By Marcia Blondin***Recent Fiesta de Cabaret performer, Tracy Stark, leapt in at the last minute to accompany vocalist Sue Matsuki on piano as Mark Hartman tended to an urgent family emergency.
Tracy and Sue spend a great deal of time together doing shows in NYC; their mutual respect was clear and abundant. Matsuki paid hom
age to various musical genres that shaped her future as a performer and teacher. The stories of her big biker and harmonica-playing dad were hilarious, as were her renditions of nursery rhymes he taught her with a bluesy twist, which she shared with us just like she did with her kindergarten class years ago. She brought the house down with a song about a half-frozen snake being saved, complete with a silken hand puppet that assured Sue a stand-up (or sit-down) career in comedy if she ever tires of singing for a living! The applause and laughter were thunderous!
Thanks to Mark Hartman for bringing this Fiesta de Cabaret to Mexico and us. What an invaluable learning experience for the students and an ongoing treat for the audience.
