Eric Comstock, Bill Rudman, Mebby Brown, and Barbara Fasano

The Musical Theater Project hosted an enthusiastic group of friends and patrons for a very special event, the Rendezvous Cabaret. To reach this cabaret, guests had only to travel to the historic Tudor Arms Hotel off University Circle. Turning down the narrow street behind, they were instantly transported to mid-town Manhattan – around 44th, we think, to the renowned Birdland Club, a storied venue for jazz and cabaret acts.
This night, with the location morphing, romantic rainfall outside, and a glittering New York vibe inside, patrons of the Rendezvous Cabaret were swept away on an enchanted cloud of classic Broadway numbers

Co-chairs Lin Bartel and Maura O’Hara Finley

and other standards from NYC-based performers, husband and wife team, Eric Comstock, and Barbara Fasano.
Pianist/singer Eric Comstock and pop/jazz vocalist Barbara Fasano have appeared in cabarets and concerts throughout the US and Europe. They have recorded several CDs, and together have won many MAC awards (Manhattan Association of Cabarets), five Bistro Awards and a New York Nightlife Award. They have a standing gig at the Birdland Jazz Club every Saturday night, and as headliners, brought all their charm, wit, and spice to the Musical Theater Project’s event.
Emcee and the organization’s founder Bill Rudman introduced the duo. In his remarks he mentioned that funds raised would support two projects in the non-profit’s pantheon of

Jack and Barbara Vitcosky

projects: “The Song is You” concert series and the in-school “Kids Love Musicals” program in which school children work with a professional actor in their classroom to produce and perform songs and scenes from definitive shows from Peter Pan to
Cinderella.
After a cocktail hour and sit-down dinner in the venerable second-floor ballroom of the Tudor Arms, the performers hit the stage and entertained for over an hour to an enchanted crowd. An after-party followed. The Musical Theater Project’s Rendezvous Cabaret sold out. It was a dazzling affair, and the organization met its fundraising goal. STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY RITA KUEBER