Come to the Cabaret!

Ain’t We Got Fun?

Well, yes and no.

Life these days hasn’t exactly been a cabaret, old chum. The death of one parent, taking care of the other, is not exactly something to sing about. Unless it’s I’ve Got A Right To Sing The Blues. You could also get . . . bitter, but where’s the fun in that? There’s a better way.

Life IS A Cabaret!

At least on Sunday nights at Moonstruck in Asbury Park, NJ. It’s for those times, and For All I Know that’s anytime, when Something’s Gotta Give, and you have no idea “what the fates have in store from their vast mysterious sky.” Especially when that last line should read “that vast mysterious toilet in the sky.” It’s enough to make a girl cranky.

So it’s off to Moonstruck where Anything Goes, and where, with any luck at all, I can get my grove back listening to music from the American Songbook, plus assorted other Oldies But Goodies — including the infamous Shaving Cream Song.

I think it’s great that the singers here range from should be (or are) On Broadway to just plain . . . brave. And the way the pianist, the great Bob Egan, plays away a multitude of sins, like a good cover-up that allows you to be seen frolicking at the beach without scaring the seahorses.

And the songs! I know the words, I can hum the melodies, and even the sad ones make me happy. Love the parodies like Memories, the senior moments spoof.  

Bewitched, Bothered 

And Bewildered is how we felt the first time we stumbled, almost literally, upon this cabaret a few summers ago. We were having a drink at the bar, when we noticed that it was filling up more than usual for a Sunday evening, and that the crowd looked gayer, in every sense of the word, than we had seen it before, and that there was a piano player . . . and people were coming up to the microphone to sing. It was fun. We were hooked.

It’s Getting To Be A Habit

We were staying in next-door Ocean Grove for a whole month that year, so we went to the show the next Sunday too. We even drove down a few Sundays in the winter and stayed over at a small hotel on the ocean. Not a bad formula for Chasing the Blues Away.

Just so long as you don’t do . . .

Something Stupid

The last time we went to Moonstruck, I had one or three little drinks, which went right to my head (a-hem), then took notes for my blog. Note to self: Don’t drink and blog. Or attempt to get the right names with the right photos or decipher email addresses. So singers, I Apologise if you don’t see your name at the end of this article. I tried, honest, I tried.

If you really Love Me, you will find it in your hearts to Please Forgive Me and move on. Happily, my husband Lou was on ginger ale that night, and his photos came out really well, as you can see.

Steppin’ Out With My Baby

For the Halloween party on Sunday, we’ll be Puttin’ On The Ritz, going as two swells from Manhattan. Hey, I need an excuse to wear The Red Dress, last seen at the New Years Eve party at the National Arts Club too many years ago to discuss — and Vintage Vittadini is a terrible thing to waste. Besides, I Enjoy Being A Girl, when the spirit moves me, and Lou has to amortize the cost of his tux.

I mean, Autumn in New York is cool, but there’s no cabaret we know of as much fun as this.
And from what we hear about Halloween at Moonstuck:
It’s de-lightful, It’s de-licious, it’s de-lirious, it’s de-luxe, it’s de-limit . . .

It’s De-Lovely!

Singers in the photos from the top: Lou Ruvolo and Carla Simpson, Patsy Last Name Unknown and Bob Egan, Rima Starr, Breanna, Andrez “Zee” Fredericks, Breanna As We Know Her, Wayne Gattis, Jenny Uplinger and Beth Hansen (center of group photo). Other singers included Adam Hirter and Cynthia Chartwig.

Photos by Lou Chisena.

Cabaret at Moonstruck, every other Sunday during the winter. Call for info at 732-988-0123.
Check out Bob Egan’s site at: bobeganentertainment.com

For the words to The Shaving Cream Song, go to:
Stubble Is Trouble