Cabaret, like the theater, has been relatively quiet during the summer. Nonetheless, there were—and there continue to be—happy reverberations from a number of those summer shows. A new room just might be in the offing down in Tribeca thanks to the efforts of nightlife star KT Sullivan. A veteran entertainer from Philadelphia made quite an impression here in New York this summer with a show devoted to Tony Bennett, and several young performers suddenly made themselves known by the sheer insistence of their talent. So let's take a look back at these folks we've mentioned and see what, in fact, they did ...

KT Sullivan in a brand new Cabaret Room?

At a time when cabaret clubs are far and few between, how refreshing that a new, upscale club might just be in the offing thanks to the efforts of KT Sullivan and her husband, Steve Downey. The venue is "City Hall Restaurant" down in Tribeca. More specifically, downstairs in the restaurant's gorgeous Granite Room, they have been giving cabaret a spin.

What's happening is actually a (show) business experiment. On four successive Thursday nights, the final one being this evening (Thursday), cabaret star KT Sullivan puts on a swell dinner show in a room re-dubbed for the occasion "Kathleen Downey's Granite Room" (KT's married name, dontcha know?). We were there for the packed opening night, and the scuttlebutt is that nights two and three were well-attended also. Should tonight's "closing" night show be packed, as well, we will have hope that The Granite Room might be home to many a nightclub singer in the months and—dare we say—the years ahead.

Give KT Sullivan credit; she is hopefully opening a new door for others to walk through. She is singing unmiked in this large, beautifully decorated cavern that used to be the coal room for the old building on Duane Street that is steeped in history. (No, not the history of Duane Reade. But good guess!) She has chosen to sing a wide variety of wonderful old songs that were, in their day, performed off-mike. We checked with a patron at the table in the back; he heard every word. In any event, KT makes a point of walking throughout the room while singing several times during the course of her generous show, which matches the generosity of City's Hall's kitchen, which provides a sumptuous dinner to go along with the lovely music.

This is a room and an experience that is on a par with the finest uptown big money venues but at a far more modest price. If you're free tonight, you'll not only have a grand time, you'll be helping nightlife performers secure another lovely place to ply their very unique trade.

Visit cityhallnewyork.com or call 212-227-7777 for more information.

Michael Buchanan: he's got the goods!

We went down to The Duplex to see a young man we didn't know in a show we hadn't heard of. Just took a chance. It turned out to be one of the best shows we saw this summer. The fellow's name is Michael Buchanan. He's a Broadway boy with a ton of talent, just waiting to be discovered. He's been in shows, which he talks and sings about. And he's tried out for shows that he didn't get. He talks and sings about them, too—often hilariously.

Young Mr. Buchanan has a killer tenor voice that is bright and beautiful. He can sing tenderly with passion and he can belt his face off. What's most impressive, though, is his playful sense of humor. He makes considerable fun of himself, which only makes him more endearing. There is a lot of special material that is very clever and delivered with style. Simply put, young Michael Buchanan is a keeper.

The Metro Star Talent Challenge shows us the future!

One of the summer's steady hits on eight successive Monday nights was the second annual Metro Star Talent Challenge at the Metropolitan Room on West 22nd Street. This year's contest was won by Liz Lark Brown, who has a powerful set of pipes and, to her great advantage, a madcap sense of humor. Having attended two of the eight evenings, we'd have to say that it was her comedy that won her that award because so few people can pull off that kind of material nearly so well as she did.

Ms. Brown, however, is well-known to cabaret habitués who have seen her sing backup for others or perform for years in piano bars. The real revelation—at least for those already familiar with the very talented Ms. Brown—was the stunning quality of the two runners up, Danielle Grabianowski and Carole Bufford. The former offered a unique vocal quality that seemed part Edith Piaf and part Janis Joplin; she has an arresting quality. But for sheer talent matched with a gutsy go-for-broke bravado, give us Carole Bufford. Slightly built, boyishly beautiful, but possessing a powerhouse voice that belies her fragile appearance, she is a find if ever there was one.

For giving Liz Lark Brown her long overdue recognition, and for discovering these two otherwise brand new talents, the Metro Star Challenge was a huge success.

Eddie Bruce Triumphs in Nightclub Act Devoted to Tony Bennett!

The idea of someone doing a tribute to Tony Bennett intrigued us. It also worried us. Whenever a performer does a tribute to an icon, the icon usually wins, not the performer. In other words, it's hard to live up to the glory of a legend. But Eddie Bruce, who has been around the block a few dozen times—which he uses to excellent, comic effect in his show—will win you over for several compelling reaons ...

To begin, Eddie Bruce has a great voice—and he really does evoke the sound of Tony Bennett when he sings. Better still, he doesn't try to comment on the master, instead he uses Tony's arrangements and simply shares his own love of the man with the audience. His stories are wonderfully engaging, his song selection is right on the money, and the entire evening is structured in a way that allows the audience to fully and joyfully experience Tony Bennett's career through Eddie's own lifetime obsession.

-- Barbara and Scott Siegel