Up Close and Personal

Ah, those summer nights — they’ll be especially memorable if you spend some of them in the nation’s many cabarets.

Feinstein’s at the Regency closes out its season with a bang, as the club’s namesake, Michael Feinstein, makes a special appearance with a tribute to the late great Bobby Short (June 5-16), followed by the club debut of former Supreme Mary Wilson in a show entitled Up Close (June 19-30). In addition, local favorite Brandon Cutrell appears on June 4 and the popular Jeff Harnar serves up his new show Dancing in the Dark on Sunday evenings (through June 24).

Moving further uptown to Café Carlyle, there’s an encore engagement by singing superstar Judy Collins (through June 9). Meanwhile, The Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel hosts the unusual London-based singing group, The Puppini Sisters (through June 9) and jazz singers Sarah Partridge (June 12-23) and Claire Martin (June 26-July 7).

Jim Caruso’s Broadway at Birdland series heats up with jazz singer Jack Donahue (June 3), the host himself, Jim Caruso, with special guest star Stephanie J. Block (June 4), Todd Londagin and his 17-piece Big Band (June 10), former Tony Award nominee Malcolm Gets (June 11), singer-songwriters Tom Kitt and Amanda Green (June 18), and 2007 Drama Desk nominee Capathia Jenkins with composer Louis Rosen (June 24).

The line-up is extremely exciting at the ever-eclectic Joe’s Pub, where the highlights include Isaac Mizrahi (June 1, 8, 22), the great songwriter Alan Bergman (June 5), rising star Alexa Ray Joel (June 7), television and stage legend Florence Henderson (June 11), the hilarious Varla Jean Merman (June 16), drag king Murray Hill with the fabulous Pontani Sisters (June 16), Motown superstar Martha Reeves (June 21), and composer Jeremy Schonfeld joined by a passel of Broadway stars including Shoshana Bean, Christian Campbell, Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Jarrod Emick, and Nikki Snelson (June 24).

The Metropolitan Room continues to be a must-visit venue, where the extensive list of performers includes Broadway veterans Devin Richards (June 5) and John Gabriel and Ilene Graff (June 7), the lovely Marianne Challis (June 8-9), the ageless Julie Wilson (June 13-22), 17-year-old prodigy Judy Butterfield (June 17-18, 21-22), the amazingly talented Christine Pedi (June 25), the sensational Steven Brinberg (June 25), jazz great Mark Murphy (June 27), the monthly edition of Jamie deRoy & Friends (June 28), and triple MAC Award winner Barbara Fasano (June 30).

One of the city’s newest cabaret series is taking place at the Zipper Factory; this month’s array of stars include Lance Horne (June 4), the Wau Wau Sisters (June 9), Euan Morton (June 11), Sheri Sanders (June 16), Gay Marshall (June 19, 26), and Grey Gardens star Bob Stillman (June 25).

Two brand-new series also debut this month. At Iridium, Broadway Swings presents the Barry Levitt Trio with special guests B. J. Crosby (June 10), Eugene Fleming (June 17), and Chuck Cooper (June 24). At Helen’s, there’s Breast in Show, which benefits the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, with such performers as Tom Andersen (June 4), Mark Nadler (June 5), Carolyn Montgomery (June 11), Lina Koutrakos (June 18), Barbara Brussell (June 19), Jay Rogers (June 25), and Jeanne MacDonald (June 26).

Finally, elsewhere on the East Coast, the sublime Jessica Molaskey delights at Philadelphia’s Morgans Cabaret at the Prince Music Theatre (June 1-17), while the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncas, Connecticut plays home to Frank Sinatra, Jr. (June 20-24), Reba McEntire (June 22), and Neil Sedaka (June 27-July 1). Heading west, San Francisco’s lovely Empire Plush Room hosts Terese Genneco (June 1-9) and Broadway superstar Marin Mazzie, who will delight audiences with her show Yes, It’s Today! The Music of Jerry Herman and Kander & Ebb (June 12-17).