Broadway - Cabaret Style

From 54 Below website - Rendering by John Lee Beatty

While sitting at a cramped table of strangers being bumped by passersby and trying to get my waiter's attention so that I can satisfy a table minimum, I am reminded why I am not always fond of cabarets. 

Then Betty Buckley (actress/singer/cowgirl/teacher according to her Twitter profile) enters the stage and charms a room filled with theater lovers. Never mind the noisy shaker at the bar. Never mind the mediocre food. Never mind that I cannot check my bill in the dark to make sure that I have not been ripped off. Never mind the pain in my neck as I twist to see the stage. Betty is on at BB King Blues Club right smack in the heart of the city, and she is belting out Broadway tunes typically sung by men. This is the first time that I am seeing her perform and I relish the experience because I may never see the Tony award winner from Cats perform ever again.

In June, another cabaret style nightclub opens - this time below the famous Studio 54 in midtown. The club promises fine dining (we will see) and cover charges as high as $70 with table minimum of $30. Not cheap. But with an initial line up that includes the diva herself - Patti LuPone (June 5 - 16), Ben Vereen (July 10 - 21), Lea DeLaria (July 23-August 6) and the underrated Jenifer Lewis (July 24 - 28), who can stay away. 

I can't...