LIVING STANDARDS
A new cabaret show featuring standards by living songwriters
starring Marissa Mulder
produced and directed by Tom Toce

LIVING STANDARDS is an exciting new cabaret show that addresses the complaint “they don’t write ‘em like they used to.” Of course they do, if you know where to look! Starring Marissa Mulder (three 2014 MAC nominations) and produced and directed by Tom Toce (two 2014 MAC nominations), LIVING STANDARDS presents late entries to the Great American Songbook. Songs written by living composers and lyricists. Songs that are every bit as witty, elegant, touching, and intelligent as the Gershwin/Kern/Porter standards of days past.

LIVING STANDARDS will include work by the best of today’s cabaret songwriters, writers such as Francesca Blumenthal, John Bucchino, Craig Carnelia, Julie Gold, and Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, as well as songs from singer-songwriters like Christine Lavin, Dar Williams, and Anaïs Mitchell. Some songs will be well known in the cabaret community, having achieved “standard” status through numerous recordings or industry awards. Other songs will be less well known, but in the opinion of the show’s creators, equally deserving of the high status.

Once upon a time, the Great American Songbook produced the hit songs of the day. Once upon a time, songwriters could make a living writing them. That day has passed. You won’t find these songs on any hit parades. But by our standards, LIVING STANDARDS offers current songs by living writers, songs that are or ought to be considered standards, by any standard.

Marissa Mulder is the winner of the 2013 Julie Wilson Award and the 2013 Noel Coward Award. Her Tom Waits show, “Tom…In His Words,” was a unanimous hit, one that Stephen Holden of the New York Times called “Far and away the season’s best cabaret show.” She was named the Rising Cabaret Star of the Year by Time Out Magazine. The NiteLifeExchange named her as one of the 50 most important people in cabaret to watch in 2014.

Tom Toce is a veteran theater and cabaret songwriter. HOPELESSLY IN LOVE: THE LYRICS OF TOM TOCE was one of the most successful shows at the Metropolitan Room in 2012 and 2013. Marissa appeared in that show, as well as Carole J. Bufford, Jack Donahue, and Jennifer Sheehan. Tom’s song “Bye-Bye, Aloha, Yo!” was nominated for a MAC Award for best special material. Tom is a two-time Jeopardy! champion (his encyclopedic knowledge of the Great American Songbook helped) and a member of the Jeopardy Hall of Fame, for high score in a single game.

MAC Nominations

Tom’s CD Hopelessly in Love: The Lyrics of Tom Toce has been nominated for a 2014 MAC Award for best recording of the year!

Tom’s song “Shalom, Santa,” with music by Douglas J. Cohen, has been nominated for best comedy song!

And the winner is: “Shalom, Santa” for best comedy song!

Hopelessly in Love did not win best recording–but Marissa Mulder’s CD TOM . . . IN HIS WORDS did! Congratulations Marissa and all the nominees!