by Stephen Mosher Mar. 29, 2021
It’s springtime in New York and everywhere you look things are waking up, from the foliage to the wildlife, from the people in the streets to the businesses they frequent, and, with the rollout of vaccines and a return to society, the cabaret rooms of New York City are among the entities that are once more coming to life.
In Midtown Manhattan on the West Side, in a part of town that residents have devotedly called Hell’s Kitchen for decades, is one of the industry’s most popular, most treasured, and (frankly) most famous clubs. Bigger than a hole-in-the-wall and smaller than a Supper Club, Don’t Tell Mama has lasted, lo, these many years because of the regulars who can’t do without it, the tourists who have to see it, a staff that serves as a family, and the booking talents of Sidney Myer, a legend in the business in his own right. In recent years Sidney Myer invited cabaret powerhouse Tanya Moberly to join him in running the artistic roster of the establishment and, together, they have booked superlative talents into The Original Room, The Brick Room, and The Piano Bar, and while the last year has looked a bit scary for the Mama family, they have all hung in there with the grit and resolve for which they (and all Hell’s Kitcheners) are known.
Now, Don’t Tell Mama returns to normal business, opening up the eatery to indoor dining again – last fall and into the winter, there was not only sidewalk dining, there was sidewalk entertainment! Last week an email went out to members of the community, announcing the reopening and urging them to rebook their shows, sadly canceled due to the coronavirus. It is the privilege of Broadway World Cabaret to reproduce that email here, for the benefit of any artist who was previously working with Don’t Tell Mama who may need this information and to whet the excited appetites of all the club-goers who are ready to see their 46th Street cabaret family once more.
Welcome back, Don’t Tell Mama. We missed you.
Don’t Tell Mama, the world-famous show business landmark for four decades on Restaurant Row in the heart of Manhattan’s Theater District, is excited to announce the fabulous news that our Legendary Piano Bar is reopening April 15th and our celebrated Cabaret Room is now open for booking starting May 2nd, 2021. Spring is a season of rebirth, rejuvenation, and renewal and that is what exactly is happening on West 46th Street! Yes, observing all guidelines and restrictions, the shows will go on! We will be reopening our Original Room, the larger of our 2 Cabaret spaces, for now, in order to have the greatest capacity for audiences. Of course, as things improve globally, we hope, in the not-too-distant future, to be able to have our popular Brick Room available for programs as well. If you had a show scheduled and ready to present anytime in 2020 or have not performed in several years but feel this is the joyous moment to return, we are here for you. If you have previously booked through me, please contact me at sidneydtm@aol.com. If you have previously booked through Tanya Moberly, please contact her at tanya@donttellmamanyc.com. Ultimately, any artist can feel free to contact either of us, whether this is your first or fiftieth visit to the club! As the city goes forward unfolding its latest safety protocols, we will be here to comply and welcome artists and audiences alike.
Sidney Myer
Booking Director
Tanya Moberly
Booking Manager