CAHN-DO SPIRIT: HARNAR’S ELEGANT REVIVAL

Jeff Harnar, the celebrated cabaret artist known for his insightful interpretations of classic material, brings his acclaimed Sammy Cahn celebration The Second Time Around to CV Rep on Thursday, July 24. Revisiting his 2001 album—now remastered, reimagined, and expanded with new tracks—Harnar dusts off the tux and martini glass for a fresh spin through Cahn’s sly, sentimental, and swinging lyrics. With top-notch collaborators and a perspective honed over decades, he doesn’t just sing the standards—he brings their subtext to life, reminding us why these classics still flirt, ache, and sparkle. Stage and Cinema has already cheered his turns at at 54 Below and Birdland, so we were thrilled to sit down with Jeff to talk about the show’s significance, the timelessness of Cahn’s lyrics, and the evolution of his own artistry. It’s not just a concert—it’s a champagne-soaked stroll through the heart of the Great American Songbook.

This show marks your debut at CVRep. What does it mean to bring this particular project—your Sammy Cahn celebration—to the desert?

I am thrilled! I feel very fortunate to have been at The Purple Room, PS Underground, and now at CVRep. My accompanist Alex Rybeck is going to stay and play for Lee Roy Reams there as well. It’s great that there’s a connection within the series.

This album was first released in 2001 and is now newly remastered with additional tracks. What inspired you to revisit and reimagine this work “the second time around”?

What happened in 2001 is that the album was released on a label that went out of business (the owner actually went to jail)—a story familiar to many in the industry. So, the album has been in limbo for 25 years. I went to PS Classics, and they reimagined and refreshed it. Now it’s titled Sammy Cahn: The Second Time Around, named after one of his great songs. We’ve added three joyful duets: “Come Dance with Me”/”I Like to Lead When I Dance” with Clint Holmes, “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” translated from Yiddish to Kenyan with a vocal trio from Kenya called MOIPEI, and “Come Fly With Me” with Nicole Zuraitis, who agreed to do it right after her Grammy win, which was amazing.

Jeff Harnar and MOIPEI at 54 Below in NYC

Sammy Cahn’s lyrics shaped so much of the Great American Songbook. What do you think makes his songwriting, especially his collaborations with Sinatra, so timeless?

Well, Cahn and Sinatra are an interesting pairing because the question often becomes: what comes first—the Sinatra swagger or the lyrics? Cahn put more words in Sinatra’s mouth than anyone else, particularly with the Rat Pack songs. When I first did this show, Cahn’s widow was in the audience, and she stood up and said to the crowd, “The lyrics came first.”

For me personally, I adore Porter, and Cahn acts as a conduit from Porter to a more contemporary language. There are a lot of parallels between the two. Cahn wrote profoundly rich love songs, but he also excelled at humor. My parents, when I did Cahn for the first time, didn’t know who he was—but they knew every song.

Many of the songs in the show were written during World War II. How do you approach performing those pieces in a way that honors their historical weight while making them resonate for today’s audiences?

These songs resonate today because the lyrics mirrored the emotional climate of a country at war. We are still embroiled in constant conflict today, and there is often separation between loved ones who are abroad, fighting, and serving their country.

There’s a purity to Cahn’s songs because it was a time when there was no email, FaceTime, or cell phones. When people were separated, there was a type of longing we can’t fully grasp today. Back then, you’d wait months for a letter. So when someone says, “Kiss me once, kiss me twice, it’s been a long, long time,” it meant something much more profound. These songs are a wonderful time capsule—a heartbeat of a country at war.

Jeff Harnar at 54 Below in NYC

Songs like “All the Way,” “Teach Me Tonight,” and “Time After Time” are deeply romantic. What’s your personal connection to this material—and do you have a favorite among them?

Well, as I’m wont to say, if you’re coming to my show, then every song is a favorite. We start with “All the Way,” which is a huge favorite of mine. If you let me love you, it’s for sure I’m gonna love you all the way. That promise is a profound extension of love.

There’s also a song I adore called “I Fall in Love Too Easily.” Frank Sinatra introduced it, but I have a special connection to it—it’s about falling too quickly and too often. There’s a movie called James Dean: Joshua Tree 1951 – A Portrait of James Dean that came out in 2012, and they used that song as background music. Later, they got a budget to film it in a club, and I performed the song in the movie. It’s one of my favorite moments.

You’re joined onstage by Music Director Alex Rybeck and the show is directed by Barry Kleinbort—both longtime collaborators. What do they bring to this project, and how does that collaboration deepen the storytelling?

Alex and I just celebrated 42 years since our first performance together. He’s a longtime collaborator and dearest friend. He, his brother and sister-in-law and I call each other “love-atives”—that’s how close we are. He has given me more than anyone in terms of my musical identity being by my side all these years, helping me figure out how to do this.

If I mention a song, he can intuitively understand how it will filter through my instrument and my key. The fact that I can bring him to PS is a luxury and ideal. We also have three musicians from LA joining us, and we’ll be celebrating 14 years of sobriety together.

Jeff Harnar & Alex Rybeck

You’ve had a long and varied career in cabaret and concert performance. How has your approach to interpreting lyrics evolved over time, particularly when working with a lyricist as witty and elegant as Cahn?

That was the turning point in my life—working with Alex Rybeck and Sara Louise Lazarus, my teacher who directed many of my shows. They were the first to get me to understand that lyrics come first.

The only way I could find my way into Sondheim’s work—and ensure I could be a reliable interpreter of his words—was to really honor the lyrics. They are profoundly extraordinary, and I hope that understanding only deepens over time.

As I get older, I have more life experience to bring to these words, and revisiting this show 25 years later resonates in a much deeper way. For instance, the first time I sang “Time After Time,” my parents were still alive. Julie Wilson, a great teacher, always said that if you do it right, getting older is your best friend as a performer.

For audiences who may only know a few of Cahn’s hits, what do you hope they take away from the show?

I hope they scratch their heads, like my parents did, and think, “Why didn’t I know his name?—because I know all these songs.” It’s astonishing that Cahn is not a household name, despite the fact that he had 26 Oscar nominations for Best Song and won 4.

What’s next for you after this run at CVRep? Are there more revivals, recordings, or new projects on the horizon?

I’m working on some directing projects. One of my artists is recording an Irving Berlin ballad.

I’m also co-hosting a night at the 36th Annual Cabaret Convention by the Mabel Mercer Foundation, which takes place at Rose Hall, Lincoln Center. Andrea Marcovicci and I are co-hosting for the first time. The theme is Cy Coleman.

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The Second Time Around
Jeff Harnar
2025 Summer Cabaret Series
Coachella Valley Rep, 68510 E Palm Canyon Dr in Cathedral City
Thursday July 24, 2025, at 7
for tickets ($60), call 760.296.2966 x 201 or visit CV Rep
for more Jeff Harnar stuff, visit, well, Jeff Harnar