With support from Eleanor and Howard Morgan and Lynn and Bruce Surry, former musical-theater actress Donna Rubin and former artistic director of Guild Hall Josh Gladstone have embarked on a third sparkling season bringing popular cabaret artists ordinarily seen in Manhattan clubs to the Hamptons.
Donna Rubin and Josh Gladstone
Not-for-profit LTV, serving the East End community 40 years, will offer Saturday-night shows at its studios from June 22 through August 31 in Wainscott, New York. There’s no longer need for lengthy drives or crowded jitneys to see your favorites. On May 7th, a benefit/preview was held at the Triad Theater. All performers donated their time.
Dapper Mark Nadler and flapperesque KT Sullivan opened with a glimpse of what Nadler calls their “Mini Cabaret Convention.” An almost vaudevillian duet of “Well, Did You Evah?” with a jigger of “It’s De-Lovely” (Cole Porter) included jokes, asides, and parlando. That the piano survived Nadler’s hyper-enthusiasm is something of a marvel. His also sped-up rendition of “Old Black Magic” (Harold Arlen/ Johnny Mercer), followed a mischievously deceptive intro.
Mark Nadler and KT Sullivan; Mark Nadler
Sullivan offered a tuneful excerpt of De-Lovely and a graceful little dance. (Yes, she can.) A medley of Broadway/New York songs by George M. Cohan and Cole Porter were polished and affectionate.
Said mini-convention will also feature vocalists Natalie Douglas and Marta Sanders. Douglas’ “Begin the Beguine” (Cole Porter) started as posh swing. Short, robust phrases kept it less than lyrical, but vocal was pristine. Sanders’ “Before the Parade Passes By” (Jerry Herman – Hello, Dolly!) erupted in an explosion of heart and gut, a “rage against the dying of the light” (Dylan Thomas). We believed every proclamation.
Mark Nadler with Natalie Douglas and Marta Sanders
David Alpern—former reporter/writer/senior editor Newsweek—introduced Steve Ross, Maria Abous, and Karen Murphy in Best of the Versed Strikes Back-Celebrating Opening Lyrics You May Not Know to Songs You Thought You Did (following last year’s successful Best of the Versed). “Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Cole Porter are some of the writers from whom you’ll hear. Lyric sheets will be provided for selected sing-alongs,” Alpern told us.
David Alpern; Steve Ross, Karen Murphy, Maria Abous
Maria Abous has a beautiful, almost operatic voice. Many a lassie as ev’ryone knows’ll/Try to be married before twenty-five./So she’ll agree to most any proposal./All he mus’ be is a man, an’ alive… “Waitin’ for My Dearie”(Alan Jay Lerner/ Frederick Loewe- Brigadoon) was rich and expansive.
Rodgers and Hammerstein were represented by Karen Murphy’s lilting “Hello Young Lovers.” (The King and I) …when I think of Tom/I think about a night/ When the earth smelled of summer/And the sky was streaked with white… The vocalist looks back and visibly recalls. Lerner and Loewe were also showcased by Steve Ross whose “Almost Like Being in Love” (Brigadoon), joined by the ladies, swayed in, exuberant and dancy.
Moipei
The remarkable Mary, Maggy, and Marta Moipei presented a gorgeous rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Music of the Night” (Phantom of the Opera). Surprising arrangement by the sisters themselves, utilized every nuance of the three voices to best advantage. The song was as haunting as I’ve ever heard it. (Beth Ertz – piano)
Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano previewed selections from their terrific new CD Painting the Town. The couple is a slam dunk. Comstock’s original arrangement of “Broadway” (Teddy McRae/ Wilber H. Bird/Henri Woode) was stylish, infectious fun.
Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano
Though “proud New Yorkers,” the artists were both raised “in outer boroughs, but New York suits us …” introduced a cosmopolitan “I Cannot Hear the City” (Marvin Hamlisch/Craig Carnelia – Sweet Smell of Success). Sighing melodically, lyric intention emerged without fuss or bother, just as intended. Ahhhh
The duo will be presenting Al Hirschfeld’s Broadway – songs and stories in collaboration with David Leopold of the Al Hirschfeld Foundation.
“The Impossible Dream” (Mitch Leigh – Man of La Mancha), rendered by Craig Rubano in English and Spanish, closed the evening with drama. Goosebumps rose in response to the performer’s deep, resonant, emotional interpretation. One can’t help but exit feeling buoyed. Beth Urtz- piano
Beth Urtz and Craig Rubano
Also on the promising summer bill are Marilyn Maye, Liz Callaway, and Lee Roy Reams.
Photos by Alix Cohen
Hamptons Summer Songbook By the Sea– Preview
Triad Theater 158 West 72nd Street
Eleanor and Howard Morgan in association with LTV Studios present
The schedule: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KUaorgSLimN0uuwNQjBz97uhxps2aVC-hulpfFA10d0/edit?usp=sharing
Produced by Donna Rubin and Josh Gladstone
June 22- August 31, 2025
LTV Studios – Cabaret’s New Home in the Hamptons
75 Industrial Road
