Rob Lester

FLYING HIGH, CAROLE DEMAS’S FIREFLY LIGHTS UP THE ROOM “I could say life is just a bowl of Jello / And appear more intelligent and smart / But I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope / And I can’t get it out of my heart” That habit of favoring hoping over moping…

SONGS OF MR. STROUSE IN THE HOUSE One of the greats of The Great White Way’s great golden age, Charles Strouse was the honoree in absentia in an especially splendid presentation on July 20, a look at the lesser-known works of the man who passed away this May, just a few weeks shy of turning 98….

THE HISTORY, HYSTERICAL HAPPENINGS & HAPPINESS THAT SPELL “BROADWAY” Broadway musicals feature a parade of talent which, like time, marches on. Sometimes it seems that parade of pizzazz passes by pretty quickly, but the talented stage veterans who were guests at Backstage Babble on July 7 at 54 Below didn’t seem to have lost their…

THE SHOW MUST GO ON, MOORE OR LESS She’s a singer, certainly a star, and a survivor. Melba Moore has had a decades-long career that includes musical theatre, film, TV, and recordings covering such genres as R&B, dance music, and pop, and disco. Her stage work began with a role in the legendary rock musical…

REED ALL ABOUT IT! SHAW BIZ WITH THE ANDERSON TWINS When jazz musicians of the current generation explore and embrace the repertoire of stars of the past, it can be an enjoyably educational experience. Such was the case when, along with four fine colleagues, Peter and Will Anderson turned their attention to bandleader Artie Shaw…

IN THE TRADITION OF THE GREAT JAZZ SINGERS When Ashley Pezzotti sings, it will only take a few notes for listeners new to her manner to gratefully discover that their ears will be caressed, rather than assaulted, by her timbre and talents. Some vocalists whose main asset is being long on loveliness and legato lines…

A REVIEW OF A REVUE Whatever happened to the topical revue format? As differentiated from musical revues that recycle old, established songs by particular writers, the topical revue presented new material in both songs and sketches. Once a mainstay of nightclub and theatre entertainment, the format was a potpourri of songs and comedic skits, maybe…

ONE WOULD BE MAD TO NOT HAVE RSVP’D “YES” TO THIS PRIVATE PARTY CELEBRATING THE CENTENNIAL OF RODGERS & HART’S “MANHATTAN” Oh, if these walls could talk!!! Actually, the walls would probably also sing because so much music has been played and planned over the decades at the elegant apartment in question dubbed “54 Above.”…

IT’S JAZZ. IT’S JOY. IT’S JUDY On the very rainy night May 14th, performing at that place called Pangea, the attractive venue on Second Avenue in Greenwich Village, vocalist Judy Wexler is the featured attraction. It’s a one-night-only opportunity to catch her, so it’s worth getting wet. Notably, a cluster of admirers includes other singers…

ANY TIME IS A GOOD TIME TO GIVE MY REGARDS TO [THE MAN WHO OWNED] BROADWAY The tribute show is called George & Me. The only singer on the bill is a man named Bill: That’s Bill Bartus, bow tie at his neck and hat and cane at the ready, and he’s ready to share…

HARNICK…HEARTFELT & HEARTWARMING Sheldon Harnick, who passed away in 2023 at age 99, is alphabetically in good company among the great Broadway writers. His name comes after E.Y. “Yip” Harburg — whose work and personal encouragement inspired him as he began his career — and the witty Lorenz Hart, but before Jerry Herman, who similarly…