Highly Recommended Cabaret: MARILYN MAYE (Holiday Shows at Birdland Jazz Club in New York)

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by Connor McCormick on December 13, 2024

in Cabaret,Theater-New York

YES, YOU MAYE

Adore, adore, adore her. You have to believe me — at 96, the great Marilyn Maye simply enchants, and holds the room in the palm of her hand. Very, very few cabaret performers have this ability (my top three are Eartha Kitt, Elaine Stritch and Ms. Maye). She recently had a sold-out show at Carnegie Hall (her first at the great venue), and it was a smashing success, and a few weeks ago, I saw her at Hollywood’s Catalina Bar and Grill on December 1. Believe it or not, this timeless icon who has entertained and thrilled audiences for over eight decades still tours! The best way to see Marilyn is in a cabaret, so make sure you catch her at Birdland, an intimate venue where you can worship her up close and personal. Her special eight-show holiday engagement runs from Friday, December 27 through Tuesday, December 31, including two performances on New Year’s Eve. Ms. Maye will celebrate the holidays in style, backed by an all-star ensemble. As usual, her trademark high-energy shows will feature beloved standards and unexpected musical treats.

A theatrical dynamo with the power to melt the heart of the most hardened cynics, Maye is a consummate entertainer who breathes new life into classics. Additionally, she’s a highly-respected entertainer who carries the torch from her peers who originated the music of the Great American Songbook for future generations of singers. In other words: Marilyn Maye gives her audiences more in terms of great music, great theatre, and great comedy.

She’s also been called Manhattan’s Queen of Cabaret, and to that there’s no disputing. To attend one of her shows is to be at an exalted master class of “how it’s done.” Should this strike you as hyperbole, then go see for yourself. Her vocal power is undiminished, her energy level in the stratosphere and her ability to put together dozens of songs, many of them medleys, is dazzling.

To learn more before you see her at Birdland catch the amazing NY Times article by another great singer Melissa Errico, written just before the Carnegie Hall concert last year.

Marilyn Maye
Birdland Jazz Club, 315 West 44th St near 8th (Times Square)
December 27-29 at 7 & 9 ($60 for tables and $50 for the bar)
Dec 30 (New Year’s Eve) at 7:30 ($75-100 for tables)
Dec 30 (New Year’s Eve) at 11pm ($100-125 for tables and $75 for the bar)
dinner and drinks served all night long
for tickets, call 212.581.3080 or visit Birdland Jazz Club
for more info, visit Marilyn Maye

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