Who will be tomorrow’s cabaret audiences? Future fans could well be today’s toddlers, judging from July’s edition of the Tudor City Greens open-air concert series. The shows run once a month, at twilight, in the community’s park; July’s program, held at noon, was the first created especially for children, and offered performances embracing high quality and loving spirit.

Eric Michael Gillett brought quiet strength to “It’s Possible” and “Over the Rainbow”; Julie Reyburn sweetly performed “Lullaby” and “When I Was a Boy”; the father-son team of Broadway’s Bart Shatto and high-schooler Connor Shatto sang a fun-filled “Chim Chim Cheree,” from Mary Poppins, complete with Cockney accents; other songs were provided by actress/singer Mimi Bessette, self-described “professional nerd” Joshua Desjardins, fourteen-year-old actor Peter Charney, singer/violinist Christine Reisner, and Raissa Katona Bennett, the series’ producer and MC. A sing-along, “This Old Man,” was conducted with banjo by this very reviewer, and guitarist virtuoso Sean Harkness contributed a strong solo of one his own works. Instrumental backup was provided by such pros as Tex Arnold, David Caldwell and Bill Zeffiro on keyboard, Cindy Gooden on bass, and Harkness. Tanya Moberly kept things running smoothly as mic-mover and stage manager. Adding to the day’s professional style were printed mini-playbills, designed by Hector Coris and featuring the performers’ bios and photos.

Turnout, mostly toddlers and nannies, was tiny as many young people were away at day and summer camps. Lesson learned. Nevertheless, neither audience size nor the record heat could take away from the energy and professionalism that reached out on a sizzling day to introduce a new audience to this entertainment form called cabaret.

The series (for grownups) continues on the first Tuesday of each month, through October, at 6 PM.

Peter Haas
Cabaret Scenes
July 6, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org