Buddy Beaverhausen's Random Thoughts: The Rebirth of Live Entertainment in NYC!

Live entertainment is one of NYC's greatest assets, whether we're talking about the legitimate theater, cabaret or live concerts -- in large venues and intimate ones. It's what draws people to the city, makes them brave Times Square and the extreme weather in winter and in summertime.

Doubtlessly, the lines blur more and more between "legit" stage productions and New York cabaret  where unprecedented numbers of established stars rub elbows with the rising stars of tomorrow.

It's an excitement you can't find anyplace else. Yes, we have great restaurants here as well and fine movie palaces but nothing can beat a live concert, live theater, our cabaret rooms. They scintillate with an energy, a vibe that nothing else compares to.

In an interview I did with Bernard Fushpan, manager of one of Manhattan's best cabaret venues, Metropolitan Room, cabaret has become "less stodgey" today and "has embraced a wider spectrum or variety of sounds." And it's more egalitarian I would venture to say, more welcoming to all to come, enjoy and just have a good time, leaving your worries behind.

The same is true of the Broadway stage. Viva the rock musical! All live theater in NYC is expensive to mount I hear from producers, people who work in what they love, which ~ of course ~ is priceless.

Serious dramas have again made headway on Broadway but it's still the big, splashy musicals that pull in the most people.

So, what good is sitting alone in your room watching the boob tube? Life is a holiday ~ only in NYC, kids, only in New York as Cindy Adams used to write!

Travels with Beaverhausen: Sally Kellerman @ Feinstein's @ the Nikko

Sally Kellerman was every bit as awesome at Feinstein's (set inside the glamorous Nikko hotel) in San Francisco last night as she was when I saw her in NYC at 54 Below in January. Her set was basically the same http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/01/on-town-with-buddy-b-sally-kellerman.html, though extended with at least two additional songs, including Sarah Gazark's heartbreaking "The Lies of Handsome Men" and the pop classic, "Story of Love," her finale.

Her West Coast show found her in hippie mode, much looser and more glib than she was in Manhattan. She was dressed in faded jeans and a casual Jean Paul Gaultier top. She conducted an impromptu Q&A with the audience. Someone asked a question I didn't consider in our q&a http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2015/01/exclusive-q-with-sally-kellerman.html, and that was about working with the late Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School (1986). Mss K said it was a very pleasant memory for her and that Mr D was quite the soft-spoken gentleman when he didn't have to be "on." She was further pressed as to why she chose to quote poet Dylan Thomas in that film. "Chose?" Sally chuckled. "Hey, I'm just an actress. They give me a script, I recite the lines. But ok, now I know it was Dylan Thomas!"

The star w/ Buddy B

After the show, Sally and I met in the lobby. I bought her latest cd this time, and she autographed it for me. I explained I brought my friends that just moved to SF with me to her show and that I was not doing a creepy stalker thing as it was a coincidence she was performing at the time. Sally laughed, saying "Stalk away! Actually, it's kismet!" as she gratefully signed the cd.

Thank you, Ms Kellerman! My extended family, Steve and Ilene, loved the show. They were very touched, being parents, by Ms K's rendition of Paul Williams/ Kenny Hirsch's "I Still Miss You." The show was, each and every moment, a precious pleasure. How often is that the case?

Ilene & Steve @ the Nikko bar 

Sally's autographed cd