Three-time Tony Award nominee JOSHUA HENRY (Sottsboro Boys, Violet, Carousel), recently won a Grammy award for his portrayal of Rapunzel's Prince alongside Gavin Creel and the rest of an all-star ensemble cast of Into the Woods, which played San Francisco's Curran Theatre this past summer. Bay Area audiences, and theatre fans throughout the nation, know Joshua for his electrifying portrayal of Aaron Burr in the cultural phenomenon Hamilton. Recently, he played the role of Gaston in Disney's 30th Anniversary of Beauty and the Beast on ABC, recorded two original LPs and opened for Diana Ross at the Hollywood Bowl.

To celebrate the opening of Bay Area Cabaret's '23-'24 season, Joshua will perform beloved musical numbers ("Dear Theodisia", If I Loved You") and also bring his band of New York-based musicians who will perform "A soulful bop through the songs that have moved and grooved us through the decades…songs like "A Change is Gonna Come", "Wait for It", Let's get it on." Henry's voice is "... the voice of an actor-singer that, while warm and mellow, can also soar with joy and tremble in despair." (Variety)

Making his auspicious Bay Area cabaret debut, MAX VON ESSEN (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle award nominee for American in Paris, Lincoln Center Theatre Falsettos, Evita, Les Mis), will take to the Venetian Room stage to perform his classic album of Broadway standards. A hit at Birdland, the Art House in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Manhattan's Paradise Lounge and Palm Springs' Annenberg Art Museum, the album features favorite songs from von Essen's life and career, like Gershwin songs he's known since childhood, Broadway classics like "They Say it's Wonderful" and the resplendent "On this Night of a Thousand Stars", which he sang many times, while sharing the role of Che with Ricky Martin in Evita.

At the piano on February 4th will be Max's collaborator and music director (formerly Liza Minelli's "confidante" and music director) Billy Stritch, who has appeared on the Venetian Room stage with the likes of Lillias White, Christine Ebersole, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, cabaret superstar Karen Mason and others. In addition to his many engagements around the country, Billy serves as music director on many Mondays at Birdland for Jim Caruso's Cast Party.

Along with her multi-talented husband Jason Yeager, JULIE BENKO wowed Bay Area Cabaret's audience in her Venetian Room debut last season. Hardly a single person left the venue without begging for an encore performance. In answer to our prayers, Benko has agreed to bring us her runaway hit cabaret show JULIE (Benko) SINGS JULE (Styne), Those in attendance at this Season Finale, will be treated to Broadway favorites like "Make Someone Happy", "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" and a heartfelt version of "People", as well as lesser-known numbers and untold stories from Styne's forgotten shows ("Subways are for Sleeping"). JULIE (Benko) SINGS JULE (Styne) is a love letter to the bygone days of Broadway from its newest breakout star.

In his glowing review of Julie Sings Jule at Birdland, Broadway World's Stephen Mosher says: Julie Sings Jule is filled with trivia, facts, histories about Jule Styne - but not the boring old things you can find on Wikipedia. For every factoid dispensed about Styne there is an intimate story about his personal life, his marriage, his demons, his desires, and there is always (and this is the secret weapon) a tie-in to something that Julie Benko has felt, thought, experienced, or welcomed into her life with Jule Styne. The audience gets to learn about Jule, they get to learn about Julie, they get to learn about Julie and Jason, and they go home feeling like they just spent an evening with friends, dear friends that are funny (oh, so funny), and talented (really, super-talented)..."

Look for Julie this fall on Broadway, alongside Sierra Boggess, in the Barry Manilow show Harmony!