By Bart Greenberg***For the second night of the 35th Cabaret Convention, the Mabel Mercer Foundation paid tribute to the fabled singer-pianist Bobby Short on the centennial year of his birth with “I’m in Love Again” with Bobby Short. Hosted by Natalie Douglas, with great style and charm, a long list (perhaps a bit too long) of talented folks shared memories of the maestro and what his career and 
activist life meant to them. Many of the performances recreated Short’s own arrangements and echoed his individual style.
Kicking the evening off was the swelligant fellow Steve Ross with the perfect choice for an opener of this gala, “I’m Throwin’ a Ball Tonight” (Cole Porter). Then Douglas swept on stage to welcome the audience with her trademark enthusiasm before asking the musical question “Who?” (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II). This was the first song Short learned to play on the piano as a child, so it was very appropriate. David Raleigh followed with another gem, a gentle jazz version of “My Romance” (Richard Rodgers,Lorenz Hart).
Alisha de Haas brought sincerity to a highly romantic “The Nearness of You” (Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington) with strong backup by the house trio of pianist Jon Weber, bassist Jordyn Davis and drummer Jakubu Griffin. Another splendid pianist-singer, Billy Stritch, brought a wonderful film noir atmosphere to “Street of Dreams” (Victor Young, Sam M. Lewis). The fabulous Diva LaMarr brought plenty of attitude to Short’s own medley of “Honeysuckle Rose (Thomas “Fats” Waller, Andy Razaf), When My Sugar Walks Down the Street (Gene Austin, Jimmy McHugh) and You’re the Cutest One” (Waller) with plenty of attitude.
The powerful Alan Harris eloquently recited a Shakespearean sonnet leading into a moody, hypnotic “Midnight Sun” (Lionel Hampton, Sonny Burke,Johnny Mercer). Yet another fine singer-pianist Eric Yves Garcia offered a medley of two Cole Porter songs, the well known “After You, Who?” and the more obscure “Looking at You,” with a genuine and unfussy style. 
A charming 17-year-old Ava Allen offered up “I’ve Got Your Number” (Cy Coleman, Carolyn Leigh), unfortunately not the best choice to match her voice and personality. Back to Cole Porter, Bryan Eng echoed the lyrics by taking “Just One of Those Things” at rocket speed.
KT Sullivan presented the hostess of the evening with the Mabel Mercer award. Then to bring the first half to a close, dynamic Nicole Vanessa Ortiz of Forbidden Broadway asserted “I Happen to Like New York” (Porter) with defiance and power.
Douglas started the second half off (in a new glamorous outfit) offering up Short’s own composition for the “Charley” perfume campaign ad. She followed that up with a quick tribute to the friendship between the honoree and Duke Ellington, with the latter’s “Rocks in My Bed” lyric by Sid Kuller). NaTasha Yvette Williams promised the audience that “The Best Is Yet to Come” (Coleman,Leigh), and then veteran Christian Holder offered a medley of “I Am in Love” (Porter) and “Evergreen” (Barbra Streisand,Paul Williams) that certainly evoked such lyrics as “velvet” and “cognac.”
Nicholas Rodriguez made his Cabaret Convention debut with a tender version of “Send in the Clowns” (Stephen Sondheim) with a gorgeous voice and an impressive stillness. Con
tinuing with the same composer, Darnell White offered a jagged fast voyage through “Losing My Mind.” And then, for something very different, Jim Caruso capered through “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Waller, Razaf, Harry Brooks), sharing crazy choreography with the extremely limber trombonist Jonathan Arons. In complete contrast, T. Oliver Reid brought emotional power to a melancholy “Autumn in New York” (Vernon Duke).
With abundant ’50s cool, Nicolas King laid out “The Rules of the Road” (Coleman, Leigh). Douglas (with, yes, another gown change) spoke seriously of Short’s struggle with civil rights with such colleagues as Harry Belafonte and Sammy Davis Jr., and in tribute offered up (What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue?” (Waller, Razaf, Brooks). The ingenious and energetic Mark Nadler played the piano with seemingly every part of his body, speeding through the lyrics to “I Can’t Get Started” (Ira Gershwin, Duke) before receiving the Donald F. Smith Award. Then Douglas gathered the cast for a closing rendition of one more Porter song, “I’m in Love Again.” It was abundantly clear that everyone was in love with Bobby Short.
Photos by Maryann Lopinto
