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I wanted to let our readers get an inside view of the birthing process where a MetroStar is born: the delights, the divas-in-training, the dramas of discovery. Since I’m one of the judges in this every-Monday singing contest at Metropolitan Room, along with fellow reviewer Roy Sander (with guest judges joining us in August, and the audience vote factored in), I have a different kind of role in observing the proceedings, and this regular cabaret column should not be a place for me to state opinions at this point, However, it is an important and interesting event – and I wanted to let readers know more about what goes on in the room, if not in my head.
So, I thought the perfect alternative was for me to let someone else do the speaking from her own viewpoint, and have asked a special guest to sit in and report to you. Here is the report from special guest writer Kathleen France. She is not a critic and will not wear that hat. She is a singer who entered the contest last year, but is not eligible this year since she later had an extended run of her (terrific) show at the venue. She was nominated for a MAC Award for it in the Female Debut category. A blogger, too, I thought she’d be the perfect person to be a fly on the wall, but to also buzz around and let you know what it’s like in the show room and behind the scenes a bit. So, she’ll be reporting regularly about this as the big field narrows and a MetroStar is born. For reservation information and list of participants, etc., see www.Metropolitan Room.com – the club is at 34 West 22 Street. The phone number is (212)206-0440. Welcome, Kathleen!
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A Singer’s Perspective
By Kathleen France
Once a year, Metropolitan Room holds a singing competition to find the next artist they would most like to see perform a full-length cabaret show. Many performers submit applications, as well as recordings of themselves singing, for the chance to be the winner of The MetroStar Talent Challenge. This competition is open to both up-and-coming and experienced singers who have not yet played a major engagement at Metropolitan Room. Past winners are the incredible Anne Steele and Liz Lark Brown, and some of the participants have gone on to win Bistro, Nightlife or MAC Awards/MAC nominations. Not only that, the winner gets his or her very own full-blown professional cabaret show financed by Metropolitan Room (and presented there)! This comes with a director, a musical director, a graphic designer for all of the marketing and a multi-track recording of the show. Who wouldn’t want to do it?
Being a newcomer in the cabaret world is sometimes very difficult. We don’t have tons of fans or huge followings like other more seasoned artists do. This event not only gives new people the chance to perform in front of a live audience, but provides them with both a learning experience and exposure to others who would not necessarily have heard them sing before.
I was lucky enough to be part of this competition last year, and had an amazing time. If there is one thing, above all else that I love about cabaret, it is the camraderie among our community, sharing our love of music with each other, and the support and love we have for our members. There is nothing better. So when I ran into Josey Miller in the ladies’ room before the show, all of those feelings came rushing back. Josey and I did the competition last year and became fast friends (at MetroStar AND on Facebook). Josey loves to sing ballads, but this year she decided to change it up a little, and sing the uptempo song “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” She just wanted to go out there and have some fun. I thought that was a great idea.
The song selection process is actually very difficult, primarily because there is an audience involved.;one who is JUDGING you! Let me tell you, I was never as nervous singing at an open mic night, or even performing my debut cabaret show, as I was doing The MetroStar Talent Challenge. Knowing that those people are out there are judging you, is positively nerve wracking. So, what do you sing to WOW these people? Do you sing your favorite song? Do you pick something that shows versatility, or range, or has a lot of money notes? Do you do something original? A medley? Do you talk before you sing? Do you just go right into it? What do you do?
I have to admit, when I did The MetroStar Talent Challenge last year, I didn’t fully know what I was doing yet. I came from a musical theatre background, so I understood how to act a song, but I didn’t fully understand really connecting with an audience. So, if I were to give the contestants any advice, I would say connecting with the lyric and song selection are the most important ingredients in making yourself memorable to the audience.
I decided to ask a number of the contestants how they chose their song for the evening. The first person I ran into after the show was Christina Parke, who decided to enter the contest this year after seeing her friend Angela Shultz participate in it two years earlier. Christina sang the Sondheim song “Sooner or Later,” from the movie musical Dick Tracy. I asked her why she chose the song and she told me that she listens to a huge amount of music on her iPod, but chose this song because it “felt good.” She felt emotionally connected to the song. Obviously, Christina is much further along than I was when I did the contest!
Then I spoke to Patrice Bell and Westley Todd Holiday, both of whom are members of the group Bending Threads, which takes poems and puts them to music and then performs them in a cabaret setting. Patrice sang one of my favorite Michel Legrand songs entitled “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?” with lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman. She wanted to choose something light in tone, that had a warm cabaret feel, which she performed a lot so she would be comfortable with it. Westley told me that, sometimes when he sings, he thinks too much about the notes, so he chose an “oldie but a goodie” that had a story he could connect to, because he said when he acts a song, it frees up his voice.
Janice Hall, who is an accomplished opera singer, surprised us by singing a very funny Cole Porter song called “The Laziest Gal In Town.”
Jan Brennan and Holly Sickinger both did a wonderful job with “The Girl in 14-G.” I seem to remember that last year, we had to e-mail the powers that be our song selection, so there were no repeats. It’s always challenging when something like that happens because the audience compares the two performers.
Elli Fordyce did a jazz duet, entering as a duo act with Jim Malloy, which I thought was very brave because it took half of the focus off her, and when you only have one song to stand out, it is risky to share the spotlight.
Of course, there were the unexpected moments of live performance that made the show exciting, like when Sandy Hensen got up to sing and the microphone completely shorted out. JP Perreaux, sound man extraordinaire, was there to save the day. Or, during the changing of the guard at the piano, when musical director Bill Zeffiro's glasses flew across the room. Poor Cindy Marchionda thought Bill would be playing by ear since he had no eyes with which to read the music, but luckily, an audience member with extra-sensory vision spotted the glasses, and the show went on. Each of these singers showed extreme professionalism by not letting these mishaps affect their performances. I was very proud of my fellow cabaret artists. I thought everyone did an excellent job. And in the end, the thing most expressed to me by the participants, was how supportive their fellow contestants were and how much fun they had being a part of The MetroStar Talent Challenge. And that made me smile.
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Thanks, Kathleen! We look forward to your next report—and your own next cabaret show, too! For more on Kathleen, see her website www.KathleenFrance.com
CATCH-UP ON CABARET is made possible via the generosity of Jamie deRoy and friends
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