Anyone who considers themselves an aficionado of New York City’s colorful, thriving cabaret scene may not need this description… but for everyone else, here it goes: Once you enter Manhattan’s beloved live music hotspot Don’t Tell Mama and walk past the main piano bar, there is a small waiting/mingling area just outside of the venue’s two performance spaces.  The walls of this space are decorated with highly distinctive, vintage promo posters of many of the performers who have delighted DTM audiences through the decades.  Among those artists are Karen Mason, Jennifer Lewis, Sharon McNight, and many others.  Singer, director, and recording artist Jeff Harnar is also on that iconic wall.  It was therefore a great thrill, for both the lucky audiences and for the artist himself, that Harnar is still turning it out at Don’t Tell Mama as we slowly venture further into 2026.  Harnar’s new show is called Blame It On My Youth: Our 1980’s Don’t Tell Mama Songbook.   The show is a loving flashback to the songs that he and creative partner of 42 (!) years Alex Rybeck had performed at DTM through the ’80’s. Rybeck is also the show’s Musical Director, music arranger, and tireless pianist.  It was a look back, via music and stories, about Jeff’s journey as “a young man starting out in life”, rather than “an older woman singing about the journey she has traveled”, which was pretty much what people thought of when they heard the word “cabaret” back then.  

The handsome Mr. Harnar has several things working in his favor.  First off, he an incredibly charismatic presence, showcased particularly well by the intimate space of Don’t Tell Mama.  Secondly, there’s that VOICE, which he spotlights immediately with the well-chosen show opener, Richard Rodgers’ The Sweetest Sounds.  Harnar’s ability to sound strong and robust, as well as his capability for a “softer” range, are evident by this one song alone.  And, as Jeff shared with us, this was the very first song he sang on that same stage at Don’t Tell Mama back in 1987(!). He continued with the truly joyous Kander and Ebb Say Yes.  His delivery of that song sounded as youthful and unblemished as ever.  Later on, his version of That Old Piano Roll, a Stephen Schwartz song cut from Follies, is the first of what’s perhaps the show’s finest display of Harnar’s vocal skills.  But more about Harnar’s “vox” later… A performer since the ’80’s, Jeff Harnar has a LOT of stories to tell.  It’s fascinating to hear him speak about the New York City of yesteryear, especially when he tells us anecdotes about a few pivotal people and places from his past, some of which are sadly no longer around (Mr. Sam’s, Mrs. J’s Sacred Cow steakhouse/piano bar, etc…).  Phyllis McGuire of The McGuire Sisters also emerges as an important figure in Harnar’s life.  For those culture vultures (like me) who are intrigued by every aspect of New York City arts and culture during those heady and hedonistic times, Harnar’s stories are no less than fascinating to hear.

But, let’s return to that voice:  Harnar’s vocal strengths and wide range are beyond impressive.  His delivery of Kander and Ebb’s The Happy Time, from the musical of the same name, is yet another fine example of this.  Harnar’s show also benefits from a well-chosen selection of songs.  The playlist for the evening included everything from musical theater favorites, to pop hits (His interpretation of The Beatles’ Nowhere Man is, dare I say, far more affecting than the original.), to songs by one of his creative collaborators: the late composer/lyricist Brian Lasser, who had done many of the arrangements heard that evening.  Lasser’s representation in the show included the campy Being With Me (Is No Picnic).  It’s an audience pleaser for sure, although we could never believe that Mr. Harnar could ever be unlikable. Lasser’s more provocative What I Saw was also performed.  Harnar incorporated the comedic gem Ooh! My Feet from The Most Happy Fella into his mix, reviving it as transgenerational anthem for hardworking servers everywhere: a musicalized memoir of sorts to his many years of waiting tables while pursuing his artistic dreams.  It’s an Art, a song in which he intersperses anecdotes about working with the aforementioned Phyllis McGuire, is a comic delight.  The Stephen Schwartz song is from the 1978 musical Working, but the additional personalized lyrics by Harnar really brought it to a new level.   Speaking of humor: The song Why Did You Have to Split, written by Alex Rybeck and Seth Friedman, is a mirthful masterpiece: a love song to a woman named “Sybil”.  If your thoughts when hearing that name go to the character played by Sally field in the 1976 movie of the same name, you “got” it!  The audience certainly did… and they loved this one. 

Towards the end of the evening, Harnar and Rybeck presented a medley of songs with the theme of going “home”, with samplings of songs from the likes of Carole King, Paul Simon, and Billy Joel– all seemingly to emphasize the fact that, like with Jeff Harnar and Don’t Tell Mama: Yes, you CAN go home again!  There was indeed an encore for Blame It On My Youth: Our 1980’s Don’t Tell Mama Songbook, but I won’t give it away– except to say that it was the absolutely perfect song to send the audience home with. Until next time, that is!.

Jeff Harnar’s Blame it on My Youth: Our 1980’s Don’t Tell Mama Songbook continues on Thursday, February 19th and Thursday, February 26th at 7PM at Don’t Tell Mama, 343 West 46th St, NYC.  For reservations and more information, visit Don’t Tell Mama – New York, NY.  Also visit http://www.JeffHarnar.com.