Broadway After Dark

Discovering the Hudson by Ward Morehouse III
The Hudson Theatre, which opened in 1903, is much more than a beautiful facade, much more than a landmark Broadway playhouse with Tiffany glass mosaics and Roman friezes -- complete with verde-antique in Greco-Roman marble -- all of which recently and painstakingly restored by Millennium Hotels. With as much drama going on off-stage as beneath its historic proscenium arch, The Hudson has been the theater home for such titanic 20th century actors as George M. Cohan, Ethyl Barrymore, Laurence Olivier, Alfred Lunt, and Jason Robards Jr. As if that weren't enough of a resume, the storied Broadway palace has also played the big time as the studio where Jack Paar and Steve Allen did their nationally broadcasted TV shows. Elvis, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others not instantly associated with Broadway have been celebrated Hudson guests too. Ward Morehouse III, whose family has been identified with theater for generations, uses the Hudson as a launching pad to write about the golden age of Broadway, live TV and beyond into the new, international age of corporate-theatre synergy.

Broadway After Dark by Ward Morehouse III, Ward Morehouse
"Broadway After Dark is a compilation of columns, stories and never-before-published profiles by my father, Ward Morehouse, and myself. The profiles were originally intended for a book called Stars I Have Known. The columns of his are representative of those he did for the New York Sun from 1926-1950 and after for other newspapers. I started writing sporadically about show business for The Christian Science Monitor in the 1970's and continued as a reporter and theater columnist for the New York Post, Reuters, New York Sun, amNew York, and the Epoch Times. It's my hope that these columns and stories, taken together, will be a portrait, however sketchy, of some of theater for the last and current century through some of their biggest stars, including Katharine Hepburn."

Life at the Top: Inside New York's Grand Hotels by Ward Morehouse III
Veteran Broadway columnist WARD MOREHOUSE III (formerly with the New York Post and New York Sun, whose "Broadway After Dark" appears in AM New York) has written a fascinating and entertaining new book "Life At The Top: Inside New York's Grand Hotels" (Bear Manor Media), a book that has no heroes, great history or noble purpose. It's simply a masterpiece of storytelling.

MOREHOUSE chronicles the of some of the 20th Century's literary and artistic giants, many of whom made their permanent domicile at some of New York's grandest hotel, including The Waldorf-Astoria, Chelsea, St. Regis, Algonquin, Pierre, Astor and Carlyle. He paints a unique portrait of their colorful, romantic, and sometimes tragic lives during the golden era of New York hotels and theatre, bringing the two worlds together in a work that reads like great fiction. The fast-paced volume reconfirms MOREHOUSE's status as a superb chronicler of celebrity high life during the last century as well as one of our most engaging storytellers.

Inside The Plaza: An Intimate Portrait of the Ultimate Hotel by Ward Morehouse III
>From Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald cavorting in the Pulitzer Fountain to Ivana Trump patrolling the halls to inspect the rooms, this is the Plaza Hotel as no one has ever seen it, or been permitted to see it. The Plaza is the place where the Beatles headquartered when they invaded America. It's where George M. Cohan held court during the golden era of Broadway. It's where Marilyn busted a strap on cue, where Cary Grant started out from when he traveled North By Northwest, and where Macauley Culkin stayed after staying Home Alone. From the railroad tracks in the basement to the vast luxury suites overlooking Central Park, this is the full story behind the gilded doors, the inside scoop direct from the people who have cavorted there and worked there.

Mention in "The Plaza Lives", New York Magazine (May 2, 2005)

The Waldorf-Astoria by Ward Morehouse III
"The grand cities of the world have their grand hotels, the bed-and-breakfasts for the mighty and moneyed. Ward Morehouse III explores one of New York City's grandest in 'The Waldorf-Astoria: America's Gilded Dream' ... Morehouse writes of pleasures and scandals, of the hard facts of running a hotel and of its romance. The hotel comes off well in the hands of its appreciative Boswell and one will find 'The Waldorf-Astoria' to be a pleasant buffet"
- The New York Times

The Caedmon School: An Anecdotal History and Appreciation by Ward Morehouse III, Gregory A. Minahan
Book Description
Set against the colorful tapestry of Manhattan's ever-changing East Side, this entertaining and insightful history traces the journey of dedicated parents and teachers as they create a school for young children. "The Caedmon School," offers an intimate glimpse into the rebirth of American Montessori education during the second half of the 20th century. The story's memorable characters are the parents, administrators, teachers and students whose heartwarming stories of hard work and achievement have helped to make a unique contribution to the educational landscape of New York City.

If It Was Easy: A New Comedy by Stewart F. Lane, Ward Morehouse III

"Good Bobby"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

This glance into the life of Robert F Kennedy might not satisfy the quest for a traditional evening of theater complete with storyline, climax and resolution, however it is a well made and smart look inside what it was like to be a C student born into America’s famous Kennedy family. It covers RFK’s life from his early to his late 30s, including his relationship with his parents and the important men who came into his office.

Robert F Kennedy was an adviser to brother John F Kennedy during the latter’s presidency, and then served as US Attorney General, from 1961-1964. He resigned to seek a US Senate seat, which he landed in November 1964. He sought the US presidency, and shortly after delivering his June 5 speech celebrating his victory over Eugene McCarthy in the California primaries, he was shot by Sirhan Sirhan, and died on June 6.

This is a ten-character play with every performance elegant. It’s actually hard to even think of standout performances but one must bring special notice to Dan Lauria as Jimmy Hoffa, radiating a palpable confidence and swagger my companion and I could not help but comment on as “scene-stealing,” and Brian Lee Franklin, the author and the actor in the title role.

The show is much more a character study than a story-driven play, and really focuses on the ambivalence of a man thrust into public limelight and responsibility. This is clearly a labor of love. To start with, Franklin bears a pretty striking physical resemblance to RFK, and his impression of RFK’s speech pattern with the soft almost-stutter and the particular cadence of his style is terrific. There is also a distinct nonchalance about the way Franklin portrays Mr. Kennedy, conveying that blasé manner often found in the offspring of a family where the basic means of existence are more than guaranteed. At one point in the show RFK says, “I was a C student. I am an average man, and I’m okay with that. It’s the other people who aren’t.”

There is a moment where RFK is with his mom, Rose Kennedy (Lisa Richards), where he leans in and says to her, “Rub my head.” Sweet and natural, it underlines the overall respect for family that the Kennedys clearly valued. There is another bit where RFK’s dad, Joe (Steve Mendillo) sees an attractive woman and says, “If I were just 20 years younger,” only to hear his son reply, “If you were 20 years younger, you’d still be married to mom.”

Naila Aladdin Sanders’ costumes are perfectly of the period, down to the sweater guards, and very flattering to the two stylishly dressed women, Rose Kennedy and Angie Novello, RFK’s personal secretary (Sile Bermingham). The men are dressed elegantly as befitting their status in the political world they inhabit.

All in all, while the show does not provide the standard amount of tension one might wish for in a piece of theater, it is an interesting look inside the mind of a man thrust into a position of great power and responsibility, whether he would have chosen that position or not.

Good Bobby
Presented by Greenway Arts Alliance
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th Street
www.ticketcentral.com and 212-279-4200
Runs through November 8
Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including one intermission

"Still Life"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

Still Life, written by Alexander Denelaris, is a well-written piece of theater balancing comedy and tragedy. It is directed by film and theater director Will Frears in a quick, low-key style that makes the characters seem like real life friends. The premise, made clear from the start, is that eventually we all pass away.

The central relationship in Still Life is between independent and spirited photographer Carrie Ann (Sarah Paulson, communicating the character as fun, strong, and vulnerable), and a trend analyst named Jeff (Frederick Weller), who has never fallen for a woman the way he has fallen for the challenging Carrie Ann. The thing is, Carrie Ann is going through her own internal crisis, and Jeff has just found out he might be seriously ill.

The play opens with Joanne (Adriane Lenox) introducing Carrie Ann to a group of students, and Carrie Ann losing her composure in front of them. She interrupts her own speech to gaze at the students and mutter, “You are all so fucking young.” She then babbles some more, and finally states in an accepting and casual tone, “We are all going to die.”

Shortly thereafter, we meet Jeff and his sleazy friend Terry (excellently played by Matthew Rauch) whose conversation includes: “We all want to live, we just need permission, because we all know the truth.” “Which is?” “We are all going to die.”

We learn that Carrie Ann’s dad just died, and that it was not exactly a peaceful relationship. Something that could have been explored further was the inherent competition between them. Joanne, who dated Carrie Ann’s dad and is responsible for Carrie Ann being discovered as a photographer, tells Carrie Ann that her dad was not a great photographer, but she is and she needs to know that. One might wonder if Carrie Ann actually knew that growing up and if it affected who she is now, or why that was important enough to have been mentioned.

Terry, the slimy friend whose evil only seems more serious later in the play, delivers a memorably funny scene in which he tries to convince a local girl to come home with him. I have to say this was one of the absolute most humorous moments in the show, due to Rauch’s relentless performance and the combination of truth and ridiculousness of his case.

The ending of the piece is not a given from the start, because of how well the whole thing is done. There is thought here about when it’s good to fight and when it’s right to just give in. And the surprise choices a person can make.

I also have to give special mention to the lighting design by David Weiner. Though natural and unobtrusive through most of the play, as it should be, there is one scene here in which the lighting is dazzling. There is a point at which Weiner’s lighting is done in just such a way as to communicate eternity and renewal and peace, and in doing so it is perfect.

Still Life
Lucille Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher Street
Tickets: (212) 279-4200 or www.mcctheater.org
Presented by MCC Theater
Running Time: Two Hours including intermission
Closes: November 1, 2009

(l-r) Frederick Weller and Sarah Paulson in a scene from MCC Theater’s Still Life

(l-r) Matthew Rauch and Halley Feiffer in a scene from MCC Theater’s Still Life

(l-r) Kelly McAndrew, Sarah Paulson, Frederick Weller and Ian Kahn in a scene from MCC Theater’s Still Life

(l-r) Sarah Paulson and Frederick Weller in a scene from MCC Theater’s Still Life

(l-r) Frederick Weller and Matthew Rauch in a scene from MCC Theater’s Still Life

All photos © 2009 Robert J. Saferstein

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"His Greatness"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

His Greatness is a “potentially true story” about three days in a hotel room with a playwright implied to be Tennessee Williams, as well as his trusted assistant, and a young street hustler.

The character known as The Playwright (Peter Goldfarb) comes to Vancouver for the opening of his production. He is aided by The Assistant (Dan Domingues), who maintains an air of bemusement throughout, until later in the story when his patience has been tested too much. Domingues, who was terrific in this past season’s Night Sky, gives a well timed and snappy performance. The Assistant administers The Playwright’s medicine and takes care of him in various ways, including supplying a male prostitute (played by Michael Bussilo) who is told he might be asked to read the Bible to the playwright at some point during the evening.

After a short and tender opening speech by The Playwright, we join him and The Assistant in the bedroom where clever dialogue abounds. When The Assistant mentions fellow playwright Arthur Miller, The Playwright asks, “Is that sonofabitch still alive? I mean, really, that play about the witches—too easy!” The Playwright refers to the hotel’s decorations by asking, “Does this bed make me look fat?” When The Playwright and The Assistant are discussing The Playwright’s plays, The Playwright inquires, “What would you fix?” and receives the answer, “A few more happy endings.”

On this particular night, The Young Man is a flirtatious, arrogant drifter who is lacking in education but bursting with enthusiasm. He makes a pass at The Assistant, who turns him down. After the trio has gone out to see the play and have returned to the hotel room, the now drunk Assistant returns the pass, only to get rejected by The Young Man. The Young Man has clearly realized he has more to gain by starting a loyal relationship with the successful and depressed playwright than by being available to both men.

His Greatness touches on a theme often present in Williams’s plays, the value of youthful beauty and the tragedy of being past one’s prime. Here, The Playwright is willing to pay for evenings with rough trade and then stare at The Young Man and tell him how beautiful he is, to the point where The Young Man is told he has become The Playwright’s muse. In this case, The Young Man is a wannabe actor who starts out wanting to do pornographic films. After meeting The Playwright he is offered stage acting roles and decides perhaps theater will be his career—reminiscent of the story in Williams’s Sweet Bird of Youth, where a drifter keeps time with a faded movie star in the hopes that she will help his career.

What follows is a relationship between The Young Man and The Playwright that pushes The Assistant too far. The viewer can get the impression this is not the first time it has happened, rather that the dependence and almost marital squabbling between the two are what keep them together. When it looks as though The Assistant might be gone for good, it seems a strong possibility that he may in fact come back and continue to get frustrated with The Playwright for as long as they have together.

All in all, fine performances, though I would have enjoyed watching the dynamics go even further. There is a triangle here, with one sexual relationship and one thwarted sexual relationship, and then one relationship that is not sexual but possibly even more intimate. I think more dramatic possibility might have been found, though the play is a terrific piece as is.

His Greatness
Presented by Adam Blanshay and Lyric Productions, in association with The Present Company
Cherry Lane Theatre
38 Commerce Street
www.fringenyc.org or by phone at 866-468-7619
Runs through August 29
Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus 10 minute intermission

(l-r) Dan Domingues as The Assistant; Peter Goldfarb as The Playwright; and Michael Busillo as the Young Man in the U.S. premiere of Daniel MacIvor's HIS GREATNESS as part of the 13th Annual New York International Fringe Festival at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce Street).
Photo Credit: Neilson Barnard

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"UPCOMING POINT SUITE ART BALL CELEBRATES BLOSSOMING NEW ARTISTS"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

Active Ideas Productions' Point Suite Art Ball September 24th promises to be among New York City's exciting events of the season.

Point Suite Art Ball is a fundraiser geared toward publishing the Point Suite Art Book, a compilation showcasing the work of 40 on-the-rise artists. The evening includes an open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, gift bags for all guests, and an exclusive afterparty. The guest list is a who's who of New York City's hottest trendsetters, including Ms. Connor, whose art and flair for fashion has been featured in the New York Times, Women's Wear Daily, Guest of a Guest, New York Social Diary, New York Cool, and on New York Insider TV.

Connor, who supports herself through her own artwork, states: "Rather than viewing this project as a manifesto for a new generation, I see it as a platform for new perspectives to be presented." She adds, "I think in general artists are very self-reliant. Only hard work, time, and dedication to a vision can bring my paintings to life. So setting up the book to work that way was a natural step for me."

The ball, geared toward raising the funding to cover the printing cost of the book, takes place at 7 p.m. on September 24, 2009, in the Studio 450 Penthouse, located at 450 West 31st Street. At the stroke of midnight guests will leave the posh surroundings to head downtown and dance at Mr. West where the exclusive post gala afterparty will be held.

Apart from Mr. West and Active Ideas Productions, corporate sponsors for the night include Fractured Atlas, ALS Designs, and many more. A smattering of jewels will be on display in the silent auction with beautiful creations by sponsors Kara Ackerman, Tarra Rosenbaum, Jessica Fields, and Astary. The night of the event, Ms. Connor will be wearing a gold and diamond necklace from Astary's Cleopatra collection.

Active Ideas Productions was founded by Connor to serve the artistic community by facilitating the presence of emerging artists and educating the public about their work.
The Point Suite title arose from a brainstorming session with Connor's partner and fellow artist, Nick Papadakis. Connor says, "I like words that when read suggest one thing but when heard out loud imply another. I thought 'suite' was great as it gives the viewers a location to go to in their imagination while simultaneously playing off the sincerity of this idealistic artist-run project."

Connor selected all the artists in the book on an invitation basis and was guided to them by the combination of an advisory panel, curatorial team, artists suggestions, and by seeking out new artists individually during her travels abroad.

The decision to self publish the book was made so that AI Productions could maintain creative control of the project. Funds for the project are raised by a combination of efforts including donations through Fractured Atlas, the fiscal sponsor for the book project, and in part by Connor's own paintings sales.

She equates starting a business with learning a new art medium. She asserts that when the Point Suite project was first conceived, she was simply an artist with an idea: "But I had recently read the T.S. Elliot quote: 'Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.' I was inspired by this notion, and thus I began the long journey of educating myself on how I could turn this idea into a reality."

While it is very well understood that the art industry faces challenges during these economic times, Connor also knows that devoted artists operate with a need to create no matter what the situation. She explains that artists in general believe in a future audience and the knowledge that some day their ideas will have impact. "Maybe it is good that we are putting a little beauty out there when everyone else is seeing only darkness. After all, isn't it the artist's job to light the path and highlight a new perspective?"

When asked what she hopes her guests come away with at the end of the September 24th event, she says, "A fabulous New York night and the feeling that they had a very real impact in helping a group of young artist actualize a big idea."

With Patrick McMullan, Fame Game, Charity Happenings, and the New York Insider already agreeing to cover the red carpet, this will be a night for all guests to put a little beauty out there and let their stars shine bright.

Purchase tickets at: pointsuiteartball.eventbrite.com/

To donate directly to the Point Suite Art Book go to:
www.fracturedatlas.org/donate/883
When making an online donation, please make sure Point Suite is checked in the Behalf of listing.

For a full list of artists featured in the book please visit www.pointsuiteartbook.com or go to www.aiproductions.org for more details about the ball and the benefits.

"NIGHT SKY"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

Night Sky, written by Susan Yankowitz, is a well-intentioned effort that could benefit from going deeper into its subject. It tells the story of a smart, determined, happily married astronomer, played by the excellent Jordan Baker, who gets hit by a car and suffers a bout with aphasia. This disease attacks the left side of the brain, impairing a person's ability to access their language skills properly, resulting in slurred speech, choosing the wrong word, and leaving out articles such as "the" and various other words.

Something about the piece felt distanced. On the one hand, there were philosophical moments, due in part to interjections made by Tuck Mulligan, who also played Ana's friend Bill. A sweet touch is that Mulligan wears ties displaying the solar system on them when he is giving these speeches. We were encouraged to wonder how a person with aphasia processes things, if they don't have words. Bill asks Ana's husband Daniel (Jim Stanek), "Can she think? Without words, does she think in pictures? You think in music, maybe she thinks in star charts." We also witness Ana's frustration as she struggles to communicate, and her attempt to return to daily living and provide counsel to her adorably restless teenage daughter Jennifer (Lauren Ashley Carter) about boy-stuff.

The thing is, the piece does not seem to give enough information as to what the general prognosis is in this situation, nor whether Ana fully recovers. The play was commissioned by Joseph Chaikin, founder of the Open Theatre, who fell victim to aphasia after a stroke. Chaikin recovered enough to continue writing, directing, and performing, but in Night Sky we are not left knowing if Ana has reached the final stage in her recovery, or if there is more to come.

The piece does a fine job of showing the effects of the disease on the people around Ana. It almost destroys her marriage, and her daughter feels embarrassed of and frustrated with her mom, who she needs during this adolescent time in her life. It is unclear how long Ana has spent in the hospital and why the decision was made that she is ok to come home. When she returns home after having received speech therapy, her husband prepares a romantic evening for them and says, "We'll be fine, nothing has changed," to which she replies, in slurred words, chosen with clear difficulty, "Big changes. Like earth cakes. Disaster." When Jennifer comes in to announce, "I got an 87 on my test, Mom! An 87!" Ana replies, "Whoa! Elevator!"

I would have liked to see a clearer cut ending, where I could get a sense of how much recovery is ultimately possible and how a person with the disease might look back and describe what the earlier stages were like for them, once they have recovered a certain amount of their facilities.

Night Sky
Presented by Stan Raiff/Power Productions in association with the National Aphasia Association
Baruch Performing Arts Center
55 Lexington Avenue
www.nightskytheplay.com and 212-352-3010
Runs through June 20
Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes including intermission

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"FIFTH OF JULY"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

T. Schreiber Studio Company's Revival of Lanford Wilson's 1977 play Fifth of July is a well done piece of theater. With Peter Jensen's smooth, natural direction the audience watches the first play in Wilson's Talley trilogy as though we are there in the family's home as opposed to observing them on a stage.

The play focuses on characters dealing with the effects of the Vietnam War and their own personal disappointments with the way the world is going. Now, the piece definitely feels of its time, and not just because of the smartly placed details like a bottle of Tab and a Seventies-style slim orange desk lamp on a set (designed by Matt Brogan) featuring wicker and wood panels. The feeling of national letdown demonstrated here smacks of a different flavor from today's pieces about frustration with the Iraq war—one more tragic, more grand, and distinctly more linked to crushed dreams.

The story revolves around Ken (David Villalobos), a paraplegic Vietnam vet, who lives with his boyfriend Jed (Edward Campbell) in rural Missouri. Ken is trying to renew his life as a teacher in the small town of Lebanon, but feels tempted to sell the family home and start fresh. Meanwhile, his colorful family descends upon the home, including his aunt Sally (Lucy Avery Brooke), who has been carrying around her late husband's ashes in a candy box for a full year and has come here to scatter them. As in so many pieces of this structure, Ken and Jed are the most low-key of the bunch, with the visitors provided the eccentricity.

The overall feeling of this play is about the group dynamics and the personal dreams and struggles of the characters; the plot itself is not particularly fast moving. Standout lines include the moment precocious pre-adolescent Shirley (a very talented Lily DePaula), who prances around in a long theatrical gown and wearing a sparkling feathered flapper headband, declares to the sullen group, "I have just seen something that will warp my young mind forever, and all you can think of is death and ashes." Also, when Shirley announces proudly, "I am going to be an artist, and an artist has no age and must force themselves to see everything, no matter how disgusting and how low."

Ken's sister June (Ellen Reilly), a solid character who seems the most fallen from the way the country has turned out, observes, "Men and women aren't strong enough to have children. Trees should have children."

Jamie Neumann provides a stellar performance as Gwen, using every aspect of her physicality to keep things interesting. Neumann is constantly moving, either a subtle smile or a shake of the hips or a turn of a knee, and she brings a full dedication to this role as the high-spirited, capricious, and lost rich girl. Gwen delivers one of the smartest lines in the play: "You really don't tell someone that they aren't what they think they are. What's the profit." The role of Gwen was previously played by Parker Posey, so one can imagine that sort of callousness mixed with vulnerability. The character's depth gets balanced out by this remark, uttered only moments later: "I couldn't march, because I never had a pair of shoes that were really comfortable."

There is a particularly charming scene where Shirley discusses with Jed what kind of flower she will be. In every possible way, Shirley is excited and serious about this decision. And Jed lets her know, with a bemused playfulness, that ultimately her choice is very important to the whole family.

Fifth of July
Presented by T. Schreiber Studio
151 West 26th Street
www.ovationtix.com and 866-811-4111
Runs through June 21
Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including intermission

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"ANDREA MARCOVICCI 60TH BIRTHDAY CONCERT"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

Andrea Marcovicci's 60th Birthday Concert on May 16, 2009, at Town Hall was an event to remember. Ms. Marcovicci entered wearing a sparkling gown and greeting her excited audience with the line, "Well it can't be a funeral, I'm standing here," and then filled the room with an evening of cabaret at its finest, including performances by special guests.

Ms. Marcovicci, known as the Queen of Cabaret, treated the audience to a variety of inspiring quotes on age. From French actress Jeanne Moreau, "Age does not protect us from love, but love protects us from age." From Agatha Christie, "We should all marry archaeologists so our husbands will become more interested in us as we grow older." And from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "The most beautiful music is played on the oldest of fiddles." She also informed the audience, "In the movie of my life, you all get up and dance."

What followed was an evening of music in an elegant cabaret style, with the dramatic acting and finely tuned vocals that make Ms. Marcovicci a star. Pieces in the first half included a variety of classics: Rodgers and Hart's "Everything I've Got Belongs to You," Irving Berlin's "Say It Isn't So," and Cole Porter's "Let's Not Talk About Love." She also gave the audience to a triple-song performance by her mother, Helen Marcovicci, who was celebrating her 90th birthday. Andrea introduced her mother by saying, "My mother was a torch singer in the '40s. She gave it up to raise my brother and myself. But that didn't prevent her from singing miserably sad songs around the house." Helen, with her rich alto voice, sang Norton and Burnett's "Melancholy Baby," Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night," and "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore." After Helen's first song, an audience member called out, "Helen rocks!" to which Helen dryly replied, after a perfectly timed pause, "Hardly."

The show's second half involved performances by songwriters of today, including the adorably funny Christine Lavin, who sang "It's a Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind," as well as Julie Gold's heartfelt "Goodnight New York" and Babbie Green's sweet "At the Pound."

Ms. Marcovicci remained majestic and vibrant for the almost 3-hour performance, and I look forward to attending her 70th birthday party as well.

Presented by The Town Hall
The Town Hall
123 West 43rd Street
Closed, One Night Only
Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes, including intermission

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"THE ALGONQUIN SALON"

Reviewed by Lisa Ferber

The Algonquin Salon, a weekly musical event hosted and created by Mark Janas and produced by Peter Napolitano, is keeping the hotel's legendary creative history alive and blooming.

Every Sunday evening from 7 till approximately 10pm, performers come out to the lobby of the hotel famous for hosting the literary wits of the Round Table from 1919 till roughly 1929. Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Edna Ferber and a host of other notables gathered here for their luncheons. Now, the crowd gathered includes veteran Broadway stars, and absolute newcomers.

The Salon, with varying co-hosts weekly, is such a hit that it was just nominated for a MAC Award, the honor given by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, to be presented May 18. The event is nominated for Best Open Mic, with Janas and Napolitano themselves nominated for Best Song, "Come Home," performed by MAC nominee for female vocalist Julie Reyburn (who dazzled the crowd the night I was there).

Napolitano explained the show's organic beginning and return to the Algonquin. "It all began in 2005. This is very much Mark's vision, he created it and has kept it going and it's a lot of fun working with him on it. Mark was the musical director of Talk of the Town, produced in the Algonquin's Oak Room. After the show, Mark and the cast members would hang out in the lobby, and one night Mark played the entire 'Rhapsody in Blue' on the grand piano. People in the lobby burst into applause, and cast members started getting up and singing, it was all very impromptu." When Talk of the Town closed, Janas and pals took their show to the Paris Commune in the West Village for a year and a half. Then Napolitano and Janas met through the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop when seeking musical writing partners. "We started looking for a different venue for the show, and we contacted the Algonquin, and worked things out by March of 2008."

The show has optional themes, such as "Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll," "Merry Solstice," and "Classically Classy," so it's not just musical theater. The night I went the theme was "Frank and Frank," offering a bevy of Sinatra and Loesser, with some original tunes as well.

Veteran performer and lyricist Bobbie Horowitz was one of the vocalists on the night I checked out the show. She performed her song "Entourage," with lyrics by Ms. Horowitz and Sharon Spector, and music by Judith Richman Sanger. Says Horowitz, "I enjoy just being at the Salon in the Algonquin. It's magical. Being in that lobby brings me back to my childhood and going to the Algonquin with my Dad and Mom. Surely, I want to get my songs out there to talented performers, but even if I were just in the audience I'd love being there. At the Salon I also get to hear and to befriend incredible talent. I love that everyone roots for everyone. It's an ideal situation. The participants and originators are the kindest, most talented people one could want to meet."

While technically the show is an open mic, the crowd here definitely includes big names as well. Says Napolitano, "We've had Sarah Rice, the original Johanna in Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury. We've had Janice Hall from the NYC Opera."

And of course there are the surprise newcomers. "A lot of people staying at the hotel just walk in and say, can I come and sing? We had a 15-year-old girl who was visiting from Minnesota. She had not sung in public except in high school. She didn't have her music but she knew 'Someone Like You,' from Jekyll and Hyde, and she asks Mark if she can sing it." Janas agreed. Says Napolitano, "And she sang at the Algonquin Hotel at age 15 and got a standing ovation."

Napolitano explains, "You're in a living room setting so there is an impromptu thing that happens. It's very much a part of the charm of the place. The Algonquin has a wonderful tradition and we are really continuing it into the 21^st century."

Performers are given a 4-minute time limit on their piece and the only rule is no profanity. There is no drink minimum and no cover.

For updates on weekly themes and cohosts, interested parties can sign up for the newsletter: algonquinsalon@aol.com