#greenroom42

NEW YORK - Natalie Joy Johnson Twerking at the Green Room 42Holy Mackerel!Thank you, dear Universe, for giving us Natalie Joy Johnson! An entertainer with a bawdy, raunchy, and unflappable presence and voice that can do it all! She moves through a song as she pleases, with the greatest of ease, moving the air with sounds and lyrics emanating from her uncommon grace and naturalness. She dances with her voice like the fine-tuned machine that it is. She can, with her voice, conjure the goddesses!The evening titled “Twerking” was filled with songs turned on their sides, from cabaret to Broadway musical to Rock and Roll. Twerked and tweaked, fine-tuned and lifted, she could conquer any note, any bridge, she seemed to be making up vocals on the spot instead of only covering them. Johnson and her pianist and accomplice for the last 15 years, Brian Nash, gave the lucky audience members one hell of a show.Her banter with her old and new fans was hilarious and present. More than once, I thought, as I fell over with laughter, “She did not just say that!” She is a positive energy filling with joy in both the room and each of us who were there to witness. She sang with a full heart and overfilled soul. Her song list took us to the high and low places of human existence. They were songs of men and women living in small worlds and making do with what they were given. Embracing sometimes their minute existences, and other times dismissing their sadness.Johnson brought such depth to The Police’s “Roxanne”. Depth and pain and respect for a woman who sells her body for money.There were songs from Working, the musical, which is based on the Studs Terkel book by the same name. The book was his compilation of interviews he had with men and women working in diverse jobs throughout the country: waiters, waitresses, mill workers, office workers, and housewives all talking about their jobs and lives. In Johnson’s hands, the songs “The Mason” and “Just A Housewife” took on a depth that is not on the sheet music. A great, beautiful, intense depth that created room for each of us to travel the journey with her.Natalie Joy Johnson ended our all too short evening of delight with a walk through the audience clinking a glass to each of us (I mean every single audience member), and with each of us toasting in return in celebration of the evening, to her and Nash, and,To all of us!Til we meet again!You will be able to see Natalie this year in the musical Lempicka , which is headed for Broadway, with previews beginning in March.The Green Room 42 YOTEL New York Times Square 570 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036Readers may also enjoy our reviews of Richard C Walter at Chelsea Table + Stage, Felicia Finley in Backwoods to Broadway, Divina: A Fantasy Cabaret with Regina Gibson, Seth Sikes, Jenn Colella: Out and Proud, and Amanda McBroom at Birdland.https://youtu.be/HB0InbR9Pjo?si=3iV8hBTNrleQtLg3

Billed as An Audacious Cabaret, a marvelous performance was delivered by Felicia Finley in Backwoods to Broadway at Manhattan's Green Room 42. This live performance was also presented in a live-streamed format.The exciting and captivating Felicia Finley ascended to the stage to perform a sentimental, biographical musical journey that began with her childhood in the Appalachia of South Carolina and evolved to New York, Broadway, stage, and film. Felicia Finley in Backwoods to Broadway on stage at Green Room 42. Photo by Edward KliszusSpeaking with her charming southern mountain inflections, Finley explained that she was the first of her generation to get out of the back woods. In fact, "she grew up between red dirt and skyscrapers…just like Patsy Cline. Her path to Broadway began with farming, gospel, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, family, and singing for the Bird sisters who lived next door.Finley warmed up the crowd with Reba McEntire's All the Woman I Am and segued into Patsy Cline's Come on In (And Make Yourself at Home).Finley experienced more than her share of hard knocks before appearing on the Broadway stage. After successfully auditioning for 'Annie' on Broadway, the show closed. She then trained to become a champion Olympic-level baton twirler just before the Olympic committee decided not to adopt baton twirling. She performed at the World's Fair in Australia in 1988 until the United States exhibit closed due to international politics.Setbacks drew Finley back to her gospel roots, inspiring her to sing Just a Closer Walk With Thee.Finley charmed her audience with more songs describing her life, values, wisdom, and climb to fame. The songs made perfect sense with titles like Things a Man Ought to Know, Crazy, Don't Cry for Me, Dancing Queen, and the beautiful ballad from 'Jekyll and Hyde,' Someone Like You.Never giving up, Finley worked hard and followed her aspirations, attending the Louisiana School of Performing Arts before moving to Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. She made her Broadway debut in 'Smokey Joe's Café' before being cast as April in the original Broadway production of Cy Coleman's 'The Life,' earning a TONY nomination for Best Musical.Finley went on to appear in Broadway's 'Aida' and 'Mamma Mia!' and landed roles in films and television shows. As an established, prominent figure in musical theater, Finley's awards include New York's Bistro Award for Best Cabaret, the Drama League's Most Distinguished Performer, NJ's Best Actress, and The Ensemblist Award for Songbird.Her powerful voice was matched only by Finley's commanding stage presence. She demonstrated a magnetic energy that electrified the audience. Finley's versatility was remarkable. Whether singing beloved country, gospel classics, or show-stopping Broadway tunes, she brought her unique flair to each song. She drew smiles, applause, admiration, and tears from her audience. Pianist Michael McBride accompanies Felicia Finley in Backwoods to Broadway at Green Room 42. Photo by Edward KliszusAfter sharing her dad's wisdom with the phrase "You can't put a price on peace of mind," Finley finished with a tribute to Patsy Cline, Sweet Dreams of You. Inspired, delightful, marvelous. Don't miss Felicia Finley when she's in town!Felicia Finley in Backwood to BroadwayFelicia Finley in Backwoods to BroadwayMusic Director and Pianist Michael McBrideDirected by Joanne ZielinksiThe Green Room 42YOTEL New York Times Square570 10th Ave, New York, NY 10036(646) 707-2990Menu: thegreenroom42.poptix.comFor tickets and info, go to thegreenroom42The Green Room 42 is an exciting, friendly, affordable venue for great music and entertainment. The club requires no minimum for drinks and food (a rarity in Manhattan cabarets and nightclubs), and you can order using a barcode on the café light or with a server.Readers may also enjoy reading Divina: A Fantasy Cabaret with Regina Gibson, Seth Sikes, Jenn Colella: Out and Proud, Amanda McBroom at Birdland, Natalie Douglas, Vanessa Williams, and Mary Stallings at Smoke.https://youtu.be/TqACuZGKWCg?si=k2NZmhdnjvrT1ArA

Rating  4.7/5 Candace Bushnell, best-selling author, performed her one-woman show, True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City, at The Green Room 42 in New York City in a sold-out performance.Bushnell dished on intimate secrets of her life and success after she arrived in New York City, flat-chested, different, and a sexual prude from a sleepy town in Connecticut. She shared life lessons she learned along the way. The entire show was comedic, and they set the stage with designer shoes from the most expensive couture brands, even shopping bags from famous NYC retail landmarks, and bottles of champagne, all true props from her life.Bushnell flitted across the stage, laughing with herself and the audience and exuding a sexiness only confidence can give while flaunting a slinky blue outfit and matching boa. In her sixties, Bushnell was hot, hot, hot. Bushnell is just an older version of her pseudonym Carrie Bradshaw.Bushnell was introspective, asking, “Why are there so many great women in New York and no men to marry?” There was a loud roar and Bushnell pointed out this has been an ongoing problem since the seventies. So, what is the answer? I think it is complicated and worth pondering.Bushnell admits she was a feminist from an early age, pondering an age-old question–Why do we (society) feel a woman is successful if she has kids? She proved this to be a falsehood in so many ways and dedicated her lifestyle and writing to just the opposite.LIFE LESSON:Bushnell shared a list of lessons she had learned along her journey from a starving, unknown writer to a woman known around the world.Lesson 1. “If you won’t do it, someone else will.” That is self-explanatory, and she found out at an early age this is the situation when single and wanting sex.Lesson 2. “Men lie about everything.” That is a shocker to those of us who are romantic.Lesson 5. “When it comes to sex, there’s no free lunch.” I think I need some more in-depth research on this before I can comprehend the meaning.Lesson 7. “You can’t rely on a relationship for your happiness or a roof over your head.” Wow, I know a dozen of my friends who should have learned this long ago.And the most important lesson of all, Lesson 9, “Your girlfriends are forever.” Bushnell has reiterated this theme in every piece of writing she has produced, including essays and 10 books and counting. It is a good life lesson for all of us to cherish. If you want to know all the others between Lesson 1 and 9, see her show.Who is in the Audience and Why Are They There?I looked around the room to see who was in attendance and the group was 90 percent women over thirty. Actor Jennie Vath, stylishly dressed in fur (yes, it is acceptable), said she was there to see the great Candace Bushnell. Vath said Bushnell was a gift to New York and was there to share the evening with her good friend Anita Daswani. Daswani, an actor, model, and award-winning documentary producer, said she admired Bushnell and was looking forward to hearing her personal stories and info about her new book “So Now You’re 60.”Share a Few Secrets!Bushnell shared the secret that most of her friends were like Samantha (I need to find some new friends like her). All in attendance were given insight into the undisclosed identity of the real Mr. Big, but she did not divulge his name. Bushnell carried her affair with him as a pivotal storyline in the whole script of Sex and The City and all the series that followed, even reliving the true-life event when her husband left her for a model.Bushnell closed with brilliant advice. “Reinvigorate yourself.” She said she enjoyed having sex like a man and said, “I don’t want to be with Mr. Big. I want to be like Mr. Big.” I praise that strong attitude.And Just Like That, the crowd agreed with Bushnell's theories about doing everything you want to do in life. She is still flat-chested, different, but hell no, she is no prude.Candace Bushnell: True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City at The Green Room 42. Press by Fortune Creative. On tour through April, 2024.The Green Room 42 570 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10036.Readers may also enjoy reviews of Rip Tide, Twisted, Salesman之死, Love, Sex and Real Estate, and The Life at City Center. https://youtu.be/ntr62qu1kd0?si=4Xyry5MJUZF34khp