KDHX interview
Joe Hanrahan and Eileen Engel blend cabaret and theatre at the Blue Strawberry
by Chuck Lavazzi /
March 17, 2024
Through March 27th, Joe Hanrahan’s Midnight Company is presenting the latest in a series of cabaret-oriented original shows at The Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge, just down the street from the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle.
In Movie Music Hanrahan and Eileen Engel serve as hosts for an evening of a dozen songs from classic films. The show includes the stories behind movies along with re-enactments of some memorable scenes.
In Jacey’s Jazz Joint, Engel is Jacey, singing an evening of classic songs at her club. As the evening goes on, the songs trigger memories, and Jacey reveals stories of where the money came from to open the joint (a guy named Johnny), how the thorny relationship with Johnny evolved, and the dangerous conclusion to their romantic journey.
I had a chat with Hanrahan and Engel via email about the creative process behind the shows.
Here it is, with some edits for clarity.
Chuck Lavazzi (CL): Were “Movie Music” and "Jacey’s Jazz Joint” developed around the same time? Are they companion shows in any way?
Joe Hanrahan (JH): Both were developed at the same time. Eileen and I talked about doing a show. I knew she was classically trained. and did musical theatre, but asked what popular genres she liked, and she said "Jazz."
So I wrote “Jacey's.” But I thought the show was a risk. Most if not all cabaret is real, but this would be a story, fictional, kind of Cabaret Noir. But in case we balked at “Jacey,” I did the movie show as a backup, a middle of the road show that should work. And Eileen, in a magnanimous offering, agreed to do both.
CL: Joe, you’re listed as playwright but to what extent are they collaborations?
JH: The shows are true collaborations. I wrote the scripts. Eileen and I both chose the songs. And the character of Jacey was developed precisely on what Eileen's bringing to the table.
Colin Healy, Music Director and pianist both shows, added some welcome ideas as well as arranging the music. In the case of “Jacey” he and the band (Blake Mickens on bass and Bradley Rohlf percussion ) created their own signature “Jacey's Jazz Joint” sound.
CL: Tim Schall has said that a good cabaret show should be organized like a one-act play, with an overall dramatic arc. For the last year or so, Joe, you have taken this to the next level with scripted shows that are explicitly a cabaret/theatre hybrid. What made you decide to move in that direction after so many years of writing and directing straight plays for Midnight?
JH: After so many years of straight plays, my first introduction to the Cabaret world was with the singer Laka. I first saw her at Blue Strawberry, we started talking, and somehow, we talked a show.
That resulted in “St. Louis Woman”. That may have been the first “cabaret theatre” piece. It was really a play with music. Laka and I discussed doing a stripped down version of the show at Blue Strawberry, but she went in a different direction, and it left me thinking about future shows at Blue Strawberry.
That segued into shows with Kelly Howe and Jennelle Gilreath Owens, and for both (and beyond) I started and stayed honest to my theatre roots. With each show I was compelled to build the music around a real story, something like Tim says, like a one-act play. But written specifically for the Blue Strawberry space and its traditional cabaret setting.
As other shows move into development status, will continue to pursue that direction.
CL: Eileen, given that your most recent show was SoulSiren’s production of the 1964 drama “Dutchman,” “Movie Music” and "Jacey’s Jazz Joint" look something of a departure. What drew you to these projects?
Eileen Engel: I like to engage in the art of theatrical storytelling and performance through many different avenues, including all types and styles of plays and musicals. I'm lucky to have been able to have a range of different performance opportunities over the years and I will always strive to challenge myself and grow in each adventure.
This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to touch on the dramatic realm and also get to bask in the vivacious and melodious world of musicals and, in this case, Joe's cabaret theatre. My passion for collaborative creative endeavors extends to embracing diverse opportunities, including the exploration of new works.
Although this is the first time Joe and I have worked together, it was a very seamless process. Even though working with Joe was new to me, I have previously collaborated with Colin Healy and Bradley Rolf many times. It was wonderful to blend new and old faces on these shows. I'm very honored to be a part of everything and I really look forward the future of it all!
Two on Aisle
Movie Music at Blue Strawberry
by Gerry Kowarsky / March, 2024
On Wednesdays this month, the Midnight Company is presenting two new shows at Blue Strawberry. The first, Movie Music, premiered on March 6 and will be repeated on March 20. The second, Jacey’s Jazz Joint, is scheduled for March 13 and 27. Both shows are collaborations between performer Eileen Engel and writer-director-performer Joe Hanrahan.
Movie Music is a highly entertaining show that provides exactly what the title promises. Some of the movies are classics; some are now obscure. All the songs are Academy Award winners, but the script refrains from using that term or other trademarks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy has strict regulations about the use of its intellectual property in works such as Movie Music. The rules for editorial use (as in this review) are less strict.
Hanrahan’s script includes fascinating background information about the songs, the movie and the process of making them. I was surprised to learn, for example, that Truman Capote wanted Marilyn Monroe to play Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and that the role was offered to Shirley MacLaine and Kim Novak before it went to Audrey Hepburn. The part of Holly’s love interest, Paul, was offered to Steve McQueen and Jack Lemmon before it went to George Peppard.
The selection of the songs reflects the performers’ own tastes and styles, but all the numbers are big songs that “that represented and symbolized the movies, and then received the recognition and honors they deserved.” In some cases, Engel and Hanrahan meticulously establish the original context of the song.
The songs and the stories about them are a joy to hear. Engel has a lovely voice and endearing personal charm. Hanrahan has disarming enthusiasm and a convincing way with a song. Colin Healy is the ever-supportive musical director on piano and guitar.
The following lists the songs, the films, and the singers.
Moon River / Breakfast at Tiffany’s / Eileen
All the Way / The Joker Is Wild / Eileen
High Hopes / A Hole in the Head / Eileen
Buttons and Bows / Paleface / Eileen & Joe
Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head / Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid / / Eileen
The Shadow of Your Smile / The Sandpiper / Eileen
Sooner or Later / Dick Tracy / Eileen
Remember Me / Coco / Eileen
Colors of the Wind / Pocahontas / Eileen
The Way You Look Tonight / Swing Time / Eileen
I’m Easy / Nashville / Joe
City of Stars / La La Land / Eileen & Joe
The Way We Were / The Way We Were / Eileen
Two on Aisle
Jacey’s Jazz Joint at Blue Strawberry
by Gerry Kowarsky / March, 2024
On the second Wednesday in March, the Midnight Company presented its second premiere of month at Blue Strawberry. The delightful new show is Jacey’s Jazz Joint, another collaboration of performer Eileen Engel and writer-director Joe Hanrahan.
In my review of last week’s Movie Music, I wrote, “Engel has a lovely voice and endearing personal charm.” The same is true in Jacey’s Jazz Joint, but the charm is not Engel’s own. She performs the entire show in character as Jacey, the eponymous proprietor of her own jazz joint.
Jacey promises an evening of “pretty nifty jazz.” She’ll sing some of her favorite songs (some of ours, too, she hopes) and tell “a story or two” that come along free with the songs.
She learned how to sing jazz, she tells us, “the hard way.” She started out singing in a church choir and moved on to high school musicals. Eventually, she joined bands where she had the full experience of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll.
She’s finally over that and has moved on to singing favorites, especially love songs. Engel’s Jacey knows how to convey the rapture of growing love as well as the wistfulness of lost love.
The standards in show from the Great American songbook include:
“From the Start”
“Almost Like Being in Love”
“When I Fall in Love”
“Embraceable You”
“Fly Me to the Moon”
“This Can’t Be Love”
“Misty”
“I’m Beginning to See the Light”
“Straighten Up and Fly Right”
“Cry Me a River”
“The Very Thought of You”
“Unforgettable”
The main story of the evening is about how Jacey was able to open her place. The seed money came from the time she spent with a guy named Johnny. She admits the story feels like “a cheap Netflix movie” about “gangsters, guns, [and] deals gone wrong.” In Engel’s portrayal, however, Jacey is master storyteller as well as an enchanting singer.
Riverfront Times
Movie Music and Jacey’s Jazz Joint Artfully Blend Cabaret and Theater
by Tina Farmer /
March 20,2024
The Midnight Company has been packing the house with their recent series of cabaret theater productions and their latest offerings, Movie Music and Jacey’s Jazz Joint, are no exception. With interesting scripts by Joe Hanrahan and a varied selection of mostly familiar classic songs, the shows are a tribute to two popular genres that create an enjoyable night out. Both shows feature the multi-talented Eileen Engel, with composer and music director Colin Healy on the piano.
Just as the title implies, Movie Music is a tribute to the Academy Award-winning songs from popular movies from the earliest days of the awards to current winners. Hanrahan joins Engel for this cabaret and even sings on a couple of pieces; most notably he takes the lead on “I’m Easy” from the movie Nashville. Originally penned and sung by Keith Carradine, Hanrahan’s take feels more like a dramatic reading than singing, but it still grabbed my attention. The writing feels a bit disjointed, like couplets that work individually but don’t quite coalesce into a poem, making the overall flow of the show a bit off balance. There were a few rough spots the night I attended, and the scene recreations felt a bit out of place. Still, Engel’s versions of “Moon River,” “Colors of the Wind” and “The Way We Were” made me forget the stumbles and a leave with her take on a good song resonating in my mind.
Leaning into St. Louis’ storied connection to jazz, and the dangerous criminal underbelly it seemed to attract, Jacey’s Jazz Joint truly gets the joint jumping with romance, intrigue and some solid jazz. A three-piece band joins Engel for this show, with Healy on the keys, Blake Mickens on standup bass and Bradley Rohlf on percussion, and they distinctively but not distractingly add to the fun. The interactions between Engel and the band are rooted in mutual musical respect that enhances the authenticity of the evening, while Harahan’s narrative is spot-on storytelling. Engel fully inhabits the character of Jacey and her evolution from naïve, lovestruck singer to entrepreneurial chanteuse is captivating and spirited.
As a bonus, the selected songs are perfectly suited to Engel’s range, bringing out all her strengths in a warmly engaging performance. “From the Start” is a confident, bright opening that portends an enjoyable evening of song and storytelling, and Engel delivers. “When I Fall in Love,” “Embraceable You” and “Fly Me to the Moon” are absolute crowd pleasing hits, while “Cry Me a River,” “The Very Thought of You” and “Unforgettable” feature strong interpretations that form a perfect nightcap for an evening of vocal standards.
Ladoue News
Cabaret theater shows by St. Louis' Midnight Company showcase local talent
by Mark Bretz /
March 20, 2024
Story: In “Movie Music,” writer/director Joe Hanrahan and performer Eileen Engel recounted memorable tunes that garnered the Academy Award for Best Song at the annual Oscar ceremony across several decades. Hanrahan provided commentary about the various numbers while Engel lent her beautiful soprano voice to the lyrics, accompanied by pianist Colin Healy.
At “Jacey’s Jazz Joint,” our host and club owner Jacey regales her audience with stories of her career singing noted jazz tunes, all while recalling her fateful romance with the love of her life, the oft-troubled Johnny, and how she managed to eventually open her own music establishment with Johnny’s help, whether intentional or not. A background band provides the musical support for Jacey as she makes her way through sundry ballads and livelier tunes, still carrying a torch for her once and future lover.
Highlights: Joe Hanrahan, founder and artistic director of The Midnight Company, joins forces with singer Engel in a pair of briskly paced and entertaining productions focused on award-winning music in one show and on the story of the title character, the songstress Jacey, in the other.
Other Info:
Each show serves as a suitable format for Engel to demonstrate her vocal skills in a smart, one-hour cabaret style presentation. Engel says that “Jacey’s Jazz Joint” is her initial foray into cabaret, and it’s a most effective piece in that regard. After some apparent, initial jitters in the “Movie Music” piece, Engel seems comfortable and at ‘home’ as she portrays the fictional Jacey.
She banters with the audience, tells a few jokes and tells her listeners that she’s going to select tunes from “the Great American Song Book” as well as the “Pretty Good American Song Book.” Accompanied by pianist Colin Healy, percussionist Bradley Rohlf and Blake Mickens on bass, Engel launches into a series of agreeable interpretations of several standards.
They range from “From the Start” to “Almost Like Being in Love” to “Embraceable You” and “Fly Me to the Moon,” familiar tunes that sound even better when shaped with a singer’s own style and personality, such as Engel does with her deliveries. Whether she’s crooning “Cry Me a River,” “Misty,” or any of a number of identifiable classics, Engel makes her way confidently through the numbers with nary a ruffle in her red evening gown.
The indefatigable Hanrahan, who wrote and directs both shows, ventures into the brave new world of vocal performance when he interprets Keith Carradine’s Oscar-winning tune, “I’m Easy,” from the film, “Nashville.” He acts it out more than really sings the number, but he gets the point of the number’s poignancy over to the audience well enough. He lets Engel doing the vocal heavy-lifting, starting with the Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer standard, “Moon River,” an Oscar winner from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Hanrahan pairs many of the songs together, and in his selections and in Engel’s performance, one can tell why many a familiar song garnered an Oscar, whether it’s “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” the Burt Bacharach/Hal David winner from “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid;” Stephen Sondheim’s contribution to Warren Beatty’s “Dick Tracy,” a snazzy send-up of the old-time comic strip; or “The Way You Look Tonight.”
One of the keys to success with each show is the warm and welcoming presentation of recognizable numbers, a method well received by audiences.
And, even if Jacey’s tunes are more pop standards than traditional jazz pieces, both “Jacey’s Jazz Joint” and “Movie Music” fit the bill for an evening of enjoyable entertainment in a relaxed, cabaret style. Doubtless, they will only improve with additional performances.
Broadway World
Movie Music at Blue Strawberry
James Lindhorst /
March, 2024
Music has been an integral part of storytelling since sound became a part of movies. Even though films were billed as talkies, music was the main use for early sound in film. Since that time, music has become a staple in movies with scores that are instantly recognizable. John Williams is arguably the most prolific composer of music for film. He has scored most of Spielberg's films including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, E.T., Saving Private Ryan, and Schinder’s List. Other memorable scores include those written for Rocky by Bill Conti, and The Pink Panther by Henry Mancini. In addition to writing the score for The Pink Panther, Mancini penned one of the most famous songs from a movie when he wrote "Moon River" for Breakfast at Tiffany’s. That single song transcended the movie and reminds people of that film each time they hear it.
The Midnight Company’s new production, MOVIE MUSIC, is a theatrical cabaret show celebrating some of the original songs that have been written for movies. Scripted by Midnight Company’s Joe Hanrahan, MOVIE MUSIC features more than a dozen songs from movies written by some of the most prolific song writers of the past century. Hanrahan, his co-star Eileen Engel, and music director/accompanist Colin Healy, invite the audience to reminisce with them as they present MOVIE MUSIC.
I love movies as much as theatre, and had high hopes for this production, mostly driven by Hanrahan’s success with JUST ONE LOOK. Hanrahan, Engel, and Healy exceeded my expectations both literally and figuratively. Their show included the song “High Hopes” from the 1959 Frank Capra film A Hole in the Head. In that movie, Frank Sinatra and his young co-star Eddie Hodges ask in song what makes a small ant think he can move a large rubber tree plant. Sinatra teaches Hodges that with optimism anything is possible. What Hanrahan, Engel, and Healy achieved with that amusing song, and the other fifteen included in MOVIE MUSIC, was a bit of goosebump inducing, tear-jerking nostalgia.
Much of the onstage work in this production was placed on the able shoulders of Engel and Healy. Engel, took the stage clad in a jeweled green cocktail dress and bantered back and forth with Hanrahan, sharing tidbits about the movies, the songwriters, and recreating a few scenes from classic movies. Engel, like her emerald dress, glistened with confidence, charm, and stage presence as she sang most of the evening’s selections. She opened the show with the aforementioned “Moon River,” and closed with Barbra Streisand's classic "The Way We Were" from film of the same name. Credit Hanrahan for scripting the show’s close with that song and it's opening lyric to reference the 'memories' he'd just given his audience. Highlights from Engel's performance included a controlled rendition of “Let it Go” from Disney’s Frozen and a lovely vocal on “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas.
The real stars of this show are the songs. The MOVIE MUSIC was arranged and played by music director Colin Healy. From the moment Healy took his seat at the piano and opened the show with “Hooray for Hollywood,” the audience knew they were in for an evening of really special music. Surpassing Healy exceptional talent on the keys is his theatrical intuition for using music to build anticipation and advance the story. Each of his intros were timed perfectly, putting lumps in throats and tears in eyes with the first notes of the songs that Engel and Hanrahan were discussing. Healy’s magnificent musicianship and his prowess on piano allowed this show to sing. It would be a joy to sit and listen to Healy play for hours.
MOVIE MUSIC is an entertaining and sometimes emotional walk down memory lane by three skilled theatrical professionals who know a bit about storytelling. Midnight Company’s Joe Hanrahan has created a formula with his theatrical cabaret productions that continues to fill seats at The Blue Strawberry.
Broadway World
Jacey’s Jazz
James Lindhorst /
March, 2024
Wheelhouse! There are those times when a young-ish performer finds a style of music that perfectly fits their range and vocal styling. Fresh off her win for Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical at Monday evening’s St. Louis Theatre Circle Awards, Eileen Engel took the stage in JACEY’S JAZZ JOINT. For the next 70-miutes, Engel treated her audience to jazzy renditions of some of the most loved American standards. Her set included “Embraceable You,” “Fly Me to the Moon,” and “Misty,” among 10 other songs. Her work with this 13-song set suited her voice as she confidently entertained the club at Blue Strawberry Showroom and Lounge.
JACEY’S JAZZ JOINT is produced by The Midnight Company, and is a collaboration between Engel, The Midnight Company’s Joe Hanrahan’s, and Fly North Theatricals’ Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf. Hanrahan wrote the script, with a single character, Jacey, who through a monologue tells the story of how she came into the money to purchase and run the jazz club. Engel plays Jacey, the club owner and chanteuse who tells the audience about the unclean money that was left behind that she decided to sink into her club. Healy serves as music director and pianist for the trio backing Engel. He is joined by his partner, Rohlf, on drums, and by Seth Miranda on stand-up bass, who did an admirable job as a late fill in.
Engel was enchanting on the stage playing the club owner. Her vintage voice created a retro-jazz club feel where a crooning songster would entertain. She playfully bantered with her band and the audience while weaving the story of her past relationship with a man name Johnny who had ties to the mob. Engle handled Hanrahan’s script with ease, slinking into the role of a young woman with street smarts. Once thing was clear, Jacey’s experience with Johnny made her a savvy woman who had lost her naivete. She would be skeptical and suspicious of the next con man who crossed her path.
Much of the success of this production is owed to music director Colin Healy. It was his arrangements of these standards that created a jazzy vibe. Healy’s virtuosic musicianship was on display as he played and conducted the complex compositions he had adapted for the show. Bradley Rohlf was the epitome of a cool jazz cat on the drums, donning vintage clothing and a Pork Pie hat. His percussion gave the numbers a smooth, variable, and rhythmic jazz feel. Engel introduced her band with character names, and both Healy and Rohlf took on the alter-egos that were scripted by Hanrahan. Bass player Seth Miranda confidently kept up with veteran performers Healy and Rohlf.
This scripted theatrical cabaret production successfully transported the audience to the swanky jazz club with a speakeasy type feel. This collaboration, directed by Hanrahan, is a winner due to his carefully selected partners in Engel, Healy and Rohlf. All three understood the motif of the piece and delivered with each of their individual talents. JACEY’S JAZZ JOINT has the understated subdued feeling of a club with a back story where the music is the focus.
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