Cabaret enthusiasts need look no further than LTV Studios in Wainscott for a weekend chock-full of cabaret icons. Hamptons Summer Songbook by the Sea will feature "Hey, Old Friend! A Cabaret Jubilee," one of the venue's most ambitious programs, on Saturday night at 7:30, when KT Sullivan, Mark Nadler, Christine Pedi, and Stephanie Pope take the stage. For those who can't get enough, Pamela Morgan will bring to LTV "What's Cooking? Where Every Song Comes With a Story and a Little Spice" on Sunday evening at the same time.
Rather than a traditional concert, according to LTV, Saturday's program recreates the atmosphere of New York's Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention, blending songs with storytelling, comedy, and the artistry of four performers who have spent decades preserving and reinventing the cabaret tradition.
The artistic director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation, Sullivan starred on Broadway in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and off Broadway at the Irish Repertory Theatre. A headliner at the Algonquin Hotel's Oak Room for over two decades, she now performs regularly at clubs in New York City and London. Her show "Rhyme, Women, and Song" was filmed for PBS.
Nadler's awards include eight from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC), three Backstage Bistros, two New York Nightlife Awards, and the Donald F. Smith Award for Cabaret Excellence given by the Mabel Mercer Foundation. He has soloed with important orchestras, performing everywhere from Carnegie Hall to Philadelphia's 14,000-seat amphitheater at the Mann Center.
Pedi's Broadway credits include "Chicago," "Talk Radio" with Liev Schreiber, and "Little Me" with Martin Short. Off Broadway she has been a regular in "Forbidden Broadway," "Spamilton: An American Parody," "Forbidden Hollywood," and "NEWSical." For her series "The Wicked Stage: Songs About Show Business" she hosts and performs with cabaret and Broadway artists at 54 Below.
A veteran of 11 Broadway shows, Pope has appeared on cabaret and concert stages across the country and around the world, including 54 Below, the Philly Pops, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the London's Royal Albert Hall. Her Broadway credits include "Chicago" and "Fosse," and her honors include a Broadway World Award and an ACCA Award from the Actors Equity Association.
General admission is $80, cafe table seating with a drink ticket is $120, and front-row cafe table seats with bottle service are $240.
Morgan's Sunday evening show will blend music, humor, personal stories, and decades of cabaret and concert stage experience. In addition to the performance, audience members are invited to a post-performance get-together with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
As a cabaret performer, Morgan created and starred in two one-woman shows, "One Singular Sensation" and "Girl Talk," both of which played to sold-out audiences at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in Hell's Kitchen. The former included selections from the Great American Songbook, Carole King classics, and a few country tunes. It was directed by Nadler and included a three-piece band.
She is also the founder and C.E.O. of Pamela Morgan Lifestyle, a brand that features cooking, entertaining, and travel content across a variety of channels. Her Flirting With Flavors is a special events and culinary company serving both New York City and the East End.
Tickets for cafe table seating, including a drink ticket and the post-performance cocktail party, are $200. Adding front-row cafe table seating and bottle service ups the ante to $400.