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Cabaret star Marilyn ‘my middle name is medley’ Maye to headline St. Louis Cabaret Festival

Marilyn Maye is one of the featured performances of the St. Louis Cabaret Festival.
Marilyn Maye
Marilyn Maye is one of the featured performances of the St. Louis Cabaret Festival.

Next week, St. Louis will play host to some stars from the national cabaret scene as the annual St. Louis Cabaret Festival returns to the area alongside the St. Louis Cabaret Conference.

Marilyn Maye, born 1928 with a voice of husky perfection, holds the singers’ record for performing 76 times on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. She is one of the featured performances of the festival.

The 88-year-old singer will perform a series of medleys and ballads alongside Ann Hampton Callaway, a multiplatinum-selling singer and composer known for writing and singing the theme for “The Nanny” and starring in the Broadway musical “Swing.”

The two will be joined by Billy Stritch and Tedd Firth on piano.

“It’s a celebration of life, the ups and downs, love,” Callaway told St. Louis on the Air contributor Steve Potter. “There’s playfulness between us. There’s some great ballads. One of the things Marilyn brings with her is: she’s the queen of the medley.”

“My middle name is medley,” Maye interjected.

For Tim Schall, singer, producer and co-founder of the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, the match-up between these two cabaret dynamos was obvious.

Tim Schall.
Credit Kelly Moffitt | St. Louis Public Radio
Tim Schall, singer, producer and co-founder of the St. Louis Cabaret Conference.

"They’re incredible ladies, incredible talents and amazing performers,” Schall said.

The festival includes six nights of performances, including headliner Tony DeSare performing from “Sinatra to Prince,” (yes, you read that right), as well as Faith Prince and Jason Graae performing “The Prince and the Showboy.”

Related Events

What: St. Louis Cabaret Festival Presents Faith Prince and Jason Graae in "The Prince and The Showboy"
When: Tuesday, July 20 at 8 p.m.
Where: Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108
More information.

What: St. Louis Cabaret Festival Presents Marilyn Maye and Her Piano Men: Tedd Firth & Billy Stritch, pianos with Special Guest Ann Hampton Callaway
When: Thursday, July 21 at 8 p.m.
Where: Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108
More information.

What: St. Louis Cabaret Festival Presents Tony DeSare in "From Sinatra to Prince"
When: Friday July 22 at 8 p.m.
Where: Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63108
More information.

St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Mary Edwards, Alex Heuer and Kelly Moffitt give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.

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Kelly Moffitt joined St. Louis Public Radio in 2015 as an online producer for St. Louis Public Radio's talk shows St. Louis on the Air.