Cole Escola

They're like so fun to put on and run and jump around in. I mean, the curls in the wig are high and tight and they bounce in the most obnoxious, petulant way. And the skirt is... so big and cumbersome and yet light enough that I can rip it around like I'm a Tasmanian devil in a tornado.

They're like so fun to put on and run and jump around in. I mean, the curls in the wig are high and tight and they bounce in the most obnoxious, petulant way. And the skirt is... so big and cumbersome and yet light enough that I can rip it around like I'm a Tasmanian devil in a tornado.

They're like so fun to put on and run and jump around in. I mean, the curls in the wig are high and tight and they bounce in the most obnoxious, petulant way. And the skirt is... so big and cumbersome and yet light enough that I can rip it around like I'm a Tasmanian devil in a tornado.

I want to unpack what it is about cabaret that Mary loves and maybe that you love, too. What sets cabaret apart from other kinds of performing? There are some things that are maybe factual about cabaret. You know, it's intimate. There's interaction with the audience. It's about personal storytelling.

I want to unpack what it is about cabaret that Mary loves and maybe that you love, too. What sets cabaret apart from other kinds of performing? There are some things that are maybe factual about cabaret. You know, it's intimate. There's interaction with the audience. It's about personal storytelling.

I want to unpack what it is about cabaret that Mary loves and maybe that you love, too. What sets cabaret apart from other kinds of performing? There are some things that are maybe factual about cabaret. You know, it's intimate. There's interaction with the audience. It's about personal storytelling.

It's about the story of the song rather than the singing mostly. And yeah.

It's about the story of the song rather than the singing mostly. And yeah.

It's about the story of the song rather than the singing mostly. And yeah.

Well, like Mary, you are a well-known cabaret singer. And you came up through this downtown New York scene with people like Bridget Everett and Murray Hill, who people might know from the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, among other things. Can you describe what that scene was like? This is the mid to late 2000s.

Well, like Mary, you are a well-known cabaret singer. And you came up through this downtown New York scene with people like Bridget Everett and Murray Hill, who people might know from the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, among other things. Can you describe what that scene was like? This is the mid to late 2000s.

Well, like Mary, you are a well-known cabaret singer. And you came up through this downtown New York scene with people like Bridget Everett and Murray Hill, who people might know from the HBO series Somebody Somewhere, among other things. Can you describe what that scene was like? This is the mid to late 2000s.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there was this monthly cabaret show called Our Hit Parade at Joe's Pub. And it was 10 different cabaret or musical or performance artists performing the top 10 Billboard songs of the month, doing their own interpretations of those songs. And it was a monthly show, usually, you know, like... Over half of the same people and then a few, you know, special guests.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there was this monthly cabaret show called Our Hit Parade at Joe's Pub. And it was 10 different cabaret or musical or performance artists performing the top 10 Billboard songs of the month, doing their own interpretations of those songs. And it was a monthly show, usually, you know, like... Over half of the same people and then a few, you know, special guests.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there was this monthly cabaret show called Our Hit Parade at Joe's Pub. And it was 10 different cabaret or musical or performance artists performing the top 10 Billboard songs of the month, doing their own interpretations of those songs. And it was a monthly show, usually, you know, like... Over half of the same people and then a few, you know, special guests.

And we did that every month for like three years. And I was a regular guest. And it's truly like I didn't go to school, but I feel like that's where I cut my teeth, so to speak, and learned like how to perform and how to write for an audience. Yeah.

And we did that every month for like three years. And I was a regular guest. And it's truly like I didn't go to school, but I feel like that's where I cut my teeth, so to speak, and learned like how to perform and how to write for an audience. Yeah.

And we did that every month for like three years. And I was a regular guest. And it's truly like I didn't go to school, but I feel like that's where I cut my teeth, so to speak, and learned like how to perform and how to write for an audience. Yeah.

Well, there's footage online of you performing at the last show in 2012, which was kind of a celebration of the show coming to an end. Would you mind if we played a little bit of your performance?

Well, there's footage online of you performing at the last show in 2012, which was kind of a celebration of the show coming to an end. Would you mind if we played a little bit of your performance?