Six Questions with Cabaret Couple Paul and Rochelle Chamlin

Cabaret couple Paul and Rochelle Chamlin present The Marvelous Mr. Mercer at The Laurie Beechman Theatre on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:00 pm, featuring songs by the prolific lyricist, composer and singer Johnny Mercer. The show is directed by MAC award-winner Teresa Fischer, with Tom Hubbard on bass and Daniel Glass on percussion.

NiteLife Exchange (NLE) celebrates Rochelle Chamlin (RC) and Paul Chamlin (PC) with Six Questions: 

NiteLife Exchange: When did you each realize you had the gift of singing and what were your early influences?

Rochelle Chamlin: My father has a wonderful voice and my sister Melody and I started singing from a young age in talent shows, choirs, high school musicals, etc. My parents loved opera and golden age musicals like My Fair Lady and The King and I. I listened to these recordings over and over, singing along and memorizing most of the score. I was a music major in college and studied classical singing and opera. 

Paul Chamlin: I also listened to musical theater recordings from a young age. The first I can remember is Gypsy. Like Rochelle, my parents exposed me to a great deal of music, including many Broadway shows. I sang all through school, also played the piano and went to Oberlin to study opera. 

NLE: Paul, you’ve established your reputation over many years as a New York-based Musical Director, coach, accompanist, singer and repertoire specialist. Rochelle, you are a versatile vocalist and performer who sings everything from classical to standards, musicals, folk and jazz. How did you two meet and eventually get together? 

RC: Believe it or not, we met at Kutsher’s Country Club up in Monticello, NY. It was 2005, and they were then about the last of the old Catskills hotels in existence. We were both hired as professional singers for High Holiday services. I got a last minute call to replace an ailing soprano; Paul had been doing the gig for several years. The last thing I expected when I accepted the job was to meet my future husband there!

PC: We got to know each other in the rehearsals and over the Kiddish table. We continued seeing each other once we were back in the city. The rest, as they say, is history. 

NLE: How did you eventually get into Cabaret? Is it something you ventured into together? 

PC: I’d been playing cabaret shows for other singers and performance classes for many years. I started accompanying Rochelle on some assisted living/nursing home gigs, and it occurred to us this was something fun and fulfilling that we could do together. 

RC: Our first show, Mutual Admiration Society, was based on how we met and our relationship evolved. We’ve created something like 11 shows in 13 years. I’ve honestly lost count. We work well as a team; once we’ve hit on a theme, Paul pulls a pile of songs out of his enormous sheet music collection and we start going through them. When our music list is set, I write the script. Then we bring in our director to help shape the show. For almost all our shows we’ve worked with the terrific cabaret performer Teresa Fischer. 

NLE: What can audiences expect in The Marvelous Mr. Mercer? How is it different from your previous shows? 

PC: Our shows pivot between celebrations of composers and lyricists as well as specific themes. Some of our past shows included tributes to Jule Styne and the Ladies of Tin Pan Alley. We’ve done theme shows featuring songs about traveling, songs about the sea and movie musicals. This show, of course, is in the first category. Johnny Mercer was an immensely prolific songwriter, so there’s a great deal to choose from. Mercer worked on quite a few musicals over his career, but that big Broadway hit alluded him. We’ll be presenting some lesser known songs from his musical theater output along with the great standards everyone associates with Mercer. 

NLE: You have been a great supporter of other cabaret artists over the years. What has that experience been like for you?

PC: Well, I’ve been playing for and working with singers in and around NYC for over 30 years. In fact, I played at Marie’s Crisis back when people could still smoke around the piano! I’ve seen a lot of cabaret rooms come and go: Danny’s, Judy’s, 88’s. This a labor of love for everyone involved—keeping this kind of entertainment alive. Getting people off their couches and into a cabaret room these days isn’t easy. We admire others who do this and appreciate any support we receive as well. 

RC: I enjoy seeing how people craft their shows and pick their repertoire as  well as hearing fresh interpretations and arrangements. 

NLE: Which is the most memorable experience you’ve each had in your career?

PC: There have been many; one that stands out is a celebration of the theater producer Marty Richards that I music directed. Richards produced mega hits like Chicago and Sweeney Todd. That was a great evening.  

RC: Every first performance of a new show is a memorable experience. Over the years I’ve gotten more comfortable and confident with each new show we present. We’ve developed something of a following, and the response and anticipation of our audiences is truly gratifying.

NLE: What do you like to do on your spare time?

PC: I’m a baseball nut, and I have season tickets to the Yankees, which I attend with my old friend and fellow Musical Director Bill Zeffiro. 

RC: We both enjoy traveling; a few years ago we went on a safari to South Africa, which was the experience of a lifetime. This year, maybe Spain and Portugal.

There is a $20 cover and a $20 food/beverage minimum. A full menu and bar are available.  For tickets click here (MAC Members and NiteLife Exchange Readers save $5 with code PRC15).

The Laurie Beechman Theatre is located downstairs in the West Bank Café at 407 W. 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues.