Mark Nadler
Encyclopedia
Mark Nadler is a New York City
-based cabaret
performer, actor and comedic pianist. He has been described as "one of New York's most acclaimed singer/pianists" and a "virtuoso" of classical piano.
Nadler was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa
. He took an interest in Broadway musicals from a young age, and was a fan of Danny Kaye
, Mahalia Jackson
, Jimmy Durante
, the Marx Brothers
and Bugs Bunny
. At the age of ten, he began performing professionally at the Long Straw Saloon in Cedar Falls, Iowa
. As the gay son of Jewish immigrants, he felt out of place in the Midwestern town. He studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in 1981 before moving to Manhattan at age 17.
In 2004 Nadler and his partner hosted a "Bark Mitzvah
" for their wheaten terrier, Admiral Rufus K. Boom, as a commentary on the frivolity and excess of Bar Mitzvah engagements at which Nadler had performed earlier in his career.
Nadler frequently has collaborated with singer KT Sullivan
. He has written and performed in dozens of touring, Broadway, and off-Broadway productions, as well as on television programs. Some of his more notable productions include American Rhapsody, an off-Broadway
revue
based on George Gershwin
that won the Manhattan Association Of Cabarets Award
for Outstanding Musical Revue and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award
and two Lucille Lortel Awards
; Red Light, an "opera in honky-tonk" co-written with Dawn Hampton, which also won a MAC Award; Tchaikovsky (and Other Russians), performed at the Algonquin Hotel
and the American Conservatory Theater
, among other venues, which won the 2003 Bistro Award; and Russian on the Side, based on the Ira Gershwin
/Kurt Weill
patter song
"Tchaikovsky (and Other Russians)"
, which played the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Marines Memorial Theater in San Francisco, California
.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
performer, actor and comedic pianist. He has been described as "one of New York's most acclaimed singer/pianists" and a "virtuoso" of classical piano.
Nadler was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
. He took an interest in Broadway musicals from a young age, and was a fan of Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
, Jimmy Durante
Jimmy Durante
James Francis "Jimmy" Durante was an American singer, pianist, comedian and actor. His distinctive clipped gravelly speech, comic language butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and large nose helped make him one of America's most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s...
, the Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
and Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
. At the age of ten, he began performing professionally at the Long Straw Saloon in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa
Cedar Falls is a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States, and it is home to one of Iowa's three public universities, the University of Northern Iowa. The population was 39,260 in the 2010 census, an increase from the 36,145 population in the 2000 census...
. As the gay son of Jewish immigrants, he felt out of place in the Midwestern town. He studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in 1981 before moving to Manhattan at age 17.
In 2004 Nadler and his partner hosted a "Bark Mitzvah
Bark mitzvah
A Bark Mitzvah is a pseudo-traditional observance and celebration of a dog's coming of age, as in the Jewish traditional Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah...
" for their wheaten terrier, Admiral Rufus K. Boom, as a commentary on the frivolity and excess of Bar Mitzvah engagements at which Nadler had performed earlier in his career.
Nadler frequently has collaborated with singer KT Sullivan
KT Sullivan
KT Sullivan is an American singer and actress known for her performances in cabaret and musical theatre.-Early years:Born Kathleen Sullivan in Boggy Depot, Oklahoma to Elizabeth, a composer of religious and show music, and James A...
. He has written and performed in dozens of touring, Broadway, and off-Broadway productions, as well as on television programs. Some of his more notable productions include American Rhapsody, an off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
based on George Gershwin
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
that won the Manhattan Association Of Cabarets Award
Mac Awards
The MAC Awards, begun in 1986, are presented annually to honor achievements in cabaret, comedy, and jazz. The award is organized by the non-profit organization Manhattan Association of Clubs and Cabarets , founded in 1983....
for Outstanding Musical Revue and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
and two Lucille Lortel Awards
Lucille Lortel Awards
The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986...
; Red Light, an "opera in honky-tonk" co-written with Dawn Hampton, which also won a MAC Award; Tchaikovsky (and Other Russians), performed at the Algonquin Hotel
Algonquin Hotel
The Algonquin Hotel is a historic hotel located at 59 West 44th Street in Manhattan . The hotel has been designated as a New York City Historic Landmark....
and the American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
, among other venues, which won the 2003 Bistro Award; and Russian on the Side, based on the Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin
Ira Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
/Kurt Weill
Kurt Weill
Kurt Julian Weill was a German-Jewish composer, active from the 1920s, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fruitful collaborations with Bertolt Brecht...
patter song
Patter song
The patter song is characterized by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note...
"Tchaikovsky (and Other Russians)"
Tchaikovsky (song)
"Tschaikowsky " is a patter song with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and music by Kurt Weill, first performed by American comedian Danny Kaye in the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark...
, which played the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Marines Memorial Theater in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.