Crooner Christopher Nelson appeared at Society Cabaret on February 25. I have been reviewing this local celebrity for many years in regional productions including Curtains, Dames at Sea and Falsettos. He has shown good vocal chops and flawless vocal phrasing when singing songs from Broadway musicals. His cabaret act was called Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage and he sang songs that musical comedy divas like Carol Burnett, Ethel Merman, Ellen Green, or Barbra Streisand have sung.

Nelson started out by singing Peter Allen's "Quiet Please, There's a Lady on Stage" from The Boy from Oz, sung by Isabel Keating (in the Judy Garland role) on Broadway, then segued into a song Carol Burnett performed in Mary Rodgers' Once Upon a Mattress, "Shy." He showed marvelous choices by singing both romantic and hilarious songs. There was a total of 19 songs, all from musical theatre, including lesser known songs like "The Heart Is Slow to Learn" from Frank Wildhorn's Dracula, the Musical and Alan Zachary and "Safer" by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner from First Date. He even sang a song from a show that never made it to Broadway: a vibrant performance of ?David Kirshenbaum's "Cute Boys with Short Haircuts" from Vanities, a New Musical.

Christopher Nelson didn't disappoint his fans as he sang Maury Yeston's "Unusual Way" from Nine, Stephen Sondheim's "Could I Leave You" from Follies, and "Somewhere That's Green" from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's Little Shop of Horrors.

The artist was droll singing "Death Is Just Around the Corner" by Andrew Lippa from the The Addams Family and sublime when singing Kander and Ebb's "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret. He finished his set by beautifully singing "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim from A Little Night Music. G. Scott Lacy greatly assisted on the piano.

Bottom Line: It was grand night of singing by Christopher Nelson who added the right sense of timing and skill.

Society Cabaret is in the Hotel Rex on Sutter Street, San Francisco. For their upcoming schedule visit societycabaret.com.