue Matsuki

Shockness kicked off the show with a fine invitation to “Take Me to the World” (Stephen Sondheim). He discovered the perfect pairing of song and story with “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” (Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer) to relate how he became a bartender at an early age. The job also opened him up to meeting a wide range of celebrities, and he received a firm education in music as a fan. (His eventual progression into becoming a performer was largely missing from the show. That was the biggest gap in the program; oh well, perhaps in the sequel.)

Later, there was an especially lush arrangement of “Everything Must Change” (Benard Ighner) and a wonderfully introspective “Where Am I Going?” (Cy Coleman/Dorothy Fields), blended with a bit of “Something’s Coming” (Leonard Bernstein/Sondheim) for dramatic flair. A climatic “Make Them Hear You” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty) was emotionally powerful if vocally thin. More effective was a trio of songs reflecting on fatherhood: “Everybody Says Don’t” (Sondheim), “Be a Lion” (Charlie Smalls), and “Stop Time” (David Shire/Richard Maltby Jr.). The songs were wonderful in their contrast and their honesty.

Shockness is a welcome addition to the New York City cabaret world. He may need a bit of fine tuning as to which songs work best for his attractive voice, but that will come with experience. It will be most interesting to see how he develops.

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."