The Queen Plays The Prince

On Friday the 13th, I made the trek down to Philly to catch the reigning Queen of New York Cabaret, Marilyn Maye, at The Prince Theater. Now, Maye plays our own Metropolitan Room several times a year, but I couldn't resist the chance to see her one more time, even if it meant visiting the City of Brotherly Love for the first time in nearly a decade.

I'm glad I did. In spite of an indifferent dinner at Chez Colette, the insipid corporate-plan French "bistro" at my hotel ("Bon soir," my waitress said brightly, "my name is Ellen, and I'll be your server tonight!"); despite the verging-on-parody sincerity and frightening intensity of the cabaret's program director ("...we have celebrities in the audience; please welcome the head of the municipal waterworks..."); Marilyn Maye did what she always does: she delivered a socko, first-class show that had the audience screaming her name and giving her a standing ovation.

I also had the distinct pleasure of being seated ringside with the lovely and charming Rosamund; who is probably well-known to anyone who's attended a Marilyn Maye performance at The Metropolitan Room. A retired voice teacher, Rosamund is Marilyn Maye's number one fan, and had traveled down from New York as well -- to see an entire week's worth of performances. Now, that's a fan! Like Marilyn, Rosamund is a Midwestern gal, and also like Marilyn, she's very bright, very funny, and has the no-nonsense, common-sense kind of humor that makes you think of, say, Mary Wickes. She's my new favorite person in the whole world.

One thing did strike me about Philadelphia: no one dresses up. Even in this dress down age, you can count on dapper suits, elegant dresses, and real jewelry when you see Marilyn perform at The Metropolitan Room. I showed up to The Prince in a summer suit, and you'd have thought that I had eight heads, from the way people were staring at me. Maybe I was stealing focus from the head of the waterworks.

Anyway, Marilyn Maye is back at The Metropolitan in September. I hope I see you there. You won't be sorry!