By Sally Tippett Rains
Actress and singer Anna Blair has every reason to be another negative voice in the world during this time; she is battling cancer and recently lost both of her jobs due to COVID-19 –yet she literally sings for joy. Blair has started Curbside Cabaret Cocktails, which is sort of like a singing telegram—with a twist.
She does this to provide the world with what she calls a “jolt of joy.”
For those looking for a jolt of joy during these self-isolating times, try Curbside Cabaret Cocktails. It’s like having the bar come to you. She will literally show up with the bar in the hatchback of her car. She opens it up and out comes her sound machine, microphone and speaker. Then she goes to work mixing the lucky recipient a cocktail and presents it to them.
She presents it on a table so there is no personal contact, however once she starts singing you can’t help but have a personal connection with her and her joyful spirit and great, professional singing voice.
“I’ll fix the drink with gloves & a mask on,” she said. “You can enjoy it while I sing your song from six or more feet away!”
Contact her through her Facebook page: Curbside Cabaret Cocktails.
“We’ll come to your house, pour you a cocktail and sing you a song, hygienically and socially distanced!” she says. “I’ll work birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, special occasions, or just because! You may then tip or donate as you see fit.”
It’s sort of a “pay it forward” story as she said she won a basket of booze at a trivia night. She decided that during this pandemic when spirits are low she would use her liquid “spirits” and her inner happy spirit to lift up others. She says her service is free and so is the drink—that she “works for tips”—but as one who has heard her sing she is very deserving of an extremely large tip.
The Arnold native has been performing around the area, including in shows at the The Muny at Forest Park, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. Many may recognize her as she regularly plays Patsy Cline in the “Steve Davis & the Memories of Elvis” show. She’s shown in the photo, right, as Patsy Cline.
Over the years, performing in theatre has been the driving force in her life and she is usually juggling several gigs at a time—often teaching young people Shakespeare. She has donated her time singing for charities such as Rainbows for Kids.
She did an entire interview with NPR about her new service and never once mentioned her cancer, which is an ongoing thing which requires medical treatment. As one can imagine an out of work actor doesn’t get insurance and with all the social distancing rules and laws she doesn’t see getting a permanent gig for a while.
But she isn’t upset because she is doing what she loves most to do; and that is perform– and making people smile– with a jolt of joy.
“When I lost my job as a bartender at the Rep and when all my other gigs were cancelled due to the coronavirus, I thought about what I was going to do,” she said. “Well the things I love the best are mixing a drink and entertaining with a song so I decided to combine them both.”
Now every day she is doing what she loves—and not a lot of people can say that.
Would you like to surprise someone with a “jolt of joy?” Contact Anna Blair: CLICK HERE.