I met a friend for Boozy Brunch at The Cutting Room located at 44 East 32nd Street right off Park Avenue South. It was my turn to see and hear The Dueling Pianos, which my friend raved about for weeks. Mark Weiser and Mathew Friedman, each at their own piano, delivered their raucous and fabulous Shake, Rattle, and Roll show.

Here is the entrance to The Cutting Room.

The Cutting Room entrance. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff

And here are the bar and the stage restaurant areas.

Bar Seating. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff

Dining area. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff

This show was called The Boozy Brunch with a special limited cabaret menu. I opted for the Hamburger and French Fries plate. 

Hamburger and Fries. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff

Hamburger and Fries. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff

The show is spontaneous, meaning the songs performed are based solely on audience requests. Here are Mark and Mathew on The Cutting Room stage.

The Stage. Photo credit: Sora Vernikoff

Mark and Mathew know thousands of tunes, and what’s performed is driven by requests paid for via Venmo.  If someone in the audience doesn’t like the song they’re playing, they can outbid that song, whereas Mark and Mathew stop immediately and play the new request. If no one sends a paid request, Mark and Mathew play the Baby Shark Song until the audience is numb and desperate for something new.

Sometimes, folks run up to the pianos to outbid the song being played. It’s incredibly funny and entertaining!

At today’s brunch, we heard songs from Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Elton John, Cher, Ricky Martin, Prince, and more. Mark and Mathew got the audience clapping, singing, and swaying with hands in the air. They call out their “requesters” hilariously.

The Cutting Room
44 East 32nd Street
New York City
Bookings@TheCuttingRoomNYC.com
(212) 691-1900

Readers may also enjoy our reviews of Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, Barbetta, Tony’s DiNapoli Italian Restaurant, Junior’s, The Palm Midtown, and Pekarna.