Vaudeville at the Gin Mill is a cabaret revue created by the team Gelber & Manning that takes place one night in a '20s speakeasy featuring several big hits of yesterday, some of them on their CD of the same name from last year's Gelber & Manning's CD of the same name. The cast features a fast-talking emcee, a music director/pianist, a star singer, a cornet player and drummer/percussionist, "guest stars," a bootlegger, the speakeasy owner, an Irish policeman, and an ambitious cigarette girl. The show is a rapidly-paced fun evening.

Gelber, who is an accomplished ragtime/stride pianist, begins the show at his piano playing "entrance music" as a Buster Keaton silent film is projected on a brick wall. Gelber, wearing a stovepipe hat, and drinking "tea" from a glass, doesn't lack for energy as the customers fill up the room and order drinks and food. The formal show opens with Evie (Gloria Stewart,) the cigarette girl, begging the club owner (W. C. Edwards) for a chance to sing and dance in the show. He tells her to sell those cigars and cigarettes or "you'll be dancing on the breadline."

Manning, the singing star, in spit curls and feathered hat and slinky flapper dress, mocks calling Gelber on the telephone, and bursts into one of the great Beatrice Kay standards, "Hello My Baby," singing the chorus in a quick step rhythm as she pleads with Gelber to remember he promised to marry her. Gelber ignores her and gives her her cue for her next number, "Alexander's Ragtime Band." (Note: all of the old songs in this show are big hits that have fallen into public domain under the old copyright laws.) After belting out the number, Manning storms off the stage. The fast talking emcee (also played by Edwards) tells old Joe Miller jokes, encouraging the customers to buy the many varieties of "tea" they are serving.

Manning does return and sings one of Gelber's original songs, "Drinking at the Gin Mill," a swinging number celebrating the joys of Prohibition. She is interrupted by the appearance of Paulie (Enzo Gentile) from Canarsie, a bootlegger gangster. Paulie goes into a song and dance with "Ain't She Sweet" as he proposes to Manning.

Alone, Manning remembers seeing Gelber on the subway to Coney Island and their romantic meeting at the beach. Gelber's version is that she bothered him and his friends the whole day on the beach. "Comin' Coney Island," another Gelber original, is enthusiastically sung by Manning and features great cornet playing by Charlie Caranicas and rocking drum/percussion by Kevin Dorn ,while Gelber shows his Jelly Roll Morton skills on this song.

"Guest stars" are Jezebel Express, a zaftig woman in pink silk undies hidden by big fans which she utilizes as she does a classy strip tease in the great tradition of Sally Rand, and "Josephine Baker" played by Perle Noire, a beautiful girl in scanties, who does a skillful acrobatic dance exactly as you can see in silent footage of the young Baker.

The cops raid the speakeasy and the bootlegger is arrested. Manning and Gelber reconcile and send the audience off with a reprise of a singalong reprise of "Drinking at the Gin Mill."

VAUDEVILLE AT THE GIN MILL
Premiering Friday March 13 @ 7:30pm and Every Friday and Saturday thereafter
Drom Supper Club, 85 Avenue A (between 5-6 Sts), www.dromnyc.com
For Dinner Reservations/Priority Seating call 212-777-1157
For info: LeeSobel@aol.com, myspace.com/vaudevilleattheginmill
Advance Tickets $25: http://www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showCode=VAU4 or call 212-868-4444 - Day of show: $35
Duane Park is the site of their burlesque show

Joe Regan, Jr.
Cabaret Scenes
February 13, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org