Thursday, December 11 was truly one of the biggest nights in New York City’s colorful and diverse world of cabaret.  The setting was the Times Square-adjacent performance venue The Laurie Beechman Theatre, and the event was The Season: Goldie’s Kids. This was Goldie Dver’s third annual benefit for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Directed by James Beaman with Musical Direction and piano by Dan Pardo, and featuring John Miller on bass and Chip Fabrizi on drums, the event featured over 30 (!) of New York’s finest musical artists– and went on for over three delightful hours.  That said, there was not one wasted note in this marathon holiday spectacle.  Rather, there was one flawless performer after another.  Any one of these performers have the talent and good old-fashioned “moxie” to perform for three hours straight by themselves. Craig Rubano, for example, performed Just in Time for Christmas with enough energy and grandeur for a whole chorus. Had Goldie’s Kids gone on all night long, this reviewer for one would NOT have objected. The song selections were a mix of the traditional and the, shall we say, “less traditional”!  So, while the always entertaining Richard Skipper gave the audience the eternal classic We Need a Little Christmas (and had everyone singing along!) and Craig Pomranz gave us the as-delightful-as-the-fire Let it Snow, some of the performers knew how to shake it up a little.  Laurie Krauz’ hilarious, sexy, raucous take on Santa Claus is Coming to Town was one example. (Ms. Krauz NEVER disappoints!) Tim Connell’s hilarious 12 Drunken Daze of Christmas, complete with ukelele, was another. Lovely Lianne Marie Dobbs performed a more-sultry-than-comedic version of If I Only Had a Brain, as originally done by the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz.  Ms. Dobbs had once played Dorothy on the stage… and let’s just say that if she had played the Scarecrow and sang THIS song, she would have ushered a whole generation of teenage boys into an early puberty… There was even some original music, such as Tracy Stark’s absolutely lovely Perfect Christmas, which deserves to be the next big holiday classic.

The lineup of talent made the event a guaranteed success, but what made it even better was that the beneficiary of the night was St. Jude Children Hospital, a trusted organization with an exceptional reputation. The event was hosted by the tireless duo of Multiple MAC-Award winners Goldie Dver and Justin Dylan Nastro. But before the pair even started their “schtick”, the audience was treated to a Red Carpet-style pre-show hosted by the alluring Trudy Carmichael.  She was funny, quirky, and VERY stylish.  Ms. Carmichael was one of the many performers in attendance that night who I had the privilege of seeing for the first time at Mama’s Next BIG Act at New York City’s famous Don’t Tell Mama this past summer. (That event, by the way, was produced by Lennie Watts, who performed the crowd-pleasing Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat that night.) Needless to say, the judges must have had a tough time with that talented selection of performers.   Trudy pulled random people from the audience, asking them about their upcoming endeavors.  I can say without a doubt that our Titian-haired comedienne could have literally pulled ANYONE from the audience and, chances are, that person would have had a CD in their resume and an upcoming show ont he way; many of the audience were performers themselves, and the New York City cabaret community is generally very supportive of their fellow artists. After the introduction, Justin thanked the audience for attending. The incredibly charming Ethan Mathias joined Justin for There Is a Santa Claus.  It was funny, frenetic, and a great way to kick off; the pair had excellent creative chemistry together, and that final note of: “There is a Santa C-L-A-U-S….!” was just perfect.  The two were joined by the lady who created the event, Goldie Dver (“My pronouns are ho, ho, ho!”). Goldie gave the audience the should-be Christmas classic Sugar and Booze.  It was no less than delightful, and perfectly suited for Goldie’s plucky musical charms. When Justin Dylan Nastro joined Goldie, it was truly a fine pairing of “sweet and intoxicating”.  Aaron Lee Battle was next, with the eternally beloved My Favorite Things.  Who else but Mr. Battle could take a children’s song (Yes, yes, I know that millions of ADULTS love the song as well! Don’t hate me!) and make it lush, seductive, and sexy.  Richard Skipper was next, followed by Lorna Dallas.  The epitome of class and elegance, it was definitely a thrill to hear Ms. Dallas break into the funny (and just a little but naughty…!) Twelve Days AFTER Christmas. Her ability to hit those challenging notes was truly incredible.  The award-winning singer and brand ambassador for StriVectin Meg Flather was up next, singing the appropriate Keep Young and Beautiful. 

This may be a good time to mention that the audience that night was VERY generous: both the audience in attendance at The Laurie Beechman Theatre as well as those viewers watching from home.    

Speaking of “class acts” which I mentioned earlier: Lovely Broadway star and cabaret icon (and MAC Lifetime Achievement Award winner) Karen Mason was next.  Her selection was the fun and festive It’ll Be Christmas Before We Know It. Next up was Algonzo, giving a saxophone version of Whitney Houston’s Saving All My Love For You.  Most people would rightfully credit the endless allure of this song solely to the late Ms. Houston’s angelic vocals.  But stripped of any lyrics and featuring the smooth sax of Algonzo, the song was recognizable from its melody alone– and certainly no less beloved.  At the risk of making an all-too-obvious play on words, let’s just say that his performance had a lot of “sax appeal” — particularly in those last few “all out” notes! Cabaret icon Sidney Myer kicked off the second “block” of performers with You Meet the Nicest People.  It’s no mystery why Myer is such a beloved figure in the community; he’s undoubtedly funny and charming, without even trying– and, even when singing some patently corny lyrics such as “I’ve looked the universe over, from wacky Nagasaki to Dover; And now that we’ve met, how sweet it seems!” Anna Anderson was next, withWho Would Imagine a King.  If I had to describe her voice, it would be “like honey flecked with gold”, put to music.  Lovely Susan Mack was next, with the highly crowd-pleasing Frim Fram Sauce segueing intoEverybody Eats When They Come to My House, playing up on the importance of food during the holidays.  It was a showstopper.  Mack is sexy, funny, and she can REALLY hit those notes; Who could ask for anything more?  Next was Frank Dain.  Dare I say, at the risk of ruining my reputation, his heart-tugging version of Christmas Memories almost brought a tear to the eye of this Scrooge.   Debi Toni, one of the artists I had first seen and heard at the aforementioned Mama’s Next BIG Act, did her own humorous take on Don’t Rain on My Parade— with the emphasis on “Don’t”.  It was funny, cute, and… she’s a good singer too!  Next up was the husband-and-wife duo of Eric Comstock (piano and vocals) and Barbara Fasano (vocals), a celebrated musical power couple in New York City.  They gave a much-welcome medley honoring good old B-R-O-A-D-W-A-Y!  The delightful Alex DeSuze was next.  Her version of Nina Simone’s My Baby Just Cares for Me was no less than perfect. Carolyn Montgomery’s Merry Christmas Darling was absolutely wonderful. Marieann Meringolo performed Christmastime (It’s Time to fall in Love) with an instantly infectious rhythm.  Sexy, charismatic Quinn Lemley performed The Lady is a Tramp, and I can definitively say that Lemley’s version of this oft redone classic is the ONLY one you need to hear!  

As you may have figured out by now, there was truly something for everyone in Goldie Dver’s Goldie’s Kids. In addition to musical talent, there was no shortage of humor (mostly thanks to comedic tornado Susie Mosher, who even did some crowd work, flirting with audience members and the hard-working Manhattan Holiday Carolers!) and even some storytelling merged with song (such as Joanne Halev’s lovely, perfectly performed Nesting Time in Flatbush).  There was a great variety of performers, ranging in age from the younger artists like Ava Nicole Frances (who brought the house down with Over The Rainbow flawlessly segueing into Home from The Wiz to the proudly 90-year-old self-proclaimed “gay geezer” and TikTok star Ira Lee Collings (Love is Just Around the Corner).  Speaking of Anna again: My personal marker for an interpretation of Over the Rainbow is: How well can the artist hit that lyric “And the dreams that you dare to dream really do–come–true.”.  Ms. Frances nailed that line, going from transcendent to triumphant as she took the performance… well, “Home”.  Normally, I don’t give the ending of any show away, but I will say that Julie Gold gave all of us the ultimate hope for the upcoming 2026 with her worldwide hit From a Distance. The audience was truly blown away.

The Season: Goldie’s Kids was a holiday show that honored some of the world’s most beloved holiday favorites, yet also wasn’t afraid to get funny, silly, and sometimes even a little bit naughty. Kudos go to the hardworking Manhattan Holiday Carolers (Doug Shapiro, Sierra Rein, Bobby Underwood, and Maggie Day Roberts), and who worked harder than Santa’s elves Amazon delivery people on Christmas Eve.   Next, the hardworking musicians (Don Pardo, John Miller, and Chip Fabrizi), who performed for almost three hours straight, deserve an endless supply of sugar and booze! And lastly, Goldie Dver and Jamie Beaman deserve to spend Christmas day on a remote tropical island enjoying a dark rum and Coke for making this night happen… 

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