PREVIEW: New Year’s Eve with Noël and Cole
12/31 @ Steamer No. 10 Theatre, Albany
Photo by Buzz Media Solutions
Porter and Coward were great friends who often teased each other in their songs. Nilsson and Kogut have a similar dynamic.
Byron Nilsson and Malcolm Kogut will be ringing in 2026 with a program of Cole Porter and Noël Coward songs during their 9th New Year’s Eve show at Albany’s Steamer No. 10 Theatre. Porter and Coward, whose ‘20s and ‘30s songs became synonymous with wit and grew into a tonic during the Great Depression, produced such hits as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” “Someday I'll Find You,” “I Get a Kick out of You,” and “I've Got You Under My Skin.”
Porter and Coward were great friends who often teased each other in their songs. Nilsson and Kogut, who style themselves as “Songs to Amuse,” have a similar dynamic, often tending towards well-crafted, comedic numbers. Nilsson (who sings) and Kogut (who puts up with it from the keyboard) have been working together for nearly 40 years. They have performed together at Caffè Lena, the Van Dyck, Mohonk Mountain House, and the Otesaga Hotel.
Nilson has also appeared in many productions with the NYS Theatre Institute and was notably a writer with the original run of Metroland for thirty years. Kogurt has played music for shows with all of the major Capital Region theater groups and won the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Musician-of-the-Year Award. Together, they create a powerhouse duo that will ensure you start the new year with well-selected music and laughs.
“Noël and Cole: A Marvelous Party with Coward and Porter” begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 31 at Steamer No. 10 Theatre. Call 518-438-5503 to reserve tickets, or go to steamer10theatre.org. Read more about the duo at songstoamuse.com.
