Cafe Carlyle, New York City, April 11-22, 2017

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www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/cafe-carlyle-2017-spring-seasons_80125.html?cid=homepage_news



The famed Café Carlyle has announced its spring 2017 season.



Seinfeld and Dancing With the Stars favorite John O'Hurley will make his Carlyle debut March 28-April 8 with his 90-minute Great American Songbook retrospective, A Man With Standards.



America's Got Talent veteran Jackie Evancho is next up, making her Carlyle debut April 11-22. John Pizzarelli returns to the venue April 25-May 6 with a new concert celebrating the music of Johnny Mercer.



Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb makes her Café Carlyle debut June 6-17.



Throughout the season, Woody Allen will continue to perform Monday nights with the Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band.



Additional spring performers will be announced in the coming weeks...

[Deleted]

Review by Linda Amiel Burns (photos by David Andrako): theaterpizzazz.com/jackie-evancho-at-cafe-carlyle/



The youngest artist to ever sing at this legendary venue, classical crossover star Jackie Evancho made her debut at the Café Carlyle. Two days before her debut, acclaimed singer Jackie Evancho celebrated her 17th birthday. I remember being enchanted when I first saw her on America’s Got Talent at age 10, looking and sounding like an angel. Jackie acknowledged that her voice “changed her life” and since that time has gained global recognition performing many concerts and releasing a string of platinum and gold albums, with sales of over 2.5 million in the U.S. alone. She has performed duets with such notable artists as Tony Bennett, Susan Boyle, Ill Volo, Placido Domingo Barbra Streisand, Chris Botti, The Tenors and Joshua Bell.



Jackie’s show at the Café Carlyle was more like a concert than a cabaret act and she was accompanied on the piano by her music director Peter Kiesewalter. It would have been nice to have more instrumentation to augment her songs and that would have made the arrangements more interesting and exciting. Jackie became famous singing such classics as Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” (her encore number) and “O Mio Babbino Caro” and the like, and now, as a teenager, is trying to evolve into pop territory having recorded some new singles such as “Safe & Sound” (T-Bone Burnett, Taylor Swift, John Paul White & Joy Williams) which was included in this offering.



Jackie opened with “Viva La Vida” (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin) and said that it was probably the first time that a Coldplay hit had ever been sung at the Café Carlyle. Unfortunately, it was difficult to understand the lyrics and an odd choice to begin the evening. She was more comfortable singing some of the material that was sung on America’s Got Talent, songs that began her career and rise to fame such as “Think of Me” from Phantom of the Opera and the duet she sang with Andrea Boccelli “Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partiro).”



Jackie said that last year she began writing songs and sang “Pedestal” (written with Dina Fanai, Heather Holley, Robert Kinkel) mentioning that it has helped her discover different parts of herself, especially her wish to expand as an artist. Many classical singers have a difficult time “crossing over” but it is important if you want to expand your repertoire and fan base. I’m sure that Jackie will be able to do this successfully, but it takes a different vocal technique with more emphasis on the lyrics and taking breaths in the right places. She referred to Judy Garland, who was her age when she scored with the iconic “Over The Rainbow” and this was a great choice for Jackie and perfect for her beautiful voice. However, she has to watch her phrasing in that song, breathe in the right places, and find the deeper meaning and longing that the song expresses. She talked of her admiration for Streisand and her rendition of “The Way We Were” was more successful and very moving.





The show was ballad heavy as that is Jackie’s primary repertoire and probably what her fans want to hear, such as “The Impossible Dream,” The Music of the Night, “Vincent. ” However, I am sure that this beautiful and charming young woman will continue to grow as an artist, find her inner voice and sing songs that express who she is and what she wants to say. Jackie said that she hoped we all had “fun” at the show, and it would have been great for her to sing some “fun” up tunes and lighter material as a change of pace.



A lovely moment was when Jackie talked about her transgender sibling and the headlines that this has engendered singing “We’ve Only Just Begun” dedicated to her sister.



Although Jackie Evancho is already a veteran and accomplished star at age 17, she has “only just begun” to develop and will continue to find songs that not only show off her extraordinary voice, but songs that express who she is as an artist, her life experience and joy. All in all, this was an outstanding Café Carlyle debut for this remarkable young performer at one of New York City’s chicest and most elegant venues.

[Deleted]

Review from Rob Taub: www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jackie-evancho-at-the-cafe-carlyle_us_58ee8804e4b04cae050dc41b


Jackie Evancho has a voice big enough to fill Madison Square Garden but she adapts it perfectly to the intimate surroundings of the Café Carlyle. At 17 years old, Ms. Evancho is the youngest performer to play the room, yet she is as poised and talented as any adult who’s been there before her.



Unlike many of her predecessors, Ms. Evancho’s set list is not standard Café Carlyle fare. Rather than the Great American Songbook or jazz standards, she covers a lot of what my mother always referred to as “showstoppers,” like The Impossible Dream, Over the Rainbow and The Music of the Night as well as some classical pieces sung in Italian and I enjoyed every one of them.



As remarkably talented as she may be, Ms. Evancho is still a charming young woman from Pittsburgh, and she makes that clear to us with anecdotes about singing songs while walking around the house as a young child or playing Streisand while driving to talent shows with her mother. When she introduced Starry, Starry Night by Don McLean she said she listened to the song “back when I was in A.P. Art in high school – a long time ago.”


“I could have never imagined what doors my voice would open for me.”


I’m not a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber or Barbara Streisand (two of Ms. Evancho’s “muses”), and prior to last night I knew almost nothing about Ms. Evancho, but as a Carlyle regular, I’ve been surprised and pleased with the unique booking choices they’ve made this year. For me, in a room like the Café Carlyle it’s important for the artist to interact with the audience and Ms. Evancho does so with ease and no pretense whatsoever. When it was time for an encore she said to the audience: “We’ll do one more, just because I like you.” I felt like I was in my living room.



“We’ll do one more, just because I like you.”


Ms. Evancho is accompanied by a pianist, Peter Kiesewalter, who is also her musical director and his straightforward arrangements are spot on. She will be at the Café Carlyle through April 22nd. Twitter @jackieevancho

[Deleted]

Another review, this time by Will Friedwald: thecitiview.com/nyc/articles/jackie-evancho-performs-at-cafe-carlyle-in-nyc-thru-april-22/8221/c1272


On recordings and even her videos (which, as she says, rather immodestly albeit truthfully, “broke the internet”) super soprano Jackie Evancho always seems more like a supernatural presence than a flesh-and-blood performer; that peerlessly-perfect voice would sound amazing coming from anyone, let alone someone who only turned 17 a few days ago. (Yes, I know, we all have credit card debt older than that.) But the great thing about experiencing Miss Evancho in person is the reminder of her reality, and that this superhuman voice is housed in the person of someone relatively inexperienced in terms of relating to an audience and especially in a New York nightclub. (It will be years, if ever, before she can connect with a crowd like, for instance, Marilyn Maye.) The main thing we learn from her patter is that she has had very little experience in life other than appearing on talent competitions, both locally in her native Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and on national TV.

She appeals to a wide range of people who can generally agree on few things (besides Ms. Evancho’s obvious talent): her pride in having sung at the Presidential Inaugural Gala three months ago is not likely to be applauded by the same folks who will cheer for her support of transgender rights. She covers a lot of bases musically as well: even though she tells us this is probably the first time a song by Coldplay (“Viva La Vida”) has been heard in the Carlyle, it’s also the first time that I can remember hearing Puccini (“Nessun Dorma” from “Turandot”) here. Her rendition of “Music of the Night” is especially moving; for the first time the Lloyd-Webber song is something more to me than an show-stopper for a creepy baritone in a Halloween mask. She’s the kind of performer that immediately inspires one to start compiling one’s own request playlist – mine includes both “The Bell Song” from “Lakmé” and “Creole Love Call ”by Duke Ellington. Hearing Jackie Evancho in such an intimate space is a rare chance to experience perfection at close proximity.

[Deleted]

Review by Zachary Stewart (photos by David Andrako): www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/jackie-evancho_80706.html



Jackie Evancho has a pretty voice: That is indisputable. The 17-year-old (as of this week) first came to national attention seven years ago on America's Got Talent, where her rendition of the Puccini aria "O Mio Babbino Caro" revealed a voice matured far beyond her decade of existence. It has grown since then, with a powerful chest register and a head voice that suggests a skater gliding effortlessly over a frozen lake. Despite all her technical mastery, something seems to be missing at the foundation of her debut performance at the Café Carlyle.



She starts the program with a frosty rendition of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," a conservative choice meant to look like a bold one. "That may be the first time Coldplay has been performed at the Carlyle," the late millennial tells us, signaling her youth.



Of course, Evancho is best known for her classically trained voice, which she shows off on a high-flying rendition of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" and Lucio Dalla's achingly emotional "Caruso": "This is a song about a man looking back on his life from his death bed," she tells us, "but let's pretend it's about a first date."



We admire Evancho for stretching to perform songs about subjects with which she has very little personal experience, while at the same time recognizing that there isn't much depth to her consistently gorgeous interpretations. Her version of "Over the Rainbow" soars, but it has none of the longing of a young girl languishing on a farm in Kansas (it is being sung by a young girl headlining the Café Carlyle, after all). Similarly, her version of the Bergman-Hamlisch standard, "The Way We Were" (made famous by Barbra Streisand), hits all the right notes without ever conjuring the pain undergirding the lyrics.


Tellingly, her interpretations of Think of Me and The Music of the Night from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera are the strongest of the evening, but those only ever required a cosmetic sheen and a superficial understanding of human relationships, which Evancho happily delivers.

Her banter between songs is poised and professional, devoid of the "umms" and "likes" one expects from Americans her age. Complete with stagey arm gestures and canned jokes, it also smacks of something that has been rehearsed to death, an A-minus presentation in speech class that checks off all the boxes without ever having that wow factor that so often comes in the form of genuine vulnerability.



Evancho seems to understand her problem and has composed an original song about it, "Pedestal," which she generously shares with the audience at the Carlyle. It's a song about a pretty doll on a pedestal who implores all who will listen to free her. "You should have known it wouldn't last," she warns us, letting us know that the fantasy of an angelic child with the voice of an adult woman was always someone else's dream, not hers. Roll your eyes at the adolescent sentiment, but it is the most honest song of the night.



Evancho offers us a clear view of herself at this point in her career: a Snapchat of the artist as a young woman, if you will. She has already conquered her instrument (often the more difficult task), which leaves the part that usually comes easier for most singers: She needs to actually go out and experience the subjects about which she sings. She needs to make a mess, get in trouble, and be utterly, unapologetically selfish for a while. Once she does that, we look forward to hearing her revisit these songs, perhaps in 10 years. That's when her singing will cease to be merely pretty, and will become profoundly beautiful.

[Deleted]

http://instagram.com/p/BS2g6aeBXRF

[Deleted]

A partial clip of "Pedestal" by Jackie:

http://instagram.com/p/BS5-kE-F7Cx

[Deleted]

Additional review by Elizabeth Ahlfors:  cabaretscenes.org/2017/04/16/jackie-evancho/      (Photo by David Andrako)



Jackie Evancho has a dazzling voice with the clarity of Baccarat crystal. It is immaculate in tone and control. A soprano who celebrated her 17th birthday two days before she made her debut at the sophisticated Café Carlyle, Evancho is poised, well-trained, and delivers technically flawless songs. But something is missing.

Known by millions after a glowing debut on television’s America’s Got Talent, she has performed before concert crowds and dignitaries, including the President of the United States and the Pope. However, connecting to a small audience in an intimate venue calls for a special musical savoir faire, and what is missing here is the depth of interpretation that aims for the heart of a cabaret audience.

Evancho has begun moving from classical experience to a crossover career. As her opening song, she chooses Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida,” an odd choice about pain and suffering. Since she did not distinctly pronounce the lyrics, one must wonder why she selected it. She commented, “That may be the first time Coldplay has been performed at the Carlyle,” so maybe the idea was to be hip.

Displaying her crystalline vocal power, stand-out selections included Andrew Lloyd Webber/Charles Hart’s “The Music of the Night“ and “The Impossible Dream” (Joe Darion/Mitch Leigh). Before performing “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen/E.Y. Harburg), she reminded us that another 17-year-old had sung the song. Evancho’s delivery was lovely, but what she lacked was the inherent yearning in the song, searching for the place “where there isn’t any trouble.” The song also pointed out her weakness in phrasing, taking breaths between words and thus diluting the message.

“The Way We Were” (Alan and Marilyn Bergman/Marvin Hamlisch) was again beautifully sung, but it demands maturity. To her credit, she modified the meaning by prefacing the song with her memories of dressing up, fixing her hair, and driving with her mother to talent competitions. Referencing her high school art class, she delivered, “Vincent” (“Starry Starry Night)” by Don McLean.

Romantic Italian operatic songs, like Puccini’s beseeching, “O Mio Babbino Caro,” are perfectly suited for her voice, yet their grandiloquent romanticism contradicts her own inexperience. Lucio Dalla’s “Caruso” is intensely romantic, but Evancho suggested, “Let’s pretend it’s about a first date.” Both songs were performed with outstanding technical proficiency. as was her encore, Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.” I look forward to the time when Evancho’s gorgeous musical instrument will be able to add the element of understanding and honest emotion.

She touched the audience with her salute to her transgender sister, singing “We’ve Only Just Begun” (Roger Nichols/Paul Williams), and her original song, “Pedestal” (written with Dina Fanai, Heather Holley, Robert Kinkel), truthfully reflecting her feelings today. (“Sound the alarm/I’m breaking out,” she warns). These were moments of singer-audience communication.

Accompanying Evancho with imaginative and subtle piano arrangements were Musical Director/arranger/pianist, Peter Kiesewalter. Despite her inauguration performances, platinum recordings, and topping the charts, Jackie Evancho has only just begun and the road ahead is promising.

Jackie Evancho continues at Café Carlyle through April 22.

[Deleted]

To many critics, Jackie remains a 'diamond in the rough' although with great promise...

Congratulations to Miss Evancho for her bravery and resolve. 

[Beachguy]

Apr 17, 2017 18:17:01 GMT @ben said:

To many critics, Jackie remains a 'diamond in the rough' although with great promise...

Congratulations to Miss Evancho for her bravery and resolve. 

bravery in what way ben ? , she did quit school , she has her arms and legs  unlike some brave teens . , btw where is this promise going ben ? give us your opinion since you must believe this from many critics

[Beachguy]

Apr 17, 2017 18:06:41 GMT @ben said:

Additional review by Elizabeth Ahlfors:  cabaretscenes.org/2017/04/16/jackie-evancho/      (Photo by David Andrako)



Jackie Evancho has a dazzling voice with the clarity of Baccarat crystal. It is immaculate in tone and control. A soprano who celebrated her 17th birthday two days before she made her debut at the sophisticated Café Carlyle, Evancho is poised, well-trained, and delivers technically flawless songs. But something is missing.

Known by millions after a glowing debut on television’s America’s Got Talent, she has performed before concert crowds and dignitaries, including the President of the United States and the Pope. However, connecting to a small audience in an intimate venue calls for a special musical savoir faire, and what is missing here is the depth of interpretation that aims for the heart of a cabaret audience.

Evancho has begun moving from classical experience to a crossover career. As her opening song, she chooses Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida,” an odd choice about pain and suffering. Since she did not distinctly pronounce the lyrics, one must wonder why she selected it. She commented, “That may be the first time Coldplay has been performed at the Carlyle,” so maybe the idea was to be hip.

Displaying her crystalline vocal power, stand-out selections included Andrew Lloyd Webber/Charles Hart’s “The Music of the Night“ and “The Impossible Dream” (Joe Darion/Mitch Leigh). Before performing “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen/E.Y. Harburg), she reminded us that another 17-year-old had sung the song. Evancho’s delivery was lovely, but what she lacked was the inherent yearning in the song, searching for the place “where there isn’t any trouble.” The song also pointed out her weakness in phrasing, taking breaths between words and thus diluting the message.

“The Way We Were” (Alan and Marilyn Bergman/Marvin Hamlisch) was again beautifully sung, but it demands maturity. To her credit, she modified the meaning by prefacing the song with her memories of dressing up, fixing her hair, and driving with her mother to talent competitions. Referencing her high school art class, she delivered, “Vincent” (“Starry Starry Night)” by Don McLean.

Romantic Italian operatic songs, like Puccini’s beseeching, “O Mio Babbino Caro,” are perfectly suited for her voice, yet their grandiloquent romanticism contradicts her own inexperience. Lucio Dalla’s “Caruso” is intensely romantic, but Evancho suggested, “Let’s pretend it’s about a first date.” Both songs were performed with outstanding technical proficiency. as was her encore, Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.” I look forward to the time when Evancho’s gorgeous musical instrument will be able to add the element of understanding and honest emotion.

She touched the audience with her salute to her transgender sister, singing “We’ve Only Just Begun” (Roger Nichols/Paul Williams), and her original song, “Pedestal” (written with Dina Fanai, Heather Holley, Robert Kinkel), truthfully reflecting her feelings today. (“Sound the alarm/I’m breaking out,” she warns). These were moments of singer-audience communication.

Accompanying Evancho with imaginative and subtle piano arrangements were Musical Director/arranger/pianist, Peter Kiesewalter. Despite her inauguration performances, platinum recordings, and topping the charts, Jackie Evancho has only just begun and the road ahead is promising.

Jackie Evancho continues at Café Carlyle through April 22.

I guess this review means she will fill concerts

[Deleted]

Apr 17, 2017 18:42:02 GMT Beachguy said:

Apr 17, 2017 18:17:01 GMT @ben said:

To many critics, Jackie remains a 'diamond in the rough' although with great promise...

Congratulations to Miss Evancho for her bravery and resolve. 

bravery in what way ben ? , she did quit school , she has her arms and legs  unlike some brave teens . , btw where is this promise going ben ? give us your opinion since you must believe this from many critics

    Bravery in facing the bad reviews she may get....     As for my own opinion:   As long as Miss Evancho loves what she is doing, I see no reason for her to stop singing as a career.
She apparently can make a living at it.   In that regard, she has great promise.   As for her singing talent, she has stiff competition in this world.  
    Any effort to hone her skills is to be encouraged. 


As a side note,  I'm wondering if any of the five journalists who wrote reviews, sat at the same table.
 

[yellowstone]

Apr 17, 2017 19:38:11 GMT @ben said:

Apr 17, 2017 18:42:02 GMT Beachguy said:

bravery in what way ben ? , she did quit school , she has her arms and legs  unlike some brave teens . , btw where is this promise going ben ? give us your opinion since you must believe this from many critics

    Bravery in facing the bad reviews she may get....     As for my own opinion:   As long as Miss Evancho loves what she is doing, I see no reason for her to stop singing as a career.
She apparently can make a living at it.   In that regard, she has great promise.   As for her singing talent, she has stiff competition in this world.  
    Any effort to hone her skills is to be encouraged. 


As a side note,  I'm wondering if any of the five journalists who wrote reviews, sat at the same table.
 

I only counted four:

theaterpizzazz.com/jackie-evancho-at-cafe-carlyle/
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jackie-evancho-at-the-cafe-carlyle_us_58ee8804e4b04cae050dc41b
www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/jackie-evancho_80706.html
cabaretscenes.org/2017/04/16/jackie-evancho/

[Beachguy]

Apr 17, 2017 19:38:11 GMT @ben said:

Apr 17, 2017 18:42:02 GMT Beachguy said:

bravery in what way ben ? , she did quit school , she has her arms and legs  unlike some brave teens . , btw where is this promise going ben ? give us your opinion since you must believe this from many critics

    Bravery in facing the bad reviews she may get....     As for my own opinion:   As long as Miss Evancho loves what she is doing, I see no reason for her to stop singing as a career.
She apparently can make a living at it.   In that regard, she has great promise.   As for her singing talent, she has stiff competition in this world.  
    Any effort to hone her skills is to be encouraged. 


As a side note,  I'm wondering if any of the five journalists who wrote reviews, sat at the same table.
 

What bad news , I never see any posted , well there were only 10 tables  btw most of the $$$ made was years ago so not so easy now in coffee shops

[yellowstone]

screenpicks.com/2017/04/theater-review-jackie-evancho-cafe-carlyle/

Theater Review: Jackie Evancho at the Café Carlyle

Spring finally arrived in full force this past week in Manhattan. It seemed appropriate that celebrated singer Jackie Evancho would make her Café Carlyle debut at the same time. All of 17, she seems to encompass all of the youth, freshness and beauty that one associates with the season. And by the way, she can also really sing.

I have to admit I was not very familiar with Ms. Evancho’s career before I attended the event, but she had me won over within eight bars of her opening number, “Viva la Vida.” It is something of a cliché that youth is always in a rush. I found the opposite to be true with Evancho’s vocal style. The phrasing was often relaxed and leisurely which had a tendency to augment the natural beauty of the melodic lines she performed, particularly in such selections as Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro” or Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “The Music of the Night.”

In addition to singing an intriguing song of her own composition – “Pedestal” – Evancho spoke of her admiration for Barbara Streisand and sang one of Streisand’s signature tunes – “The Way We Were.” Throughout the evening, Evancho’s sensitive, stately musical delivery called up internal visions and the relaxing effect of watching a white cloud gently go by against a beautiful blue sky. After a harried day in Manhattan, the effect was entirely welcome.

Evancho rose to fame at the age of 10 when she appeared on America’s Got Talent and performed the above mentioned Puccini aria. She has sold over 2.5 million albums in the U.S. alone and recorded duets with such notables as Tony Bennet and Streisand herself. She also performed twice for President and Michelle Obama.

And Ms. Evancho also has the credit of being the youngest entertainer to ever appear at the Carlyle. Her banter with the audience and performance was full of poise and charm. She celebrated her 17th birthday two days before her opening night and a lighted birthday cake was brought to her towards the end of her show. Already an accomplished artist, it will be interesting to see how she evolves.

As an encore, Jackie sang “Nessun Dorma,” one of the last great arias that the musical magician Giacomo Puccini composed. The last word of the aria is an exclamation of “vincero” which in English obviously means “victory.” Based on the warm response of the audience, I would say that Evancho’s debut at the Carlyle was a victory for her as well. She is appearing at the Café through April 22