INTERVIEW: Marieann Meringolo has a lot of livin’ to do
Photo: Marieann Meringolo kicks off her residency at the Chelsea Table + Stage on Friday, March 10. Photo courtesy of the artist / Provided by Fortune Creative with permission.
Singer Marieann Meringolo, a native New Yorker, will get to know the Big Apple even better in the coming months. The acclaimed performer, who is an expert of the Great American Songbook, will soon start a residency at Chelsea Table + Stage in Manhattan. Audience members can expect three nights of wonderfully interpreted music, with each evening featuring different songs. The festivities kick off Friday, March 10, followed by concerts April 14 and May 12.
Meringolo has traveled the world bringing her cabaret-style singing to sold-out audiences, according to press notes. Her concerts have been featured in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and Los Angeles, and seemingly every place in between. When she sets up in New York City for the Chelsea Table + Stage engagement — titled A Lot of Livin’ To Do — she’ll likely pull from her recording history, including the albums Hold Me Close and Imagine … If We Only Had Love, and maybe her live CD, Here’s to the Ladies!: A Salute to Great Ladies in Song.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Meringolo about her upcoming New York City shows. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can fans expect from this three-month concert residency?
Well, I’m excited about it because each show is going to be a little different. I’m going to be performing some songs I’ve never performed in public before and also bringing in some favorite songs from past shows and recordings. Each show will feature a special guest who will bring their unique talent and vibe to the stage. Featured guests are Jeff Harnar (March 10), Lina Koutrakos (April 14) and Ari Axelrod (May 12). Add that to a live audience, and it contributes to a lot of the excitement. Coming off the heels of what we all went through during the pandemic and the current heaviness of our world, I wanted these series of shows to be energetic, fun, heartfelt and an escape from the stresses of our everyday concerns.
What do you like about the Chelsea Table + Stage setup?
I love the dramatic staircase leading down into this gorgeous club! It’s more of a state-of-the-art room, and I love the downtown vibe. It feels a little more contemporary, like you’re not sure what to expect when you go there. I’ve seen some shows there myself, and, it just has great energy. Back in April of 2022, I performed my Alan and Marilyn Bergman tribute show, and I was very impressed with the lighting and sound. The stage is roomy enough for me to perform with my trio: baby grand piano, upright bass and drum set. Also, the dressing room is killer, not always easy to find that in a NYC venue!
When did you fall in love with the Great American Songbook?
I was pretty young. I grew up in a household where music was always playing in the background. My dad loved Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and great vocalists of the ‘60s. I was just naturally drawn to that type of music rather than my own generation. When I was in my 20s, I discovered the cabaret clubs in NYC and the piano bars, and I just loved it! I started studying with a vocal coach and began putting my own shows together based on the Great American Songbook. One of my earliest shows that I felt put [me] on the map in the cabaret world of NYC was my tribute show to Johnny Mathis. I called it Wonderful! Wonderful! The Music of Johnny Mathis. From there I just kept exploring more and more music, and would go to other performers’ cabaret shows and learn the art form, and it was true love.
Do you feel lucky to have grown up in New York, with wonderful access to music and theater?
Absolutely. I grew up on Long Island, and I remember my very first off-Broadway show was going to see Godspell. It was my fifth-grade school trip, and I was so taken with that show at only 10 years old! Living about an hour and change from Manhattan gave me the opportunity to see theater and live music at a young age. It was truly an education. I remember after seeing Evita on Broadway, I wished that our education was taught as if it were a musical. In my late teens I would take the Long Island Railroad into the city by myself and go into the Village checking out the record stores and vintage shops there. I also took acting classes at HB Studios, and I just loved the energy of the city and sophistication of it all. So, yes, I definitely feel fortunate that I had wonderful access to NYC!
What’s going through your mind as the lights dim and the performance begins?
Well, that’s a loaded question. So much excitement, nerves, terror; I try to ground myself. I pray before I go on stage. I ask that the energy of spirit and God to come through me, and to just be authentic, I tell myself to just “give my gift.” I also pray that I remember all my lyrics and if I don’t, that I’m able make up lyrics that makes sense if I screw something up! So much goes through my head! There’s an excitement that the night is finally here, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve been rehearsing for months. When I hear my name announced, something magical happens, and I step onto that stage and I become the performer I’m meant to be! I am grateful.
What’s going through your mind as the lights come up and the performance is finished for the night?
I’m elated, relieved, thrilled. I feel a sense of accomplishment. I’m proud of my team, musical director Doyle Newmyer, Boots Maleson on bass, Brian Woodruff on drums, my director Will Nunziata and myself. It’s a feeling of “We Did it!” I feel a rush of energy, and it’s a high that happens only when the show is over. I can’t wait to celebrate by greeting my audience afterwards and having a drink with them, and then I can’t wait to do it all over again!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Marieann Meringolo will begin her A Lot of Livin’ To Do residency at Chelsea Table + Stage Friday, March 10. Other dates: April 14 and May 12. Click here for more information on Meringolo. Click here for tickets.
