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(Editor’s Note: Here is our observer/interviewer on the scene bringing you up to date as  Metropolitan Room’s NYC singing contest gets down to its finalists, with the winner getting a run at the club and a CD recording of it.  It’s been sold out, so call (212)206-0440 right away for one of the last two nights, August 23 and 30, when the winners are chosen…or be content to listen to the buzz from our fly on the wall,

Kathleen France who has this to say about the night of August 16, when eight singers were left, and three had to eliminated after singing two songs each and audience and judge votes were tallied. This report includes a summary of some of the judges’ comments and what the singers do to be ready.)

This week our permanent judges Roy Sander and Rob Lester were joined by guest judges Bill Boggs, Will Friedwald, Stephanie Simon, and Allan Harris, a singer who actually started the show off this week by singing in the opening spot usually taken by host Tom Gamblin.  He had lovely interpretations of the Lerner and Loewe classic "On the Street Where You Live" and "The Very Thought of You," the 1934 standard written by Ray Noble.  Listening to this jazz artist and his smooth, smoky stylings was a great way to start off the evening.

Our Top 8 contestants got to each sing two songs as well.  They were assigned to take on a new song of their own choosing and one previously performed number chosen by the permanent judges.  The goal was to see if the contestants have applied the critiques from the previous weeks, and that they are growing and improving.  The fabulous Tracy Stark was at the keys this week, filling in for Nate Buccieri.  The audience was completely packed, and every week gets more exciting!  This week, I wanted to know what the contestants had learned in the competition so far, and also if they did anything special to prepare for their performances week to week.

Janice Hall was the first contestant to perform.  Her judges' selection was "The Laziest Gal in Town" by Cole Porter, and her new selection was "Erroll Flynn," a story-song by Amanda McBroom.  Janice told me that she has learned to stay calm, cool and collected under these difficult circumstances, and really focuses on entertaining the audience rather than thinking about being in a competition.  She tries to stay really low-key on the day of performance, by choosing her outfit, knowing her material, slowly vocalizing, and making sure her day is relaxing and there is no pressure added before the show.  Roy Sander thought she had wonderful line delivery and really did a great job with song selection, by showing two completely different sides to her.

 

Connie James was up next.  Her judges’ selection was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life?" by Michel Legrand and Marilyn & Alan Bergman, two songs originally written for films. It was great to have some jazz people on the panel to critique Connie because she sings in a different genre than the rest of the contestants.  Connie has learned that, compared to her normal studio singing and the world of jazz, cabaret is a different sort of thing to do, since you have to communicate with an audience that is right there instead of far away.  She has loved this experience and thinks it has really helped her grow, since she has put a lot of time into her arrangements and finding new material, and putting more of herself into the song and making it her own.  She brings her own accompanist, which is an option for all contestants from the first week on.  She mentioned to me that she hasn't scatted before - she was apprehensive about it, but chose a song in which scatting would add another great element to the music, so she practiced the art of scatting, and found that she really could do it.  It has made her more confident.  Rob Lester said that, compared to her previous performance of “It Might as Well Be Spring,” this time her piece better captured the “restless” mood described in the lyrics, but questioned her altering some words and adding a tag quoting another song and season, “Autumn in New York.”

Every week, no matter what section I am seated in or what time I get there, I seem to be positioned right next to the same group of Alison Nusbaum supporters!  It is now kind of our running joke.  

Alison's repeat song was "Old Fashioned Love Story" and her new selection was "My Brother Lived in San Francisco." Alison told me that a lot of aspects about this competition are out of her control and she just has to let it go.  She let me know that she has a bit of anxiety about song selection, and because she works at the piano bar Don't Tell Mama on Wednesday nights, she takes in about 3-5 song choices and performs them during the night.  She then takes a poll to see which songs both the audience and her fellow co-workers and past MetroStar winners Anne Steele and Liz Lark Brown think are the strongest choices.  Rob Lester mentioned that one reason he especially liked her performance in the second piece, a story-song, was because he could see the change in her eyes when she sings about specific memories.

The guy you always want to hug, Ruben Ramos, was up next.  His judges’ selection was "A Change in Me" from the from Beauty and the Beast, from his very first night in the contest, and his new song was entitled "Magic."  Ruben also admitted to me that he has a difficult time with song selection.  He wants to choose something new for his listeners, but he is drawn to ballads and finds it hard to find up-tempos that he can really connect with.  He takes the judges' critiques into consideration each week, but primarily focuses on his instincts and really tries to get the story across to his audience.  Allan Harris said that he had a wonderful voice and a wonderful delivery, but that it took him a bit to warm up in the first song from a dramatic standpoint.  He wondered if this was just from nerves.  Roy Sander said that he thought that his physicality was a bit better this week, but he wanted more of a contrast between his two song selections.

T. Oliver Reid comes to the stage each week and says, "Vote for me."  And, actually, he does not even have to ask. This guy's range is crazy!  He is kind of a male version of Mariah Carey, and actually sang his new song selection "Summertime," in MY key.  It was a vocal choice that he had made, which could have been a turn-off to some, but he was so good at singing in his powerful high falsetto that, as an audience member, I just sat there with my mouth open. I'll have to let my friend Ryan Lowe know that if he ever needs to take a vacation from playing Mary Sunshine in the musical Chicago, that I know a perfect replacement.  The judges wanted to hear him do "Over the Rainbow" again, which made me cry this time.  It also affected judge Roy Sander in the same way.  Bill Boggs said that if he had chosen to take the mic out of the stand and played more to the room, he would bring the house down.  T. discovered that he can actually learn new music more quickly than he thought he could.  He also told me his singing secret ---- that he goes to Starbucks and has a hot tea and a banana before every performance.

Next up was that powerhouse, Cindy Marchionda.  This week, she was asked to sing her version of the Beatles’ tune "Got to Get You Into My Life" combined with Smokey Robinson’s “Ooh, Baby Baby.”  Her new selection was an arrangement of "The Miller's Son" from A Little Night Music. Cindy was actually struggling with a cold this week, but you would never have known it.  She told me she loves singing at Metropolitan Room so much because the sound is so great.  I agree.  She tries not to take things too seriously and basically just tries to keep healthy; she warms up for an hour before the show, continues to study, and focuses on making things more specific in her storyline and keeps an open heart.  Roy Sander loved her passion and conviction on her Beatles tune.  

Guest judge Stephanie Simon loved her theatrical prowess and gave her kudos for doing what we actually come to cabaret for -- seeing old songs performed in new and exciting ways.

 

 

 

Mart Bowe was up next.  Mart is the "man of mystery" in this competition.  I never see him before the show.  In fact, I was asking where he was, and was told he’d been spotted halfway down the block, in a doorway, vocalizing under his umbrella in the pouring rain.  A lawyer by day, he has a regular corporate job, but still has a love for singing and the arts.  He is smart, but also in touch with his sensitive side, which is apparent when watching him sing.  This week, Mart's repeat song was "She Cries" and his new selection was entitled "Nobody Needs to Know."  Both are by Jason Robert Brown, the songwriter Mart picked on his very first night in the competition when he was among the dozens.  Roy Sander said he noticed a dramatic difference in his performance this week, and thought he had really grown a lot.  He said his storyline was much clearer, and he looked more centered.  Guest judges Bill Boggs and Allan Harris felt he should have had picked songs that were more different from each other.  He had chosen wordy, monologue type songs, and they wanted to hear something with more melody.  The thing that Mart said he learned the most, was how to communicate with musicians.  Since he doesn't do this for a living, he found that when working with musicians, you almost needed to speak a different language.  He told me that he thought his odds were slim in advancing, due to the fact that he was new to all of this, so when he found he was continuing to progress each week, he took off a lot of time from work, so he could practice and learn the words to all of the new songs he had to learn.

Amy Beth Williams was the last contestant to sing.  Her judges' selection was the standard, "I'll Be Seeing You," and her new song was "If He Walked Into My Life,” from the musical Mame.  Allan Harris said he thoroughly enjoyed her, and that he reminded her of a velvety parlour singer; it took him back and he “felt” her delivery.  Bill Boggs said that excellent singing requires excellent acting, and that he believed her.  Amy Beth has learned to stick to her guns and do what she believes, and what she has chosen to do.  She looks at her song selection with a different eye for the competition, and says that it is exciting getting to sing with different accompanists each week. She's also learned that she has and entire closet full of dresses,  and still doesn't have a thing to wear.

 

 

When the votes were counted, the names of the five performers with the most points were posted on the website www.metropolitanroom.com -- these singers will continue on both August 23 and 30, singing various numbers, including a time when they all have to sing the same song and prepare patter.  On that final August night, the top three will be announced, in order.  Those continuing on are Janice Hall, Cindy Marchionda, Alison Nusbaum, T. Oliver Reid, and Amy Beth Williams.

The audience included such performers as the amazing Marni Nixon, and my friends Sarah Rice and Danielle Grabianowski, who were in the competition with me last year.  Danielle placed second and won a MAC Award for her debut show soon after the MetroStar.  Both ladies won Bistro Awards this spring.  Who knows what the future may hold for this year’s contestants?  Everyone has grown so much in the competition so far, and I can't wait to see what they do next!

CATCH-UP ON CABARET is made possible via the generosity of Jamie deRoy and friends

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