SEPTEMBER AT CAFÉ CARLYLE: JUDY COLLINS, TONY DANZA, AND BRIAN NEWMAN
Contributor - Jack Bartholet | Head of Events & Experiences • 8/21/25
Stepping into Café Carlyle with its mirrored, muraled dining room feels like crossing a threshold into a different era, one where glamour wasn’t an aspiration but a way of life. For nearly 70 years, the Carlyle has offered more than cabaret; it has offered an immersion in culture and ritual. You don’t just go for the show, you take in the entire evening: that fancy feeling the velvet banquettes evoke, their elegant prix fixe dinner, and the electricity of a stage that has hosted everyone from Eartha Kitt to Elaine Stritch.
September offers three exceptional pieces of programming: Judy Collins, Tony Danza, and Brian Newman. Each brings a distinct perspective to the Carlyle stage, one rooted in folk, one in the golden age of crooners, and one in the current moment of jazz. They remind us why “dinner and a show” at Café Carlyle may technically describe the evening’s happenings; however, in the most magical way possible.
The last time I stopped by, I was mesmerized by the Marcel Vertès dog flickering on my table lamp, dazzled by the talents of my friend and nightlife icon Amber Martin, and tickled pink that I got to share a glass of champagne with Parker Posey before biking home through Central Park. That’s the type of New York City night I dream of, and there’s a handful of opportunities for you to tap into this special alchemy.
JUDY COLLINS: ICON IN INTIMATE SCALE
September 9–20, 2025
There is something profoundly moving about seeing Judy Collins in a room as small as the Carlyle. For six decades she has filled concert halls with her crystalline soprano and interpretive genius. Yet here you are close enough to catch the glint of her eyes as she sings Both Sides Now or Send in the Clowns. Collins has always been more than a voice; she is an artist, a songwriter, an activist, and a cultural conscience.
This residency arrives at a poignant moment. Her 55th album earned a Grammy nomination, and she will soon publish a new collection of poetry, Sometimes It’s Heaven. At the Carlyle, she interweaves these threads of song, story, and memory into an evening that feels less like a performance and more like a conversation across time. For our members, it is an opportunity to witness not only a legend, but also an artist still fully engaged with her craft.
TONY DANZA: SINATRA, STORIES, AND STAGECRAFT
September 23–27, 2025
It’s hard not to smile when Tony Danza walks on stage. He carries with him the nostalgia of Taxi and Who’s the Boss, the credibility of Broadway (The Producers, A View from the Bridge), and the sheer magnetism of an old-fashioned entertainer. His show, Sinatra & Stories, is not a tribute concert, but a love letter. With a four-piece band behind him, Danza revisits the American Songbook while offering personal anecdotes, some poignant and some mischievous.
There’s a reason this run comes back by popular demand. Danza tap dances, strums a ukulele, and tells stories with a warmth that feels unscripted. In an age of heavily produced performances, his shows remind us of an older tradition of entertainment, one where the performer’s charm is the spectacle. An evening with Danza is more than a night out, it’s a celebration of the song-and-dance man.
BRIAN NEWMAN: THE SOUND OF NOW
September 30, 2025 – One Night Only
The month closes with a single performance by Brian Newman, one of the most exciting bandleaders working today. Newman is a trumpeter, singer, and producer who has redefined the jazz tradition by colliding it with influences as varied as Nirvana, Willie Nelson, and Bruce Springsteen. His artistry is at once reverent and rebellious.
Newman’s collaborations with Lady Gaga, including orchestration for her recent album Harlequin, have brought him international visibility. But it is in settings like the Carlyle where his talent becomes undeniable. He makes the familiar new, weaving standards from the Great American Songbook with unexpected textures and rhythms. The result is a performance that honors the past while demanding your attention in the present. With only one night on the Carlyle schedule, it is the kind of engagement that rewards those who act quickly.
To attend a performance at Café Carlyle is to embrace the theater of the evening itself. A two-course prix fixe dinner precedes the performance, with dishes like diver scallop ceviche and Hudson Valley half-roasted chicken. The menu is not merely accompaniment but part of the ritual: refined, seasonal, and deliberately paced to heighten the anticipation of the show. The service is delivered with such charm: smiles from fellow New Yorkers who are truly delighted to meet the moment of modern hospitality.
What makes the Carlyle remarkable is not only the quality of its performers but the intimacy of the setting. Even the most celebrated voices: Collins’ crystalline soprano, Danza’s charming baritone, Newman’s molten trumpet resonate differently here, softened by proximity. It is not just about hearing music; it is about being drawn into a moment that feels singular and slowed down.
We often remind our members that cultural institutions are best experienced in their element. The Carlyle is not simply a stage, but an institution that has helped define New York’s identity for seventy years. To step into that room in September is to honor its past while participating in its present.
Three artists, three distinct traditions, one legendary room. September at Café Carlyle is not a question of whether to go, but whether or not you can catch more than one show.
Contributor — Jack Bartholet | Head of Events & Experiences
Jack effortlessly transitions from the entertainment industry to the world of luxury hospitality and travel, bringing a rich background of collaboration with celebrated artists and extensive personal travel experiences. When not consulting, he can be seen onstage with cabaret and theatre performances. Jack's enduring passion centers on fostering a sense of belonging for LGBTQ travelers wherever their journey takes them.
