National Capital Cabaret Festival
Craig Pomranz
Friday, March 29, 2024, 7:30 pm
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Members $30 ~ Non-Members $45 This Show Only
Members $50 ~ Non-Members $65 Evening Pass (two shows)
Members $100 ~ Non-Members $125 Festival Pass:(four shows)
Capital Cabaret is proud to partner with the Arts Club of Washington for the 2nd Annual National Capital Cabaret Festival! Both organizations foster a supportive community that encourages emerging artists and provides a path for them to find their voice. Enjoy the shows we have in store for you! Each performance will be preceded by a cocktail reception with refreshments.
Reception 7:30 pm
Show 8:30 pm
Capital Cabaret:
Capital Cabaret was founded in 2022 as a 501(c)3 non-profit to produce the National Capital Cabaret Festival each March. We are the first organization to bring a dedicated cabaret festival to DC! “March is Cabaret Month” is celebrated nationally in New York, Chicago, Seattle and Minneapolis, but can you believe Washington DC, a cultural as well as political capital did not? We are pleased to open the 2024 National Capital Cabaret Festival with a New Artist Showcase on Friday and bring national headliners to the Arts Club of Washington.
Craig Pomranz:
Craig Pomranz arrived in New York like a wunderkind. The city threw open its arms to the fresh-faced triple threat, and it wasn’t long before he was playing to sold-out crowds at three clubs at once: Freddy’s, East Five Three and Mickey’s. He performed at Ted Hook’s Onstage, The Duplex, The Ballroom, The Horn Of Plenty, and (pre-comedy) Caroline’s. The public and other entertainers (like Peter Allen) were drawn to Craig’s individualistic performances, marked by a sense of immediacy and risk, modeled after the classic nightclub acts of idols like Nancy Wilson, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Mel Tormé. He was so successful at packing venues, nightclub impresario Régine engaged him to create and debut the music room >Café Réginette next to her famous Park Avenue nightclub, Régine’s. Craig’s archival press kit contains a stack of flattering articles and blurbs from every major New York newspaper, and magazines including GQ. Journalists consistently reported the same qualities: Craig’s passion, his connection to the crowd, the mellifluous tenor, his understanding of the content and how to communicate it, and his accessible and varied repertoire, always fresh.
‘What singers do is the riskiest, sexiest thing,’ says Craig, and he reminds us that Doris Day‘s recording of ‘Sentimental Journey’ was banned from radio because it was too intimate. His admiration for singers like Day and Frank Sinatra is rooted in their willingness to take chances, their intelligence and their superb musicianship. Craig studies the singers he loves, and searches for unique material among the thousands of songs in the American Songbook, and elsewhere, which are not ‘over-exposed.’ As always, the origin, age, or era of a song doesn’t matter to Craig, just the answers to some simple questions: will his voice, the melody and words converge to affect and please the audience? Will he create silence? ‘As a dancer, I was trained to hit the mark,’ says Craig. ‘As a singer, that moment is my mark.’
Discounted parking available after 5 pm at 2001 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
