By Wayman Wong
03 Mar 2004

CHANCES ARE, HE SOUNDS LIKE MATHIS
When it comes to high and heavenly voices, I doubt even St. Peter has heard one as angelic as Marcus Simeone’s. You’ll swear he sounds like Johnny Mathis, especially when he croons "Answer Me." One of his fans even gave Simeone a gift: a Taco Bell chihuahua doll that plays "Chances Are." He says, "Mathis was a big influence because my mom always played his records. I just saw him, and he’s still amazing."

But Simeone, 37, has a dynamic and distinctive voice that is very much his own, whether he’s jazzing up Cole Porter’s "Miss Otis Regrets" or singing Janis Ian’s haunting "He Must Be Beautiful." A 2002 Cabaret Hotline Award winner and a 2003 Bistro Award recipient, he will appear March 5 at the Hoboken Cabaret Festival in New Jersey and perform with Sue Matsuki on March 13 in West Nyack and March 19 at Odette’s in New Hope, Pa. And the two-time MAC Award nominee brings back his show, Cat on a Leash, on March 14 and 21 to Danny’s Skylight Room in New York.

The show’s title is based on a new tune by Nicholas Levin, inspired by Simeone’s tabby, Nazo, which — unlike most cats — allows itself to be walked on a leash. He says, "The song’s about being different and finding your own voice." Another tune in the show is Maria Gentile and Caren Kole’s "If I Were a Boy." Though it was written for a woman, Simeone tackles it because "when I heard those lyrics, ‘If my clothes were different, if my voice were deeper,’ they spoke to me. Even in cabaret, if I were singing with a deeper voice, like Brent Barrett, [people would] know where to put me."

The Brooklyn native says his show is about empathizing with others: something he does daily as a social worker who deals with blacks, Latinos, people with HIV and the homeless. He knows what it’s like to be perceived as different. Though he’s three-quarters Italian and one-quarter Puerto Rican, the olive-skinned entertainer says, "I’ve been mistaken for light-skinned African-Americans, and they’re beautiful. Maybe it’s my lips. Someone once told me that I looked like Shari Belafonte. I said, ‘Not even Harry?'" He jokes, "Maybe my next show will be devoted to Shari’s music."

Influenced also by Jane Olivor and Diana Ross, the 5-foot-7 singer is drawn to tunes that are true to life: "That’s why I love Luther Vandross’ ‘Dance With My Father.’ And when I first heard Tom Andersen and Tim DiPasqua’s ‘Then Again,’ I bawled my eyes out. Everyone’s been in a relationship that changes. Those songs are so real." Also close to his heart is his own lovely "Lullaby," which he wrote with Charles Rice.

Aside from his music, this sensitive soul says he’s happy spending time with his boyfriend, cooking, cleaning and collecting old movies. He also relishes being with his seven nieces and nephews ("I would love to have children").

Looking back, he wanted to sing like Michael Jackson when he was five. But he was so shy that he never joined the choir or sang in the school musicals. Simeone didn’t really start performing until he was in his twenties — when he appeared on "Star Search" and "Showtime at the Apollo" — and he made his cabaret debut only in 2000: "Doubt and fear are crippling. I used to be a drama queen and didn’t believe in myself. But now I say, ‘To hell with it.’ I’m going to be happy and enjoy the journey!"

For more information, visit www.marcussimeone.com.

WHERE THE GUYS ARE
There’s so much to see in New York: Ben Strothmann, the fantastic photographer who shoots "The Leading Men" for this column, celebrates his 25th birthday at Jim Caruso’s Cast Party on March 1 at 10 PM at the Ars Nova Theater, 511 W. 54th St. (212-868-4444). He’ll even croon a tune. See more of Ben’s fine photos of Broadway and cabaret stars at www.benstrothmann.com.

Gregg Marx, who won a 1987 Emmy Award as Tom Hughes on "As the World Turns," will leave his soap fans in a lather with his New York cabaret debut on March 16 at 7 and 9:15 PM at Danny’s Skylight Room, 346 W. 46th St. (212-265-8133). The act’s called Wet Night, Dry Martini, and his musical toast will include the Gershwins, Sondheim and Rodgers & Hart. By the way, this soap stud’s grandfather is Gummo Marx, and his granduncles are Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo.

Finally, I recommended Brandon Cutrell’s new cabaret act with "No Reservations," sight unseen, last month. Having gone to the opening, it’s a pleasure to report that this 2003 MAC Award winner has turned in his best show yet. The boyish tenor, 27, is laugh-out-loud funny with an old Dinah Washington tune, "TV Is the Thing This Year," but it’s his vibrant vocals and excellent acting that steal the show. Backed by the lovely Lisa Asher, Cutrell closes his show with a compelling a cappella version of the spiritual "I’m Going Up a Yonder." As directed by Phil Geoffrey Bond and musical-directed by Ray Fellman, Cutrell’s stock will be definitely going up a yonder itself. He plays again March 6 and 13 at 7 PM at The Duplex, 61 Christopher St. (212-255-5438). Visit www.brandoncutrell.com.

Got comments or questions? E-mail me at waymanwong@hotmail.com.

Until next month, let’s hear it for the "boys"!

Wayman Wong edits entertainment for the New York Daily News. He has been a movie and theater critic for the San Francisco Examiner, a writer for The Sondheim Review and a Drama-Logue Award-winning playwright.

Brandon Cutrell (left), David Osmond and Marcus Simeone
photo by Ben Strothmann

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