EDITOR’S NOTE: The 37th Annual Mabel Mercer Foundation Cabaret Convention has wrapped. Over three glorious nights (Oct. 13-15), a feast of talent performed in one of the best convocations yet. And Team Nightlife Exchange was there: Bart Greenberg, Marilyn Lester, Beth Naji and Maryann Lopinto. We’ve compiled and crafted the documentation of these memorable shows for your enjoyment here in our mega-review. Enjoy!
By Marilyn Lester***Sammy Davis Jr.! A superstar’s superstar, quadruple threat (and then some) a warrior for equality, activist and true legend. Davis was “born in a trunk”—performing from the age of three till his death in 1990. His bio is a staggering ode to genius 
and resilience. The world celebrated his centenary in 2025 and now at the Cabaret Convention night two, Sammy All the Way and Then Some! The Songs of Sammy Davis, Jr., hosted by Natalie Douglas, opened a new window, guided by the legacy of “Mr. Entertainment.”
That portal not only introduced jazz into the mix—America’s true art form—but opened the door for performers of color to showcase the enormous wealth of talent that’s always been the heritage of our Black brethren. Douglas, always an enthusiastic and uplifting force of nature, opened the show with “Begin the Beguine” (Cole Porter), handing the stage to Reed Harris Butts and “Birth of the Blues” (Ray Henderson, Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown) an early staple of jazz repertoire. The first of several singing piano men arrived in the jazzy Eric Comstock, who offered a swingin’ “Too Close for Comfort” (Jerry Bock, George 
David Weiss, Larry Holofcener), written for the Broadway musical Mr. Wonderful, starring Davis. Bryan Eng, whose piano jazz chops have become keener than ever, sang “Cheek to Cheek” (Irving Berlin) and David Raleigh offered a buesy “Who Can I Turn To?” (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley).
Divas abounded in powerhouse form: Valarie Pettiford, a star of the Duke Ellington revue on Broadway, Sophisticated Ladies, performed a groovin’ “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (Ellington, Bob Russell); Stephanie Pope offered a sock-it-to-’em medley of “Once In a Lifetime/Gonna Build a Mountain” (both Bricusse, Newley) and NaTasha Yvette Williams delivered “Feelin’ Good” (Bricusse, Newley) with a dramatic a cappella start. The incarnation of jazz, Gabrielle Stravelli juiced up “Night & Day” (Cole Porter). British sensation Debbie Wileman wowed with an earthy “The Ballad of Johnny Cool” (Billy May, Sammy Cahn).
In the spotlight was Barbaro Fasano
(with her other half, Eric Comstock, at the piano) singing “Golden Boy/I Could Have Told You So” (Jimmy Van Heusen, Carl Sigman), and likewise, Diva LaMarr offered an evocative “I Gotta Be Me” (Walter Marks) with his other half, Darnell White at the keys (White had earlier occupied the singer’s spotlight with a spirited, jazzy “That Old Black Magic” (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer). Convention favorite and stalwart Klea Blackhurst delivered a joyous, upbeat “Talk to the Animals” (Bricusse), while the welcome return of T. Oliver Reid saw him deliver a determined “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die” (Mann Curtis, Al Hoffman, Walter Kent).
Heading toward the finale, Douglas sensitively evoked the moving, “Mr. Bojangles” (Jerry Jeff Walker), telling the story of the old dancer with the worn-out shoes with great empathy. Back for a second Convention night, anotherembodiment of pure entertainment, Clint Holmes, delivered a jazzy “Hey There” (Richard Adler, Jerry Ross). Like Davis, Holmes is a performer who lives the music and gives a thousand percent. His re-creation of Davis’ stunning 
“West Side Medley” (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) was breathtaking. Seamlessly delivering snippets of every song in the score, accompanied only by the percussion of Shawn Dustin, he had a gasping audience on its feet at the stirring, last note of “Somewhere.”
Also commendable during the evening: Anna Anderson, “For Once in My Life” (Orlando Murden, Ron Miller); Amanda King, “Rhythm of Life” (Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields); singing trombonist Jonathan Arons, “(Barretta’s Theme) Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow;” Jon-Michael Reese, “Night Song” (Charles Strouse, Lee Adams); Suri Vu, “Something’s Gotta Give” (Johnny Mercer); and Luz Velazquez, “What Kind of Fool Am I?” (Bricusse, Newley).
Before ending the evening, it was award time, and the 2026 Mabel Award for Lifetime Achievement went to none other than Clint Holmes. The outro was a delightful, Douglas-and castrendition of “The Candy Man” (Bricusse, Newley).
The house band for the evening was pianist Dionne James Hendricks, bassist Lavondo Thomas and drummer Shawn Dustin, a trio in the pocket who supplied consistently marvelous support for the vocalists.
Photos top to bottom: Eric Comstock, Debbie Wileman, Gabrielle Stravelli, Clint Holmes and Natalie Douglas
Photos by Maryann Lopinto
