Bistro Bites
Articles by Marilyn Lester
Broadway
The New York Pops + Mandy Gonzalez + Lin-Manuel Miranda = a Winning Trifecta
By Marilyn Lester***To say that actress-singer Mandy Gonzalez is a powerhouse performer is like saying an apple is red, or a banana is yellow. That oft-used term, force of nature, also certainly applies to her, […]
Six Questions
Vocalist and Cabaret Star Lynn Henderson Answers Six Questions
Singer Lynn Henderson has had careers in business and as a performer. She’s been singing since childhood, a lifelong love snd pursuit. After college, she was seen in many venues in the Eastern U.S. as […]
Cabaret Reviews
Marilu Henner: Music, Memory and Altogether Memorable
By Marilyn Lester***She’s vivacious, exuberant, upbeat and as bright as a penny; there’s no question that Marilu Henner loves to perform, and her audiences are all in favor of that proposition. The reciprocal vibe is […]
Musical
“Charlotte Sweet” Was a Sweet Treat in Benefit for Amas Musical Theatre
By Marilyn Lester***In the autumn of 1982, an engaging new musical, Charlotte Sweet, opened at the Westside Arts Center, especially championed by artist Al Hirschfeld and musician Leonard Cohen, earning three Drama Desk Award nominations […]
Off Broadway
This World of Tomorrow Is Balm for What Ails You
By Marilyn Lester***The new Tom Hanks-fueled play, This World of Tomorrow, with Kelli O’Hara, pretty much inhabits the world we need for today. It’s full of humor, sweetness, positivity and a subtle gravitas that builds […]
Music
Lyrics & Lyricists’ Season Opener, Motown’s Heat Wave, Literally Rocked the House
By Marilyn Lester***In recent programming looking beyond Great American Songbook staples, the 92NY Lyrics & Lyricists season opener zeroed in on modern classics with “Motown’s Heat Wave: The Songs of Holland-Dozier-Holland,” And it was a sizzler. […]
Cabaret
The Friends Of Alec Wilder Held the 40th Annual Celebration Concert of Wilder’s Work with Plenty of Pizzazz
By Marilyn Lester***The Friends of Alec Wilder’s 40th annual concert celebrating the life and music of Alec Wilder once again offered a solid program, produced by Mark Walter, dedicated to their subject with a stellar […]
Cabaret Reviews
Marilyn Maye’s Latest Residency at 54 Below Was Beyond Triumphant
By Marilyn Lester***What lies beyond the stratosphere? If you were at any one of Marilyn Maye’s concerts in her recent turn at 54 Below, you’ll know that you were launched into the mesosphere—a flying high […]
Cabaret Reviews
Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun Was a Youthful Monster Smash
By Marilyn Lester***The Halloween cabaret party hosted by The Green Room 42, Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun, couldn’t help but bring to mind the opening lines of “The Addams Family” TV show of the 1960s: […]