From Broadway to Cabaret: Sally Mayes on Music, Mentorship, and Meaning
She belts when it counts, crafts when it’s quiet,
and teaches with heart—
Sally Mayes is still doing it all, her way.
Tony-nominated actress and cabaret favorite Sally Mayes will appear as part Coachella Valley Repertory’s Summer Cabaret Series on June 19, bringing her trademark warmth, wit, and vocal chops to the desert stage. Known for her dynamic range across Broadway, jazz, pop, and story-driven cabaret, Mayes has spent a career dodging labels, trusting instinct, and showing up—on stage and in the classroom—as her truest self.
In this candid conversation for Stage and Cinema, Mayes opens up about her love for teaching, the legacy of “Miss Byrd,” the magic of great arrangements, and why she’s no longer chasing volume but cherishing connection.
How are you preparing to connect with this unique Palm Springs audience and venue?
I connect by sharing stories of my life. I do a good amount of comedy songs as well, because everybody needs a good laugh!
How do you balance theatrical storytelling with the conversational intimacy of cabaret?
Oh gosh, I just love to talk and tell stories—any kind of stories. And many of my songs are story songs. Any song can be theatrical if you set it up right.
You were in the original cast of Closer Than Ever and made “Miss Byrd” iconic. Will we hear it in your CVRep set? What does the song mean to you today?
I usually do “Miss Byrd” as an encore. I’m grateful to have an iconic song like that attached to me. So many good things happened because of that show—I met my husband of 34 years doing it! I also had a 25-year musical partnership with the music director, Patrick Brady. We did so many projects together. And I even have a Hirschfeld from that show.
Your musical background spans jazz, pop, rock, Broadway, country, and R&B. How do you bring that range into a single performance?
I’ve always been eclectic. I like to sing a lot of different kinds of music. Good music is good music, and I love finding ways to share it.
Before I moved to New York, I lived in Dallas. I was dating a record producer there, had a band, and wrote pop and rock songs. My intention moving to New York was to be like Carole King—and three months later I was on Broadway. I’ve always liked wearing a lot of different hats, even though casting directors try to type-cast you. I’ve fought that my whole career.
I’ve also had long stretches of being a mama—which has been my BEST gig. And during the pandemic, I built a craft room and started an Etsy store. I always need to be doing something creative.
From She Loves Me to Dirty Blonde and more—how do your Broadway stories show up in your cabaret?
I just talk about my life. After the pandemic I was out doing concerts. Depending on the venue, for instance, at a festival I would sing folk or my own songs. In places like Florida I am singing the American song book.
I have developed an incredible body of work over the years and have been blessed with music directors who have gifted me with incredible arrangements that people need to hear. So, I brought them to Ben Rimalower at Green Room 42 and said I wanted to do a retrospective. He loved it. We did four shows—a hodgepodge, jazz standards, stories, and Broadway. The last one was a big Broadway hug. It was so much fun. [See Stage and Cinema‘s review.]
I’ve never thought of myself as a cabaret artist—I think of myself as an actor. But when you’re doing cabaret, you’re serving your own story. That’s different from serving a director’s or playwright’s vision in the theater. And if you can stand on stage and be yourself in a cabaret, you can stand on stage and be anybody.
How do you emotionally prepare before going onstage each night?
The nice thing about getting older and having life experience is that I don’t have to prep emotionally. I do constantly run lyrics and sing a little every day to stay in shape. Use it or lose it!
You’ll also be teaching a master class while you are in Palm Springs (which I will be taking). Can you tell us more about it?
For years and years, I taught every summer at the conference at Yale University and loved it. We’d always have ten students—with even more on the waiting list. In Palm Springs, I’ll be teaching this time with Johnny Rodgers. We haven’t worked together in a while, but we’ve done a lot of songwriting over the years. He’s one of my greatest hangs of all my accompanists—just a brilliant musician. He’ll be teaching alongside me.
Over the years, I’ve taught lots of master classes. About five years ago, I went to the University of Houston to workshop my play with music, and I noticed they didn’t have a musical theatre program. Brett Cullen and I (both UH alums) brought the idea to the Dean of Fine Arts, and she suggested I come for a month as an artist-in-residence. In that residence I would work with the students, and bring in a guest star to do a show with me. It was amazing.
This year, they’re putting me into the curriculum. I’ll be going down at the end of August for an eight-week semester to teach the curriculum I developed myself. They now do an annual musical, and there’s a new head of theatre working to develop a musical theatre minor.
As a performer and teacher, what do you hope audiences take away from your show?
I hope they go on an emotional journey. I hope they laugh and cry and feel like they got to know me a little. I hope they leave smiling.
Is this your first time in Palm Springs—or what keeps bringing you back?
I’ve been a few times! I did One Night Only at the Annenberg and my solo show there too. I really love the old-time Hollywood feel of Palm Springs. I love the climate. And it’s always a great hang. I’ve got quite a few friends there, so I’m hoping for a swell turnout.
Any final thoughts?
I used to be a big belter—and I still have my money notes when I need them—but I’m more particular now. Now, I’m just much more interested in storytelling than volume. As I get older, it’s all about connection. And the only thing that really matters when you get right down to it… is love. Loving what you do. Loving your life. And loving people.
Sally Mayes
2025 Summer Cabaret Series
Coachella Valley Rep, 68510 E Palm Canyon Dr in Cathedral City
June 19, 2025, at 7
for tickets ($60), call 760.296.2966 x 201 or visit CVRep
for more info, visit Sally Mayes
for booking, visit Above Deck Entertainment
