KT Sullivan & Mark Nadler at the Oak Room

One of the perks of being "on an extended sabbatical" is the flexibility it gives you to stay out late and do things on the spur of the moment. Last night, we did just that by taking in a Cabaret performance at the Algonquin. Cabaret is a favorite of ours because the rooms are small, intimate - you're never more than a few feet away from the stage - and the performances frequently wonderful. Playing last night were KT Sullivan and Mark Nadler who we first saw at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach.

They're just finishing up a four week stint at the Oak Room with an act called "Make Someone Happy" featuring the songs of Betty Comden and Adolph Green--you'll recognize the songs: "Make Someone Happy", "Just In Time", "New York, New York" and how about the song about leaving Ohio--if you recognize this, your from the 'mature section'! "Why oh, why, oh, oh why O.....etc.

The Times describes the show this way: "Mr. Nadler, a hyper-kinetic piano man, and Ms. Sullivan, an eternal kewpie doll with a sly sense of humor and a real voice, plunge into it with the verve of a latter-day Mickey and Judy. What they have created is a savvy, witty distillation of musical comedy’s golden age of optimistic escape."

We couldn't agree more; they create shows that are a little bit off-beat but always filled with music that's wonderful. Watching them perform is a joy and it's hard to believe that they're not married, because of the rapport and ease with which the work together.

The food at the Algonquin is pretty ordinary, so we just went for drinks and the show. We did have great seats just to the right of the stage and felt like we were part of the show - two New York swingers out on the town in the 1930's! One of the things about Cabaret in NYC is the number of show business types in the audience. Last night was no exception and it's impressive how many people we don't know and have never heard of!