The best cabaret venue in NYC is Don't Tell Mama's located in the heart of midtown. At "Mama's" as locals call it, on any given night patrons can mingle with a very diverse mix of folks, from Broadway show cast members unwinding after a show to tourists carrying on as though they were in Vegas. "Mama's" has two cabaret rooms, a happening piano bar, and a restaurant. In the cabaret rooms you'll find everything from Broadway veterans testing new material to novice performers trying things out. The mood in the venue is always jovial and fun. The staff, made up of performers themselves, keep the mood on an up-swing. However, the best thing about "Mama's" is its booking agent, the legendary Sidney Myer. Mr. Myer, is loved by everyone in the cabaret community, and no other booking agent in NYC has the charisma and professionalism. "Sidney", as everyone calls him, is nurturing to new performers and extremely accommodating to the more seasoned ones.
The bad...
The Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe. Centrally located on 42nd Street and right off Ninth Avenue, the place seems as though it's a simple jaunt. However, once you enter the West Bank Cafe, you are instructed to cross the length of the restaurant past the unlooking patrons having their dinner... annoyed by your disturbance; then you pass the open kitchen with yelling cooks, as you dodge waiters that sneer at you; then you head down to what I can only describe as dungeon stairs, and yes, you head down to the basement ("the dungeon")... a fire trap to doubt. At the bottom of the steps you are greeted by the beast known as Kenny Bell the host & booking agent who growls at you as though he has not eaten for months. This hysterical queen kills your every intention of enjoying the show. The wait staff is nice enough, the frozen dinners are ok too, the room is tight and you constantly get hit in the back of the head each time "Kenny the beast" hurls by with yet another sucker... please do not dare turn your chair for he will spew his venom all over you. The ceiling feels as though it will fall on you at any time. "Where's the fire exit? Oh, yes there! But wait, it is being blocked by the comedians changing in the hallway!" I had to exit half way thru the show... a terrible one called "Scandal". For the cost, I'll go back to a storefront lower Est Side theatre... or hell, pay Broadway prices. The Beechman with "Kenny the Beast" is a downer.
The Horrible!!!
The Edison Ballroom, located at 240 West 47th Street in NYC, has a long and colorful history. It was originally opened in the 30’s as the grand ballroom for the Hotel Edison. It was constructed in the classic “art deco” design, and offered dining and dancing to its patrons, while featuring many famous bands and singers from the “Swing Era.” The venue also included a separate bar and restaurant called “the Green Room” which often offered musical accompaniment to diners. A generation later, the Edison Ballroom was converted to the Edison Theater, where various Broadway theatrical productions were offered. Perhaps the most famous (or infamous) production in the Edison Theater was “Oh! Calcutta!”, which ran at this venue for 13 years (beginning in 1976). After 5,959 performances “Oh! Calcutta!” was for a brief time the longest running musical in Broadway history. But during the past few years, under the embarrassing and incompetent leadership of its booking agent, Sean Campbell and its main office "manager", William Kaelblein, the venue has become an empty cavernous and uninviting place.
