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Are audiences open to new, unfamiliar material? Without a doubt! I know from experience that cabaret fans are eager to hear what contemporary cabaret songwriters have to say about life and love in our time. And of course, many performers like to find material that distinguishes them from the pack. Perhaps you've searched for great tunes from Broadway flops, unknown songs by famous composers and forgotten hits of the past. Presenting recently-composed songs serves the same purpose.
My songs - I almost always write both words and music - are highly theatrical mini-musicals, characterized by witty and mordant lyrics, offbeat themes, unexpected twists and turns and melodies that linger in the mind. Musically, I compose in a wide variety of genres - sometimes several in the same piece - including romantic ballads, upbeat comic numbers, jazz, blues, swing and gospel, often with a strong classical music underpinning to the fully-scored piano accompaniment. If you like to bring a dramatic flair to your shows, these songs give you every reason to do so! You can find them at SONGS, a page which leads you to the music, lyrics, sheet music and other information for each title. If you decide to perform or record any song, CONTACT DENNIS to let me know. In return, I will publicize your event on the HOME PAGE and place a reference at SONG PERFORMANCES.
You'll find other material on this site as well. I've written two children's musicals - THE CRETACEOUS CABARET is about how dinosaurs discovered they were becoming extinct and THE WEAVER AND THE SEA is adapted from a Sufi teaching tale about a young woman's quest to learn her purpose in life. The playlists, synopses and cast details from both shows are on their own pages. You can learn about my father, JERRY LIVINGSTON, one of the leading songwriters from the classic era of the American Songbook. There's also information about FROM TIN PAN ALLEY TO SILICON VALLEY, a music revue I developed from the songs we each wrote in very different periods of history. You can take a look at the extensive LINKS to cabaret and sheet music sites. Finally, please use the GUESTBOOK for comments about this site and CONTACT DENNIS to request any additional material about my songs, musicals and my father's career or notices about additions to the site. Enjoy!