Carol O'Shaughnessy Looks to the Rainbow and Finds Hope

"'Chasing the Rainbow,' my show title, means hope," says award-winning cabaret singer Carol O'Shaughnessy. "It's not about finding the gold at the end of the rainbow. I know people who have so much, and I'm living in 450 square feet in the basement, but I have a lot more than most. I am such an optimist. You will not get any pessimism out of me."

Dubbed "Boston's First Lady of Cabaret," O'Shaughnessy has remained a top-tier performer well into her 80s, holding court Saturday nights at the Club Café's Napoleon Room monthly (and sometimes more frequently) with her longtime musical director Tom LaMark, performing at senior centers and assisted living facilities, teaching emerging cabaret performers in workshops and master classes to give back to the community, and, at least once a year, presenting a one-woman cabaret act with LaMark. One such annual show is coming up soon, when O'Shaughnessy presents "Chasing the Rainbow..Such a Life" with the Tom LaMark Orchestra at the Club Café's Moonshine on Saturday, November 23.

"Rainbows are a symbol of hope," affirms O'Shaughnessy, knowing how much we need that now, especially in the wake of an election that leaves a good part of society, especially much of the LGBTQ+ community, feeling disconsolate and disenfranchised. "I didn't pick the 'rainbow' title for the gay community, it just happened that way," O'Shaughnessy clarifies, though she notes gratefully, "Half, more than half, of my life is involved with the gay community, to whom I owe a lot of my career's success."

O'Shaughnessy will turn 82 next month, and she contemplates whether she will be doing more of these types of shows. "I'm not Marilyn Maye," admits O'Shaughnessy, referring to the cabaret matriarch who is 96 and still performing. "Rebecca Parris worked until she died. So did Irene Ryan. That's what I want." Still, she's starting to see her contemporaries retire, like one of her trumpet players, and she has outlived several of her past musical directors, including Donn Hill, to whom she dedicated a whole show. So, she ponders, "This might be my last show."

O'Shaughnessy then reflects, "I will talk about my life. Mama Scugliacci [one of her comic character bits] will show up. She's put up with a lot. I think she's got a boyfriend." While Mama Scugliacci is a humorous and irreverent take on the classic Italian grandmother, there may be more than a little of O'Shaughnessy lying beneath Mama's babushka. "I had a lot of affairs with many men," admits O'Shaughnessy, "and I wanted to do the Lesley Gore song 'Other Lady,' but I won't. It's too dark, and that's not what this show is about. But I will sing 'A Kind of Man a Woman Needs,' which is much more positive."

One of the highlights of O'Shaughnessy's career, which also included acting in musical theater, was performing the role of Fraulein Schneider in the musical "Cabaret" at a regional theater in Connecticut. "I will do a medley from 'Cabaret' because I love it, and I love the character Fraulein Schneider. She was so smart," O'Shaughnessy asserts. "When I studied for that role, I did a lot of reading. She was hopeful, but also a realist. She would just move on from what we just went through [referring to the election]. I loved that role. I think I did it well. I think of the final line in her last song, 'with the world falling apart, what would you do?'"

But O'Shaughnessy plans to keep her show buoyant and hopeful. "If you looked up 'rainbow,' it basically means 'hope.' So I will be singing 'Look To the Rainbow,' just about the most hopeful song there is."

Other bright and cheery songs will include "If I Were a Bell" from "Guys and Dolls," and she says she might also perform "Old Black Magic." Known for her way with a ballad, she may wax sentimental with "Say Goodbye," a song made popular by Rosemary Clooney. Also known for wiping tears away with a guffaw, she plans to sing "I Only Wanna Laugh," "because that's me," O'Shaughnessy asserts. "Yes, life can be sad sometimes, but If I'm gonna cry, it's my own pity party. I won't do it in front of people. Life is tough enough; I won't do in front of people and drag them into my misery." And, because the show is about rainbows, there will also be a rainbow medley, she assures.

"In my senior year of high school, I had to make a decision to do music or secretarial work," recalls O'Shaughnessy, "and my mother made the decision for me, to become a secretary. My teacher, Mr. Einzig, was disappointed because, he said, 'Miss Pascarella, you have talent.' When I was putting things together for this show, I came across two resumes, music and business, and I thought, 'I've led two lives,' and that's because I have children. I'm an only child from an only child from an only child. But my children, who have all married wonderful people and have children of their own whom I love, took my focus for a period."

Despite her devotion to her family now, O'Shaughnessy realizes that the life of an entertainer wasn't always in sync with motherhood. "I haven't been the best mother in the world, but I got lucky," declares O'Shaughnessy. "I wasn't always there when they needed me. I was 19 and had two babies. I didn't know how to change a diaper. But I am fortunate with my three kids, all completely different, all pursuing different careers. The one thing I reinforced is to do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life."

As O'Shaughnessy looks back on her six-decade career and her upcoming show, she comes to an easy resolve. "My legacy is hope and laughter," finishes O'Shaughnessy, "because that's what gets us through life."

Carol O'Shaughnessy performs "Chasing the Rainbow...It's a Life" on November 23, 2024 at Moonshine, Club Café, 209 Columbus Avenue, Boston, MA. For more details, follow this link