The 37th Annual Cabaret Convention
With a Song in My Heart: A Cornucopia of Entertainment
Rose Theater, NYC, October 15, 2026
Reviewed by Alix Cohen
Photos by Richard Termine
Festive in top hat and tails, KT Sullivan, Artistic Director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation and host for the evening, opened this evening seated at the piano with a medley of New York songs.
Highlights:
Anyone still lethargic from a day of work was awakened by Susan Mack’s infectiously rousing “Let the Good Times Roll.” (Shirley Goodman/Leonard Lee). Mack exuded happy. Her elastic vocal slid up and down, then fanned out with exemplary control.
Tim Connell’s sighing “End of the World” (Arthur Kent/Sylvia Dee) drifted down like lazy leaves by way of his beautiful tenor. An enchanting arrangement showcased purity of communication. (James Followell; MD/pianist.)
Student Madeline Joy Travis, who won this year’s Larry and Adela Elow High School Competition, offered “Will He Like Me?” (Jerry Bock/ Sheldon Harnick), a perfect song for her age and experience. Travis’s concert trill and demeanor were appealing.
Performed in Portuguese by Brazilian Mafalda Minnozzi, “The Girl from Ipanema” (Vinicius de Moraes /Antônio Carlos Jobim/Norman Gimbel) couldn’t have felt more captivating or authentic. Little sounds peppered effervescence. (Paul Ricci, guitarist.)
Can M. Yasar, originally from Turkey, delivered an inspiring “Coming to America” (Neil Diamond). The song entered hushed, then surged. Coming from a vocalist in these times, it sounded like entreaty. “I’m proud to call myself a New Yorker,” he told us. (Tracy Stark. MD/pianist.)
Photo by Stephen Mosher
Shana Farr, Craig Rubano, and Steve Ross (who could ask for anything more?) rendered “With a Song in My Heart,” epitomizing class, sophistication, and the age of lyrical melody. ‘Splendid arrangement.
Carole J. Bufford told us broadcasters announced The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas as “The Best Little Hmmm in Texas.” Bufford always liked Dolly Parton. She thinks of herself as a country girl. Despite exceptional glamour, the artist performed “Little Bitty Pissant Country Place” with accent, cadence, wide eyes, and yee-haw gusto. (Ian Herman MD/rockabilly pianist.)
Previewing her upcoming Barbra Streisand show, Marieann Meringolo sang a silky “Pieces of Dreams” (Michel Legrand/Alan & Marilyn Bergman). She’s no kidding the closest sound to the icon. Oh that tone! (Doyle Newmyer MD/pianist.)
“Laughing Matters” (Dick Gallagher/ Mark Waldrop) was eminently a song for the era. Celia Burk’s rendition arrived with what might be called hope against hope. Every lyric mattered; gravitas ruled. (Alex Rybeck MD/pianist.)
KT Sullivan requested Marta Sanders present a song in Spanish. “Volero” (Lucecita Benitez) arrived extravagant. The artist passionately conjured a relationship between fishermen and the sea. Balletic arms unfurled like sails, vocal was the wind. (Mark Nadler MD/pianist.)
Also Featured:
With a nod to an arrangement by the late Barry Levitt, Robert Cuccioli’s “How Little Know” (Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer) was followed by a swinging “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?” (Jimmy Van Heusen/Sammy Cahn). His baritone resonance lingered. (Joe Baker MD/pianis.)
Dawn Padmore’s version of “Losing My Mind” (Stephen Sondheim)
was technically superb, but impersonal. (Brian Holman MD/pianist.) The IMs (Jim Harder on piano and vocal; Tim Cahill on vocal) sang a dulcet “You’re Nearer” (Richard Rodgers/Lorenz Hart).
At the piano, Eric Yves Garcia performed an evocative “C’etait Moi” in French and English. How many of you knew he has a French father? The language was as pristine as the storytelling.
Melodie Wolford’s “Smile” (Charles Chaplin/John Turner/Geoffrey Parsons) tugged at the heart. The artist was invested. (Stephen Purdy, MD/pianist; Alden Terry, cellist.)
“Give Me Your Tired Your Poor” (Irving Berlin) was part of a theater piece by Raissa Katona Bennett and Arbender Robinson and included a speech about The Statue of Liberty. Both performers were as dignified as they were in top vocal form. (Mark Janus, MD/pianist.)
The winner of this year’s Julie Wilson Award, endowed by Linda and Peter Hanson, pianist/singer Sam Jewison offered “The Heather on the Hill” (Frederick Loewe/Alan Jay Lerner) at the piano in true crooner fashion.
“I Feel the Earth Move” (Carole King) was virtually unleashed by Ann Kittredge with red-hot mama intonation. The performer’s power vocal erupted with rhythm and joy. A superb arrangement. (Christopher Denny, MD/pianist.)
Twenty-six years after his first Convention, Brian De Lorenzo returned with a swinging “Fly Me to the Moon.” (Rybeck, MD/pianist). Ben Jones’ “Slipping Through My Fingers” may be the first time an ABBA song had been included in a Convention. It emerged very dramatically.
Tonight’s finale, the gorgeous “Ragtime” (Lynn Ahrens/Stephen Flaherty), was a theatrical turn. As he played, Mark Nadler regaled us with the immensely moving love story of his grandparents. His vocal rose from those roots; the music morphed from two-step to passion. Bravo!
If not otherwise credited, the house band of Jon Weber (piano), Steve Doyle (bass),and Ray Marchica (drums) accompanied.
