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player ready...Nan Mason is doing her shtick in the back room of Petterino’s.
Mason, one of Chicago’s venerable musical talents, has the room in the palms of her hands, sprinkling quips and barbs into the lyrics of “Happy Days Are Here Again.” Beckie Menzie is accompanying Mason on piano, trying hard not to burst out in laughter while keeping up with the quick-witted Mason.
When Mason is done, the packed room erupts in applause. “Are you having fun?” asks Denise McGowan, who along with Menzie is handling the hosting duties for “Monday Night Live” at Petterino’s.
In unison, the crowd replies with a hearty “Yeah!”
Later, during a break in the performances from Chicago-area vocalists, Menzie explains what “Monday Night Live” — an alternative to that other Monday night pastime — is all about.
“I welcome any chance for singers to sing,” she says. “We have so many talented performers in this town. Our job is to find audiences for these singers. And any time we can find a new audience for these singers, that’s a good thing.”
This is why so many of those singers, including Mason, Jimmy Damon and Ken Baker, gladly took up the microphone for the opening night of “Monday Night Live,” a free weekly showcase not only for established vocalists, but also for amateurs and even performers from local theatrical productions who want to keep their voices in shape on the theater district’s “dark night.”
And this is nothing like karaoke night at your neighborhood bar. It’s more like “American Idol” on steroids, a throwback to the days when the Windy City boasted smoky cabarets and piano bars on every other corner in the Loop.
“The town’s been crying for this for a number of years,” says Damon, seated under a wall of caricatures in one of Petterino’s booths. “Listen to these people sing. This is what Chicago used to be about. This is what Chicago should be about.”
Just as Damon finishes his thought, Tom Michael joins Menzie for a rousing rendition of Van Morrison’s “Moondance” as the crowd — mostly in their late 30s and older — bops heads and snaps fingers while sipping martinis and specialty drinks. After that, jazz vocalist Laura Freeman launches into a sexually charged “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” from “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
McGowan — quite the vocalist in her own right — says she hopes the open mic format of “Monday Night Live” introduces Chicagoans to lesser-known vocalists.
“It’s so hard, if you’re not a seasoned professional, to get up in front of a room of strangers,” McGowan says. “It’s so important to have a room so people can feel comfortable performing.”
People like Erika Mac, a Petterino’s hostess who leaves her post momentarily to belt out “Give Me That Thing Called Love,” exiting the stage to applause as she returns to her post at the front door. Mac held her own with the likes of Chicago icon Ron Hawking. Hawking, headlining “The Men and their Music” at Wrigleyville’s Mercury Theatre, popped into Petterino’s on his day off to belt out a silky smooth version of “For Once in My Life.”
Not a bad way to start the week. Or, as Nan Mason put it: “You’ve got nothing else to do on a Monday night, right?”
Well, Nan, perhaps now we do.
‘Monday Night Live’
Where: Petterino’s, 150 N. Dearborn St.; 312-422-0150
When: 7:30-10 p.m.
The buzz: Just in case you’re not ready for some football, this might be the perfect way to kick off your week. With the cabaret-style open mic format, established Chicago performers like Nan Mason, Jimmy Damon and Ron Hawking share the stage with amateurs, along with actors and amateurs from local theater productions. There’s no cover charge and Petterino’s offers its regular appetizer menu (prices range from $5.95 for liver pate to $12.95 for shrimp cocktail) along with drink specials (including the delicious Moet “MNL” cocktail of Moet & Chandon Champagne, Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc and lemon sorbet for $14).
Terry’s tip: You probably should cab it or take public transportation. Although Monday night is the traditional “dark night” in the Theater District, traffic is still a mess due to the ongoing construction at the “Block 37” site.
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