There’s a vivacious new kid on St. Louis’ cabaret scene: the Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, in the storied Gaslight Square. The 90-seat room boasts exposed red brick and a menu by executive chef Kevin Sthair, formerly of the Lucas Park Grille. And then there are the acts. Americana, R&B, blues, Broadway, rock and roll…“Cabaret” might be too limiting a term.
“Blue Strawberry is about singers who tell stories,” says Jim Dolan, the man behind the curtain. “They can do that with a piano backing, a guitar, a full band—it’s genre-independent.” Hometown favorite and moonlighting physician Ken Haller opened the venue on Halloween, also his 65th birthday, with delightful tales of his own aging.
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You’ll certainly catch some classic cabaret at Blue Strawberry—in November, KT Sullivan, the doyenne of New York cabaret, Dolan says, performed—but there’s more to it. The only real requirement is the storytelling. Yes, there’s a baby grand and room for a jazz ensemble. But if you want to ring in 2020 at the venue, for example, The Samples, a ’90s rock band, will tell the evening’s stories.
Our city has a great cabaret heritage, with The Cabaret Project of St. Louis training young practitioners and the St. Louis Cabaret Conference. There are many venues, but few rooms in the sweet spot of 90 seats, and fewer still focused so tightly on storytelling through song.
Dolan has been a producer and presenter of music in St. Louis for 14 years and wanted his own room to bring his vision to life.
“We’re going for, in addition to good music, good food and drinks in an intimate environment,” he says. “We think that the music we do works best in that environment.”
Unlike other spaces, Blue Strawberry is intended to be a full night out. Come at 6:30 p.m. for dinner and drinks and stay for the 8 p.m. show. There are shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the smaller lounge space hosts dinner and music.
About that name: Years ago, Dolan was visiting northern Wisconsin for July 4, the week the strawberries come in. Early one morning, he popped into a store and found strawberries that were so purple, they were almost blue.
Years later, he visited the town again around the same time and looked for the blue strawberries. He was met with only quizzical stares when he asked after them.
“I never found them, nor did I find anyone who remembers,” he says. “I knew it was real—it wasn’t a dream. It became my Brigadoon.”
Mark Your Calendar
Six shows to catch at Blue Strawberry
The Samples
8:30 p.m., December 31
Frontman Sean Kelly is influenced by Neil Young and Jackson Browne. Ring in the new year with a four-course dinner and songs from their new album, Indian Summer.
Rick Jensen
8 p.m., January 2
Jensen, who has been honored with a lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, has been performing and collaborating in cabaret for more than 40 years.
Beverly Brennan
8 p.m., January 3
In A Night With Day, Brennan pays tribute to Doris Day’s movies, musicals, and more.
Robert Breig
8 p.m., January 4
Breig invokes the spirit of Aussie showman Peter Allen in his show Making Every Moment Count.
Emily Skinner
8 p.m., January 10 & 11
In her show Broadway My Way, Skinner introduces audiences to shows she’s been a part of on the Great White Way, including Billy Elliot and Dinner at Eight.
Mark Saunders
8 p.m., January 17
The title of this one—Everything’s Fine: A Bear in Search of His Honey—says it all, but in any case, Saunders will sing about his ups and downs, and “especially the tops and bottoms,” of his love life.
