Broadway World Cabaret continues its series about the artists for whom our team is grateful.
by Stephen Mosher Nov. 16, 2022
Photos by Stephen Mosher; visit the Stephen Mosher website HERE.
Sidney Myer and Tanya Moberly – The Champions
They aren’t just champions because they have survived and thrived as industry artists all these years – Tanya Moberly and Sidney Myer are champions because they do, indeed, champion the work of others in the industry. From behind their desks at Don’t Tell Mama and from the seats in the various clubs around Manhattan, these two Leaders and Cheerleaders are Community Towers, holding up the artists and the art, all the while, showing how it’s done in their own, personal, spotlights.
Sidney Myer – The Icon
Sidney Myer is the favorite person of every individual working in cabaret and concert. He has been kicking around cabaret so long that there is every chance that he, himself, might have invented the art form. A one-of-a-kind person and performer, Sidney has made a study of intimate storytelling through a lifelong journey into venues to see the likes of Eartha Kitt, Marlene Dietrich, and the greatest entertainer of all time, Judy Garland. He understands what the art form of intimate storytelling requires and he doesn’t only showcase it in his work, he showcases it in his club. For decades, Sidney has been the booking manager at the famed Midtown Manhattan cabaret and piano bar Don’t Tell Mama, choosing the acts that will play The Original Room and The Brick Room by conducting legendary hour-long (or more) sit-downs with artists to learn who they are and what they do. He has introduced many an act on the Don’t Tell Mama stages and seen those acts become the most successful in the business. When a newcomer to the DTM stages is about to make their first entrance, he stands with them offstage, his hand between their shoulder blades as he whispers encouraging, empowering words into their ear, sending them into the cabaret room with confidence and courage. He, then, stays in the room to watch them, sink or swim. As a booker, he supports from the sides, as a performer, he plays with pride. Comedy numbers like “It’s So Nice To Have A Man Around The House” are legendary, tales told in his raspy, unmistakable voice are what audiences crave, and the teeniest, tiniest, most contained performance of a heartbreaking ballad is the connection that keeps him in everyone’s hearts. Sidney Myer is essential and he is irreplaceable.
Read the Broadway World Cabaret review of a Sidney Myer show HERE.
Sidney Myer does not engage in social media.
Sidney’s pronouns are He/Him/His.
Sidney’s future projects include:
Sidney Myer at Pangea December 5, 19, and 22.
Tanya Moberly – The Visionary
Tanya Moberly is a woman of many facets. She has been a respected singer of the cabaret and concert stage for many a year but she has also played many coveted roles on the theatrical stage. Tanya works as a cabaret director, guiding artists to award-winning performances, and she produces the long-running open mic night SALON. A few years ago, Tanya was invited to come on board at Don’t Tell Mama, to work alongside Sidney Myer as a Booking Manager. Since that time, Moberly has thrown herself into this work, seeking out artists looking to make a debut, finding the right acts to fit the club’s brand, looking for new performers to evolve the club’s artistic mission statement, and keeping a maternal eye over everyone and everything. Tanya’s love for this role, this club, and the people who inhabit the rooms there shows on her face and in every move she makes. Moberly can be found in the audience of every show she has booked, and many of the shows that she did not place. During their shows she laughs the loudest, claps the hardest, and she has no trouble telling rowdy audience members to respect the actors onstage, to quiet down, and to put their phones away. Tanya is managerial heaven, maintaining Mama’s standards. Then, of course, there are her own shows on the DTM stage, all of them immaculately conceived and created with Moberly’s storytelling stamps: little talk, detailed storytelling, and a stool on either side of the stage with a box of tissues and a glass of water, with straw. Tanya knows herself, her aesthetic, her art form, and she knows when to be tough (a good thing) and when to be tender (a great thing). When Tanya Moberly assumed her role at Don’t Tell Mama, she came home
Read the Broadway World Cabaret review of a Tanya Moberly show HERE.
Tanya’s online presence is as follows:
Website: Click HERE.
Tanya’s pronouns are She/Her/Hers
Tanya’s future projects include:
Moberly at Mama’s Monthly 12/16 at 7 pm, Harry Nilsson & Randy Newman with Jon Weber,
