Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – ‘Tis the season: Broadway’s AMBER IMAN and CHRISTINE EBERSOLE kick off the holidays with their cabaret shows

• By drediman
• December 5, 2025
• No Comments

In terms of nightlife entertainment, this week saw the first signs of the Christmastime holiday peaking through with Broadway favorites Amber Iman and two-time Tony-winner Christine Ebersole unveiling their latest holiday cabaret shows. Read on for my thoughts on these festive happenings.

AMBER IMAN
Joe’s Pub
Closed

Leading the pack this past Monday was Amber Iman’s two-show, one-night stint at Joe’s Pub (RECOMMENDED), which seems to be the the smoky-voiced diva’s venue of choice these days. Known for taking on the roles of strong, regal women onstage (the title role in Goddess, Rafaela in Lempicka, Nina Simone in Soul Doctor), it’s refreshing to see the Broadway star let her hair down to show her fans the different facets of her own personality, which resulted in an all around feel-good show that’s sweet, sassy, yet still uncompromising. In this latest cabaret outing, Iman chronicled her evolving relationship with Christmas over the years, kicking off the show with a playful “Santa Baby” that introduced us to a sassy and precocious version of herself as a child (how could she not be?). Over the course of the evening, she regaled the adoring audience with songs that she’s personally associated with the holiday season as a Black woman. These included a pair of soulful duets with the clarion-voiced Crystal Monet Hall — “Sweet Little Jesus Boy” from  Langston Hughes’s play Black Nativity and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” — as well as rousing renditions of Nina Simone’s “Children Go Where I Send You” and Ella Fitzgerald’s “Sleigh Ride”. On the musical theater front, we got an inspiring “Home” from the musical The Wiz and a contemporary arrangement of “Eidelweiss” from The Sound of Music (the latter of which she tenderly delivered with her husband, fellow actor Sequoia Toshi). Iman also showed her quirkier, goofier side with silly selections like “Kill the Turkey” and the Chipmunk ear worm “Christmas Don’t Be Late”. She closed her set on a satisfying note, confidently sending up uplifting selections from the popular songbook — John Lennon’s “Imagine”, Des’ree’s “You Gotta Be”, and the Whitney Houston dance anthem “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”.

CHRISTINE EBERSOLE WITH BILLY STRITCH: I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
54 Below
Through December 6

Then there was the class act that is the duo of two-time Tony-winner Christine Ebersole and legendary cabaret accompanist Billy Stritch, who have been performing with each other for more than two decades. Suffice to say, they are consummate professionals — both individually and as a team — who command the stage with their sublime musicianship and irresistible chemistry (their jovial, witty banter is as natural as breathing and a complete joy to behold every time I seem them perform). Suffice to say, it was a complete pleasure to sit back and bask in their artistry in I’ll Be Home for Christmas (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), this year’s iteration of their holiday cabaret act. In addition to sterling renditions of “My Favorite Things” and “Surrey With the Fringe on Top” (the jaunty tune from Oklahoma! has become one of their signature songs), musical theater fans were also treated to sterling suites from 42nd Street and Grey Gardens, the two shows for which Ebersole won her Tonys (particularly beguiling was the one-two puch of “Will You” and “Another Winter in a Summer Town” from the latter). In terms of holiday songs, Ebersole and Stritch have curated selections that maintain an ideal balance between well-worn standards (“Winter Wonderland”, “Silent Night”) and lesser known gems (“The Ice Hotel”, “Christmas in L.A.”). Throughout, Ebersole was in fine spirits and excellent voice, effortlessly displaying her astonishing vocal versatility from jazz to pop stylings (her performance of Joni Mitchell’s “River” was particularly affecting). It goes without saying that she was expertly accompanied by the ubiquitous Stritch, who — with his butter smooth vocals — is also an underrated vocalist, in addition to being an unparalleled pianist. Indeed, I think it’s safe to say that no one strokes the keys quite as caressingly yet purposefully as Stritch does. It doesn’t get much better than this.