The event may have been named Blue Noel, but the mood was ANYTHING but blue on Friday, December 20th at the New York City cabaret hotspot Don’t Tell Mama. The evening was a fine mix of established cabaret “names” and some newer performers, even including a few singers who were showing their stuff for a live audience for the very first time.  The song selection was a mix of humor, heart, and holiday spirit: a helluva lot of “nice” with some occasional “naughty” thrown in.  The show was directed by Lina Koutrakos, a cabaret legend in her own right. Musical direction was by Daryl Kojak.

Blue Noel opened with Audrey Appleby. Her first song was called, appropriately enough, Into the Blue, a song she revealed that she wrote during the pandemic, “a bluish time”.  It was an excellent way to launch the night. the second song was another original creation of hers named Slipping, a beautifully haunting number perfectly accented by evocative lyrics and by the keywork of Mr. Kojak, the evening’s hardworking pianist.  Appleby’s performance was excellent.   Next up was the delightful Mary Sue Daniels, who has an amazing stage presence and some great advice for holiday cheer: Eat a big hunk of chocolate and have a large dose of tenderness!  Her hilarious take on Tom Waitt’s Chocolate Jesus was sassy, smart, and deserving of a new unwrapping.  Giving a very different vibe for her second piece, Ms. Daniel’s Song of Bernadette was a scorcher. Following Ms. Daniels was the lovely Elvira Tortola.  Tortola’s first stocking stuffer was I Won’t Send Roses from Jerry Herman’s Mack and Mabel.  It was bittersweet, occasionally bordering on outright heartbreaking. The second was Who’s Minding the Store?, which seemed like a spiritual sequel to her first song.  Again, Mr. Kojak ‘s piano perfectly accented Elvira’s achingly beautiful vocals, especially that fiery last note…  Amy Rafa gave the crowd her own take on the 1978 Little River Band hit Reminiscing.  Her performance gave a unique spin on the soft rock classic, transforming it from a popular foot-tapper to an anthem of feverish romanticism.  If you are going to re-do a classic, this is the way to do it.  

Q: How do we know when an artist makes a song completely their own? A: When no matter how many times you hear it, it still moves you.  I had first heard Sue Matsuki’s I Miss You on her 2001 album A New Take.  Hearing it live on stage at Don’t Tell Mama on the dawn of 2025, it sounded as beautiful as ever.  Sue followed up with the stunning How Did We Come to This.  As always, Ms. Matsuki incorporated her trademark humor into her musical skills.  Following Sue was the thoroughly charming Maureen Kelly Stewart.  Adding some lovely personal anecdotes into the music, she gave the crowd a pair of classic, ageless love songs: The Nearness of You and More Than You Know.  As one of only two men in the group, Harry Althaus was next up.  His first holiday offering to the audience was Anyone Who Had a Heart, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Ms. Dionne Warwick in 1964.   As anyone in the audience would agree, the song holds up VERY well, particularly with Althaus’ vulnerable interpretation.  The same goes for his take on the eternally romantic Why Did I Choose You.  Terri Dannenberg was next, and she displayed an astonishingly hypnotic vocal skills with How Do You Keep the Music Playing (I L-O-V-E-D her lush delivery of the final line “The music never ends…!”)  She followed that with a very different offering: I Don’t Remember Christmas.  It was sassy, funny, and yet another candidate for my new favorite holiday song playlist.  Speaking of “sassy”…!  Risa Finkel won her official spot on Santa’s “naughty” list… and that’s a great thing!  I can honestly say that this is the most I’ve heard the word “fuck” in a cabaret show. (The song, as I’m sure you’re dying to know, is I Didn’t Fuck it Up by Katie Goodman!)  Without sacrificing her trademark verve, Finkel segued into the provocative Mary Said No by Amanda McBroom.  

As the second male among a gathering of talented ladies, Geoffrey Stoner was next. His funny and oh-so-vivid recollections about holiday memories as a child in New England (circa ’50’s through the ’60’s) brought more of that era to life in a few minutes than an entire episode of Peyton Place.  Speaking of “ladies”, Geoff segued into the deliciously decadent Ladies Who Lunch.  To say it was a crowd-pleaser would be a severe understatement.   The last performer of Blue Noel was the lovely Deborah Stone, who brought us Amanda McBroom’s Hot in Here.  Cutting an impressive figure and knowing how to expertly work her own silhouette, this song could not have been more patently made for Ms. Stone. “Hot in Here”?  Well, it WAS after her performance… Blue Noel concluded with the entire cast singing… what else? The iconic classic Blue Christmas.

Blue Noel was proof that not all holiday presents have to come under a tree!