Supper Club Cabaret
tagStarted 1935Peak 1945–1975Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Supper club cabaret is cabaret with more polish, more social ritual, and often a slightly smoother groove, intended for rooms where the audience is eating, drinking, and pretending not to stare too obviously at the singer. The performance is intimate but mannered in the best sense: urbane, tailored, and professionally seductive.
History
Centered on venues blending dining with live performance, the style fused standards, Broadway songs, and tasteful pop into a distinctly adult nightlife format; Bobby Short, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, Peggy Lee, Bobby Darin, Barbara Carroll, and later Feinstein-type interpreters helped define its mix of sophistication, accessibility, and club-room command.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- On the Street Where You Live — Bobby ShortSpotifyYouTube
- This Could Be the Start of Something Big — Steve Lawrence & Eydie GorméSpotifyYouTube
- Mack the Knife — Bobby DarinSpotifyYouTube
- Fever — Peggy LeeSpotifyYouTube
- The Best Is Yet to Come — Michael FeinsteinSpotifyYouTube
- Just in Time — Barbara CarrollSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Cabaret"
- 54 Below, "About the Club"
- Library of Congress, "Musicals of Stage and Screen." citeturn6search0turn6search6turn6search5