Apparently third time's a charm! This year, my initiation into the NYC Cabaret Community has been fully realized, not only with several fulfilling collaborations and well-reviewed shows, but also on the stage of the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space where, on Monday, March 23rd, Chrissy and I took home two MAC [Manhattan Association of Cabarets] Awards. One for Best Group/Duo— primarily a recognition for our show Dreams Don't Come True in Pennsylvania, but also for our Benefit Christmastide for the Empire State Ride at Stonewall, and our weekly residency at the Edison Hotel. The second award was for Piano Bar Instrumentalist—Uptown, for my shifts at the Townhouse on East 58th Street, as well as my nights subbing at Brandy's and Don't Tell Mama. (Stonewall and Marie's Crisis would land me in the Downtown category, and those who play all around town have to self-select, based on where they have the most shifts).

​My friend and frequent collaborator, Goldie Dver, also won the Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Award for Goldie's Kids: A Benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, for which I served as music director. Chrissy and I joined Goldie, our MAC-nominated director James Beaman, Richard Skipper, and some other friends for an Italian feast beforehand at Carmine's. Certainly a night to remember!

Well, we did it! After over 10 years in NYC, Chrissy and I decided to put on a show. Not knowing quite what to do, we went back to our roots, telling our origin story of getting out of Pennsylvania—a place that we both love, but ultimately had to leave. Under the direction of our friend James Beaman (who helmed my recent collaborations with Richard Skipper and Goldie Dver), a collection of songs by PA-affiliated artists was elevated to Cabaret with a capital C, selling out the beautiful Chelsea Table + Stage, broadcasting a livestream to an additional 50 households, and garnering a terrific review from NiteLife Exchange. 

Our full roster was comprised of some of our dearest friends and musical collaborators—Matt Scharfglass on upright and electric bass; Matt Covey on drumset, and Nate Huvard on guitar and mandolin. Our fellow West Chester University alum Chris Smucker sat in on sax for a few numbers, and background vocals were provided by Kennen Butler and Chrissy's own sister, Eileen Aurelia McHugh. We are happy to be bringing the show back in the fall, and perhaps one more time before next spring, possibly in PA. Stay tuned!

In the Spring of 2004, I played piano in the pit of Reading High School's production of Little Shop of Horrors; it was the second of three shows I accompanied during my tenure there. Fortunately, the Broadway Revival starring Hunter Foster and Kerry Butler was playing in the city, and RHS sponsored a bus for us to go see it, and I did. Fast forward 20 years, and I'm serving as music director for the same show at a dream regional house, starring the one and only Latrice Royale as Audrey II, with none other than Hunter Foster at the helm, directing the show for the first time. Everything about the production was a gift: Dynamite cast, rockin' pit, wonderfully supportive staff, great reviews, and a beautiful locale. I even got to visit with my cousin Danika, some Greylock friends, and spend my birthday in Acadia National Park with Chrissy. 10/10 LET'S DO IT AGAIN.

In my second year of working full-time as a piano bar entertainer, I have been recognized by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets with a nomination for best piano bar instrumentalist. I am very honored to be named alongside these fine folks, all of whom I consider friends and colleagues. The awards ceremony, for which I happen to be serving as music director, will be on April 15th, at Symphony Space. ​

PIANO BAR INSTRUMENTALIST — DOWNTOWN
GERRY DIEFFENBACH / The Duplex, Stonewall, Don’t Tell Mama
KENNEY GREEN-TILFORD / Marie’s Crisis
BRANDON JAMES GWINN / Marie’s Crisis, The Duplex, Don’t Tell Mama
MARK OLESZKO / Stonewall
DAN PARDO / Stonewall, Marie’s Crisis
FRANCA VERCELLONI / Marie’s Crisis

As I was finishing up our third iteration of A Connecticut Christmas Carol at Goodspeed this past December, I was suddenly approached by my friend and colleague Ethan Heard, faculty directing advisor at Yale School of Drama, to step in last-minute to music-direct a new production of the cult musical Alice by Tom Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan. The story behind the show was perhaps as interesting as the musical itself, and both were new to me. With a concept by legendary experimental theatre creator Robert Wilson and a libretto by famed author and translator Paul Schmidt in the early 90s, Alice opened in Hamburg, Germany, before touring around Europe and very briefly at BAM before disappearing like the titular character down the rabbit hole. Waits began folding in songs from the musical into his live sets before recording a concept album in 2002, but the recordings were all in his voice, with little to no connection to their onstage antecedents. The only artifacts from the famed European tour (outside perhaps a few protected archival recordings) only exist online due to the songwriter's car being broken into in late 1992.

Enter director, Logan Ellis.

Ellis, who grew up both as a Tom Waits fan and a classical violist, had a few connections to the piece before choosing it as his graduate thesis at Yale School of Drama. A mentor from his days in a youth symphony happened to be the violinist on Tom's concept album; she was also his cousin, and provided him a means of contact. Schmidt, who wrote the (German) libretto when it toured Europe in the 90s, was a professor at Yale later in life, and released the English translation in a university publication. With rights approved, a talented creative team, and a cast of MFA candidates, Logan just needed someone to take on the musical reins, after a student music-director had to step down due to illness. Logan and I had a great chat on the phone, and I was brought on board.

There were no theatrical arrangements or orchestrations for the show whatsoever; the only materials given to us by the music publishers were what I call "songbook" arrangements, based off the 2002 concept album, and a couple lead sheets of incidental tunes. The music didn't match the libretto, nor did the materials specify the gender of characters, or vocal designations. My favorite detail was a list of instruments (some quite obscure) that Waits used in his recording, and instructions that basically said, "have fun!" That may seem frustrating, but it was very liberating to the team; we had the freedom to basically do whatever we wanted. I reconstructed the score from the ground up, trying to preserve some semblance of the "Tom Waits Sound" while making the arrangements approachable to the audience, and in service of the book. I was given six talented student musicians, and wrote an orchestration to feature them as best as I could. Thankfully, my work was deemed a success, with some especially kind words from my old boss, Michael O'Flaherty, who came in from Goodspeed to see the show Opening Night.

Concept by Robert Wilson
Music and Lyrics by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan
Libretto by Paul Schmidt

Directed by Logan Ellis
Music Direction, Arrangements, and Orchestration by Dan Pardo
Costume Design by Meg Powers
Scenic Design by Anna Grigo
Lighting Design by Riva Fairhall
Sound Design by Dakota Stipp
Projection Design by Brittany Bland
Production Dramaturgy by Evan Hill
Technical Director: HaoEn Hu
Stage Manager: Bekah Brown
Photos by T. Charles Erickson.

CAST
Sola Fadiran
Robert Lee Hart
Daniel Liu
Ilia Isorelýs Paulino
John Evans Reese
Julian Sanchez
Jackeline Torres Cortés
Adrienne Wells
Jessy Yates.

BAND
Jillian Emerson – Cello
Nate Huvard – Guitars/Banjo
Dan Pardo – Piano/Celeste/Concertina/Melodica

Hartford Courant: 'Cult Musical Alice with songs by Tom Waits gets rare production at Yale School of Drama'