Enfield Native Returning to CT to Play at New Cabaret Venue

NORWALK, CT — A popular Main Street eatery has recently expanded its offerings to include a cabaret-style upstairs room, which is expected to be filled Friday night with a performance by a Billboard-charting singer/songwriter returning to play in her native state.

B.J. Ryan's, a highly-rated establishment in the Wall Street neighborhood of Norwalk since 2010, recently opened the Magnolia Room, which, according to the restaurant's web site, seeks "to provide first rate NYC style cabaret entertainment in an intimate setting with excellent food and courteous, attentive service."

"I knew [owners Buckley Ryan and B.J. Lawless] had an appreciation for great entertainment, so I approached them about starting a cabaret room upstairs at B.J. Ryan's...and Magnolia Room was born!" said booking manager Kenneth Gartman.

Among the initial performers in the new venue will be singer/songwriter/pianist Cassandra Kubinski, who has placed recordings on the Billboard Heatseekers chart twice in the past 18 months.

The petite vocal dynamo, whose amazing voice belies her small stature, hit the chart in late 2016 with her fifth release, an EP entitled "Onward," then scored again in Dec. 2017 with a holiday collection, "Holiday Magic," which includes three seasonal standards - albeit with a different twist on each of them - and three originals.

Live performance is second nature to the Enfield native, having played the title role in a Goodspeed Opera House production of "Annie" when she was just 13 years old. As an actress, she has appeared on film alongside Sean Connery, and on television opposite Michael J. Fox. She is also a prolific songwriter, having had more than a dozen of her songs featured on the Lifetime series, "Dance Moms."

Kubinski, who now divides her time between New York and New Jersey, is active in numerous charitable causes, and released an autism anthem in 2013 called "Not So Different." She re-recorded that tune in 2015 with a pair of guest stars - John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls and Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs.

She recently released a new song and accompanying video, "You Never Told Me," which is featured here:

Kubinski's show, which includes guitarist Tony Daniels, is slated to begin at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $20, and may be ordered at www.bjryansmagnoliaroom.com.

Photo and video courtesy of Cassandra Kubinski

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