By Scott Barbarino***As our nation’s pall begins to lift, it’s important that we, as cabaret-ites, recognize just how important and powerful what we do really is. Through performances that combine music, storytelling, humor an
d humanity, our creative community has helped carry us through a difficult and often exhausting decade.At a time when so much seemed uncertain, our industry remained true to its core values, offering comfort, laughter, consolation, knowledge, support, and, when needed, a welcome escape.
Now, as we look toward brighter days, we must remain vigilant and continue building upon what we have created together. The community we’ve nurtured matters. In many ways, sustaining it is quite literally our civic duty.
History reminds us that cabaret can be much more than entertainment. Following the devastation of World War I, as Europe struggled to find its way back into the light, cabaret flourished in the Weimar Republic. During the 1920s and 1930s, as fascism and National Socialism increasingly threatened democratic freedoms, Germany’s Kabarett became a battleground for artistic expression and resistance. Artists including Werner Finck, Erika Mann, Kurt Gerron, Rosa Valetti and the more well known Kurt Weill used political satire, subversive songw
riting, and provocative performance to challenge authoritarianism and expose the absurdities of the growing Nazi movement. Many paiddearly for their defiance, losing their livelihoods, their freedom, and, in some cases, their lives.
Cabaret has always had the capacity to give voice to those who need one and provide sanctuary to those searching for a place to belong. That point was brought home to me the other night at Red Eye, where I witnessed a powerful show that speaks directly to the importance of this art form. The invitation came through a message of pretty timely and heady stuff!
“Hi Scott!!
I’ll be directing my first cabaret in NYC. It’s for Lianna Klinger (who works at DTM), and it’s about how she grew up in a cult and how she got out! We would love to have you there.”
Lianna Klinger was born into and raised in a cult. I know just how disturbing that environment was because the audience was given a chilling introduction before the show even began via the screen behind the stage as the band prepared to play. Vintage home movies were interspersed with clips of the cult’s leader and his followers delivering a steady stream of bizarre rhetoric and hateful nonsense. I won’t dignify the leader or his organization by naming either here. What I will say is that bringing this story to the stage was a brave decision on Lianna’s part. It takes considerable courage to revisit such an experience publicly, and she does so with a remarkable range of emotion. The evening moves from genuine gut-wrenching moments to unexpected laughter, taking the audience on an emotional journey without ever allowing the past to define the woman standing before us.
Lianna has given up worrying about all that baggage. She has embraced her freedom and, as the saying goes, is living her best life! The show takes us through her journey of escape with an eclectic song list, delivered masterfully by the newly minted JD Wilder, formerly known as JD Smurthwaite. No stranger to the story, JD brings both musical understanding and personal understanding to the material. Hi
s band—Drew Bastian on drums, Zac Swanner on bass, and Diego Retana on guitar—is absolutely spot-on. The arrangements and accompaniment provide precisely the support this powerhouse vocalist deserves, allowing Lianna’s considerable talent to shine.
Songs range from Dolly Parton’s “Get Out and Stay Out” to the Great American Songbook classic “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out to Dry,” by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, and “So Much Better” from Legally Blonde. There’s something here musically for everyone. And then there’s the wonderfully appropriate lyric, “I’m being pulled in a new direction,” from “Pulled,” sung by Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family Musical. If ever a lyric captured the spirit of Lianna’s journey, that’s it!
Speaking of new directions, special kudos to Gian Raffaela DiCostanzo, making his cabaret directing debut. The pacing is fast and tight, with just enough frenetic energy to keep the evening moving while allowing the story and itsemotional moments to breathe. It’s an impressive first outing in the director’s chair.
The audience was filled with friends and new family from Don’t Tell Mama, including Sidney Myer himself, Randy Lester, Elaine Brier, Lennie Watts, and ma
ny others. It was a wonderful reminder of what this community does best: showing up for one another.
I’m especially happy to report that Lianna couldn’t have landed in a better place on Earth. Like so many of us, she has found in cabaret and the piano bar a safe space, a chosen family, and the freedom to be exactly who she is. I slept well after seeing this show, knowing in my heart that, yes, the kids actually are alright! And they’re going to take our shared love of music, community, and humanity to even greater heights. And the great gift a show like this could give the world would be to be seen by someone who is (or knows someone) trapped in a cult and hope, if inspired, to break free.
If I may say so—and consider this your trigger warning—Amen!
Lianna Klinger, you’re not in Kansas anymore. And New York City is all the better for having this belter in so many ways among us!
