|
|
   |
Tweet this article !
Hello, NiteLife Exchange Readers! In this column last week, I took a look at current cabaret shows which remind me of musicals, shows with a larger scope, that are more adventurous in style and subject matter, with a strong story “arc“ and integration between songs and script. This week, I’m turning the tables, exploring past and up-and-coming musicals that remind me of cabaret.(For those of you who didn’t read Part One, it can be found by clicking on “Columns” above, then my name. Go ahead, catch up. We‘ll wait for you!)
As I said last week, I’ve noticed that, whether by choice or necessity, consciously or unconsciously, emerging musical theatre writers are bringing cabaret techniques to their projects. New musicals are starting to become more intimate and personal, breaking down that traditional fourth wall between performer and audience.
At the same time, writers are discovering that cabaret offers a unique opportunity to try out musical theatre material and get exposure for their work while waiting (and waiting and waiting and …) for their shows to be 
produced. Not a day goes by that I don’t get another email announcing a cabaret showcase for a promising songwriter or songwriting team with a musical in the works. Here’s a partial list of songwriters who have won MAC Awards for Song of the Year or Special Material: Craig Carnelia, Steven Lutvak, David Friedman, Amanda McBroom, Barry Kleinbort, Ann Hampton Callaway, Julie Gold, Marcy Heisler & Zina Goldrich, the late Portia Nelson, Amanda Green, Carol Hall, Ray Jessel, John Bucchino and Brett Kristofferson. Many of them have musical theatre backgrounds, credits and/or major awards like the Kleban or the Fred Ebb Award on their resumes
Musical theatre writers have always used cabaret venues to present their songs, whether in solo shows or in a “revue” type show with more than one performer. In the 1980s, I remember seeing a cabaret show called It’s Better With A Band, in which the then little-known lyricist David Zippel’s work was showcased. The show went to Off-Broadway and Zippel went on to write the hit Broadway show City of Angels with Cy Coleman. The phenomenally successful Off-Broadway shows Nunsense and Forever Plaid began in cabaret. Add to that list a whole slew of revue-like, song catalogue shows that in almost every way owe their style and format to cabaret: Ain’t Misbehavin’, Closer Than Ever, Side by Side by Sondheim, Smokey Joe’s Café, Jerry‘s Girls, etc.Okay, you may say, but what about book musicals? (For those of you who don’t eat and breathe show tunes, a book musical is one that has a story, a plot.) A real show, a book show, has no connection to cabaret.
Hmmm…. I don’t know about that. I could be wrong, but it stands to reason that if a musical theatre writer gets to hear his work performed frequently in a cabaret environment, that environment and the requirements of the art form may very well influence his work!
And what is that environment, those requirements? In a nutshell, cabaret is an intimate art form, and, in the best hands, a completely honest one. You can’t lie in cabaret. A performer has to communicate truth to his or her audience. Excessive artifice, a disconnection to the material, anything “schticky,” is gonna stand out like a fuschia handbag!
Cabaret is also a personal art form. Usually, one person initiates the show and focuses the material on a theme or a subject matter that matters a great deal to him or her. Even a tribute show can be very personal. (More on that in a future column!)
Cabaret is sparse, using less to achieve more. One gesture can mean more in a cabaret show than 
an entire set on a Broadway stage. And to succeed in cabaret, a performer or a song, has to be good. There are no frills to divert the attention away from the notes and words being sung, from the voice that is singing them. To any musical theatre person who scoffs at cabaret, I have this to say: you try singing fourteen songs in a row in one hour with nothing else but a piano, a bass player and a dream to support you, and then we’ll talk!
an entire set on a Broadway stage. And to succeed in cabaret, a performer or a song, has to be good. There are no frills to divert the attention away from the notes and words being sung, from the voice that is singing them. To any musical theatre person who scoffs at cabaret, I have this to say: you try singing fourteen songs in a row in one hour with nothing else but a piano, a bass player and a dream to support you, and then we’ll talk!
Intimate. Honest. Personal. Economical. Ask any person who attended the recent New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) on a regular basis and they will tell you those words describe many of the shows on display this year and in past years, too. NYMF hits like Next to Normal, {Title of Show}, Altar Boyz, etc. all have these qualities in common.
You see, when you want to write a musical and you’re not David Yazbeck, getting the rights to a famous property is problematic. So you have two options: public domain or original. Now, there are many wonderful properties in the public domain, but how many Jane Austen musicals can the marketplace bear?
So, you write an original piece. It may or may not be based on your own experiences, but it better be something that means a great deal to you. And, to have the best chance to be produced, it better be practical. Hmm … intimate, honest, personal and economical. The same qualities of a good cabaret show!Two such musicals that are currently being developed in the BMI - Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop which have these qualities in common, are Mary Liz McNamara and Arden Kass’s The Good Girl and Matthew Hardy and Randy Klein’s Flambe Dreams (a/k/a The Thing About Joe).
Mary Liz McNamara is no stranger to the cabaret community, having won a MAC Award for her popular special material song “Bacon,” and, with Ritt Henn, was the recipient of the Dottie Burman Award given out at Stu Hamstra’s Cabaret Hotline Online Gala this year. She has written the music and lyrics and, with Ms. Kass, 
the book for The Good Girl, which was recently given a developmental reading by a noteworthy organization, Musical Mondays Theatre Lab (Bick Goss and Frank Evans, Producing Artistic Directors.) (Disclaimer: MMTL produced a half-hour presentation of my and Mark Janas’s musical, Pinocchio of Chelsea, in 2007.) With a cast which included Tracy Sallows, Carl Danielsen, James A. Stephens, Ms. McNamara, Mr. Henn and cabaret veterans Raissa Katona Bennett and Sierra Rein, this most promising show is most definitely a book musical.
the book for The Good Girl, which was recently given a developmental reading by a noteworthy organization, Musical Mondays Theatre Lab (Bick Goss and Frank Evans, Producing Artistic Directors.) (Disclaimer: MMTL produced a half-hour presentation of my and Mark Janas’s musical, Pinocchio of Chelsea, in 2007.) With a cast which included Tracy Sallows, Carl Danielsen, James A. Stephens, Ms. McNamara, Mr. Henn and cabaret veterans Raissa Katona Bennett and Sierra Rein, this most promising show is most definitely a book musical.It tells the story of Terry Murray, a “good girl” who, after her mother has died, finds herself caring for her difficult, elderly father without much help from her two self-centered sisters. This is a real, emotionally complex situation that many baby-boomers can relate to. At first glance, one might think it better suited for a novel or a film. But McNamara and Kass have come up with a wonderful, theatrical concept which turns this story on its ear and makes it eminently musical. The dead mother is on stage throughout in a cabaret setting, commenting on the action, giving advice to her struggling daughter, which Terry can’t hear but which, Evelyn, the mother, hopes will help anyway. Evelyn does this with the delightful on-stage assistance of a very hip bass player, played by Mr. Henn.
Yes, folks, in Mary Liz and Arden’s world, purgatory is a cabaret! (Some may think it’s “the other place,” but that’s another column!) When you die, you go there, learn how to perform, use your songs to help others and, hopefully, get to heaven! Judging from this very first reading, from the impressive level of writing and the heartfelt, honest, intimate quality of the material, The Good Girl is destined to an angelic existence, indeed!
I have had the pleasure of following the development of Mr. Hardy and Mr. Klein’s musical Flambe Dreams for more than four years. (FYI, writing a musical these days is like having a baby. You’d better be prepared to put it through high school, if not college!) When their show was called The Thing About Joe, I saw not one, but two presentations at the aforementioned Musical Mondays Theatre Lab, now based at the Snapple Theatre Center. (Another FYI: Next to Normal started there, too, under the title Feeling Electric!)It is a quirky, delightful story about a young man who has one goal in life, to become the maitre ‘d of a restaurant like his deceased father before him. Filled with eccentric characters and funny, beautifully crafted songs (including odes to Duane Reade pharmacies, Julie Andrews, and flaming desserts!), Hardy and Klein are definitely writing a unique, personal piece that is a far cry from the hard-sell, “base-it-on-a-movie-everybody-
So, to try out the latest version of their show, these smart cookies are getting it on in an environment that will best display its unique qualities: a cabaret/restaurant! Yes, Flambe Dreams will be presented at the popular Iguana V.I.P. Lounge (home to Dana Lorge’s MAC-Award-winning Wednesday Night at the Iguana variety show). for three consecutive Monday evenings in November/December. (Nov. 22, 29 and Dec. 6 at 7pm., Dec. 6 at 3pm.). There’s no cover or drink minimum and reservations can be had by calling (917)902-5581.
Last week, I ended Part One of “We Have So Much in Common!” by advising those looking for a good new musical to check out the cabaret listings. I end Part Two with the same advice. And to all those who want to write a musical, yes, study the classics and go to traditional shows. But take a look at the clubs, too. You may wind up liking the neighborhood!
Thanks for reading my column! And thanks to Hector Coris for the cartoon masthead. If you have a comment, question, correction or suggestion, please email me at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Pick of the week
Tweet this article !
This week, our Cabaret Pick is Elizabeth Sullivan on Sunday. She’s a lady who celebrates her birthday during this week, too (May 22). She’s a graceful, dignified, full-of-heart performer and a thoughtful, artful songwriter who does not shy away from real feelings. Whenever I see her perform, it’s a tenderly tendered mix of smile-inducers and tear duct activation.
|
|
Web services: launchpadny.com