Michael Shapiro Sings Up a Storm (and That’s Just for Starters)

Brandon Judell
3 min readJun 4, 2024
Michael Shapiro at ease.

Here I’m sitting at the helm of the World Voyager. Day 3 of my itinerary. We left the coast of Spain yesterday. Tomorrow France.

If someone told me I was “at sea,” I’d now accept it as a compliment.

The determined waters of the Bay of Biscay pound away as I sip my third coffee of the morning for medicinal purposes. The sky is one huge blue-grey cloud with slivers of white. No coast in sight in any direction.

So what could be a more appropriate time to recall Michael Craig Shapiro’s never-less-than-engaging performance of last night? At 9:30PM in the Atlas Lounge, Showtime! A New York Cabaret began for those who signed up for the Atlas Ocean Voyage “10-Night Lisbon-to London” trek.

Michael Shapiro in action.

Now for some Shapiro background. This attendee of the University of Colorado Boulder, when not letting loose vocally is this yacht’s cruise director who also conducts weddings plus organizes cocktail parties and even hosts gastronomic pastry demonstrations. Throughout the day and night, he’s seen everywhere on the boat’s seven levels, making sure there’s not a morose passenger within ten feet of him.

--

--

Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell

Written by Brandon Judell

For half a century, Brandon Judell has covered the LGBTQI scene and the arts. He currently lectures at The City College of New York.