Floral Park native, Pamela Lewis is in a New York State of Mind. Her one woman cabaret (New York State of Mind: The Songs of Billy Joel) is set to pay homage to the Long Island music legend. For two nights, Friday, Jan. 16 and Saturday, Jan. 17, Lewis will head into The Big Apple to belt out Joel’s classic hits at the Metropolitan Room (34 W. 22nd St.) in the Flatiron District.
Lewis considers Billy Joel’s songs to be the soundtrack of her life and has been dreaming about performing them since she was a girl. She told the Floral Park Dispatch, “I’ve always treasured Joel’s songbook; he’s of one of the great singer/songwriters of our time.”
Lewis’s love of Long Island and understanding of Joel’s roots make her an ideal performer who’s more than ready to take on the enduring songs of The Piano Man.
At the age of five, Lewis was singing Joel’s lyrics just because of the melody. Today, she’s excited to showcase her passionate, sensual voice; which will offer that added flair of female perspective to Joel’s signature lyrics. As she matured, those melodies turned into meaning and helped guide her through life.
“Now that I’m older, I realize what music meant to me and I hope people can feel the emotion and sense of belonging I yearned for when I went to a live show,” she said.
Lewis, along with husband, John Hurley who plays guitar, offers up new arrangements and innovative twists on Joel’s classic hits such as “You May Be Right,” “My Life” and more.
With the help of director and cabaret star, Barb Jungr; musical director, Bill Heller on piano; Ritt Henn on bass; and Marcus Parsley on trumpet, Lewis transcends Joel’s hits, re-working them with precision and pomp.
“Cabaret is so nice because you get to hear all the words,” said Lewis.
Lewis is like an emerging femme fatale who shines and exposes the softer side of the quintessential pop star of this century; standing in stark contrast to his immense masculine mystique.
“‘Matter of Trust’ is the track I’m most excited about. It’s what I base all of my relationships on,” Lewis added. ”If you don’t have trust you don’t have anything.”
After a successful run of her 2013 show Daddy’s Little Girl at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, Lewis is now proving herself as one of New York’s rising cabaret stars.
She’s confident that her shows will shake up the scene.
“I hope people who are unfamiliar with cabaret will think, yes, cabaret can be cool.”
Perhaps assuring a new generation, she added “that it’s not your grandmother’s cabaret show, so come down, relax and have some fun.”
The songster was voted Best Female Vocalist of the Year by www.broadwayworld.com in 2013. Visit www.champagnepam.com for tickets and more information.
