THE
CABARET AT THE COLUMBIA CLUB: 2012 SEASON
*Press Release*
 |
| Sam Harris |
The Cabaret at The Columbia Club, located in the Crystal Terrace on the third floor of The Columbia Club, opens its 2012 season Jan. 13 & 14. Tickets are on sale now for all 2012 performances and are open to the public.
Patrons
should be advised to order tickets in advance, as The Cabaret sold to 93 percent capacity on average in 2011, with more than half of the shows selling out far
in advance. Tickets may be purchased at TheCabaret.org or by calling 317-275-1169.
*Sam Harris: Broadway,
Ballads & Blues
January
13 & 14, 8:00 PM
Since first amazing audiences as Star
Search Grand Champion with his signature rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” SamHarris has become a Tony-nominated Broadway star (The Life, Grease, The
Producers, Cabaret, Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat), a multi-million selling recording artist with nine
albums to his credit, and an international concert “sellout” from New
York's Carnegie Hall to London's
West End. Harris brings his singular interpretation
and inimitable style to an eclectic collection of Broadway and Pop Classics
from Hammerstein to Sondheim and U2 to Lennon.
Price: $45, $55, $65
** Steven Stolen: Isn’t It Romantic?
February
14, 8:00 PM
“Indy’s
favorite tenor,” Steven Stolen, performs a show sure to please the Valentine in
everyone. Whether it’s a date with “A Fine Romance” or a witty “I Hate You
Darling” come “Dream a Little Dream” and share a “Stolen Moment” with one of
Indy’s favorite personalities and that casual elegance that has made him
popular with audiences from coast to coast. (Singles
welcome)
Price: $25,
$35, $45
*Janis Siegel: New York Standard Time
February
24 & 25, 8:00 PM
Ever since Janis Siegel co-founded The
Manhattan Transfer over three decades ago, listeners, fellow musicians and
critics have marveled at her inventive phrasing and richly expressive voice. A
ten-time Grammy winner, Siegel has sung lead vocals for some of the Transfer’s
biggest hits, including “Operator,” “Birdland,” and “The Boy from N.Y.C.”
Siegel has also sustained a solo career that has spawned more than a half dozen
finely-crafted solo albums and numerous collaborative projects, amassed a large
international fan base and garnered consistently high critical praise. In an age when buyers and
sellers are quick to jam music and musicians into convenient boxes, Siegel has
built a career on defying preconceptions and stereotypes.
Price: $35, $45, $55
*The Puppini Sisters!
March
9 & 10, 8:00 PM
With a unique blend of retro style, pop kitsch, and
stunningly crisp vocals, UK-based vocal trio The Puppini Sisters bring ‘Andrews
Sisters’ style three-part harmony into the modern age with show-stopping
interpretations of everything from “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” to “I Will
Survive” to Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” They
have four albums, two of which have landed in the Top Five albums on the U.S.
Jazz Charts. Their recent Christmas album, Christmas
With The Puppinis, earned them a spot on NBC’s “A Michael Bublé Christmas.”
With TV appearances and tours worldwide, the group has developed a large and
dedicated fan base throughout Europe and in North America. **Prizes will be awarded to the best 40’s
attire!
**Cynthia
Layne: The Back Room, A Night at the
Speakeasy
March
24, 8:00 PM
Don your flapper dress or raccoon coat and join us as we
transform The Cabaret into a 1920’s speakeasy. In celebration of women’s
history month, Cynthia Layne celebrates the music of prohibition’s “Jazz Age”
when women got the right to vote and “flappers” flooded the speakeasies, daring
to drink cocktails and dance to hot Jazz. Don’t let the law keep you from
coming! The evening will include prohibition-era cocktails served in teacups
and prizes for the best costumes. Don’t forget: the password “hooch” will get
you in the door.
Price: $25,
$35, $45
**Shannon
Forsell: Songs I’ve Never Sung on
Broadway
April
20 & 21, 8:00 PM
Managing
and artistic director of The Cabaret, Shannon Forsell, graces The Cabaret’s
stage once again, with “Songs I’ve Never Sung On Broadway.” Through songs from
Broadway to cabaret to jazz, this show explores how we choose to live, the
choices we make, and how “forks in the road” shape and define who we are.
Price: $25, $35, $45
*Maureen O’Flynn: At
the Crossroads, In Partnership with
the Indianapolis Opera
April
27, 8:00 PM
Metropolitan Opera leading lady Maureen O’Flynn, makes
her Indianapolis cabaret debut with a sumptuous musical feast for the ears.
Featuring classics by Kern, Porter, Sondheim, and Weill, Maureen’s versatility
shines in this intimate performance. Equally comfortable on the opera stage at
La Scala or the musical theater stages at the Berkshires Theatre Festival,
Maureen proves to be one of the most thrilling voices to grace the worlds of
opera, musical theatre and cabaret.
Price: $35, $45, $55
*Lainie Kazan: The Chanteuse is Loose!
May
11 & 12, 8:00 PM
Lainie shares music and stories from her long and varied
career on the stage and screen. From her
start as Barbra Streisand’s Broadway understudy in Funny Girl , Lainie went on to sing in the top
night clubs and on television, including 26 appearances on The Dean Martin Show, and her own
variety special. On screen, she received critical acclaim for her performances
in My Favorite Year and the
blockbuster comedy My Big Fat
Greek Wedding. On Broadway, she
received a Tony nomination for My Favorite
Year, and starred in The Government Inspector, The
Exonerated, and The Vagina
Monologues. Audiences may also recognize her for her television
roles on Will &
Grace, The Nanny, Ugly Betty, and Desperate Housewives.
Price: $45, $55, $65
*Stacey
Kent: Dreamer
June 7
& 8, 8:00 PM
Grammy nominated
songstress, Stacy Kent ‘s ability to tell a story, capture an emotion, a mood,
hone it and share it like a secret with her audience are qualities that make
her so special and enable her to sell out concert halls, jazz clubs, and
cabarets around the world. The evening
will feature tunes from her recent Blue Note release Dreamer in Concert, along with songs from her critically
acclaimed musical career spanning eight best-selling albums.
Price: $35, $45,
$55
 |
| Linda Eder |
*An
Intimate Evening with Linda Eder
June
22 & 23, 8:00 PM
June 23, 2:00 PM
With a career spanning over two decades and accolades as
“one of the greatest contemporary solo voices of our time,” vocal sensation
Linda Eder brings her one-woman show to The Cabaret for a rare and intimate
performance. Linda rose to stardom after an impressive 12-week run on Star Search followed by an
award winning Broadway performance in Jekyll and Hyde. Since then,
Linda has performed for packed concert venues across the country and recorded
nine solo albums. With her extravagant vocal gifts and stage presence, Linda
proves she is a vocal force not to miss!
Price: $75, $100,
$125
*Tom
Wopat: Love Swings
 |
| Tom Wopat |
July
13 & 14, 8:00 PM
Tom Wopat first came to public attention as Luke Duke on
the original TV series The Dukes of Hazard, but it wasn’t
long before his classically trained vocals whisked him away from car smashes
and corny humor to the bright lights of Broadway (Annie Get
Your Gun, Chicago, The Pajama Game, Guys & Dolls, Catch Me if
You Can). With an expansive repertoire featuring music from
Hollywood to Broadway, the Tony-nominated star’s show will feature musical
favorites from Frank Sinatra and The Beatles to Judy Garland.
*Melinda
Doolittle: Love 101
July 27
& 28, 8:00 PM
Former “American Idol“ contestant,
Melinda Doolittle’s show is sure to be very cabaret, and, with all due respect
to Simon Cowell, she’s not about to apologize for it! After two critically acclaimed runs at
Feinstein’s, Melinda brings her show featuring Jazz standards, pop hits,
Broadway classics and songs from her recent CD to The Cabaret. She got her
start as a backup singer for, to name a few, Michael McDonald, Aretha Franklin,
Alabama, Bebe and CeCe Winans and Aaron Neville. Since her time in the
spotlight, Melinda has wowed audiences with her ‘big voice’ and ‘soulful’
performances, from the White House to the Kennedy Center to Carnegie Hall.
Price: $35, $45,
$55
*Carol
Woods: Singin’ the Blues on Broadway
August
10 & 11, 8:00 PM
Whether
singing the Blues, gospel or standards, Broadway star Carol Woods is at home on
stages around the world. While Broadway is her musical home (Chicago, One Mo’ Time, Smokey Joe’s Café,
Stepping Out, The Goodbye Girl, Grind, Big River, The Best Little Whorehouse In
Texas), Carol has also performed at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops,
in the movie The Honeymooners
opposite Cedric The Entertainer, on London’s West End (One Mo Time, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Blues In the Night) and in
cabaret venues around the world.
Price: $35, $45, $55
*Karen Mason: Show Queen, A Broadway Songbook
August
24 & 25, 8:00 PM
Whether
she is lighting up the stage in a hit Broadway musical or amazing audiences
with her critically-acclaimed cabaret performances and concerts, Karen Mason is
a showstopper. In this performance,
Karen shares songs from her vast Broadway career including her starring roles
in Mamma Mia, Hairspray, Sunset Boulevard,
and Wonderland. Karen is also a ten-time MAC (Manhattan
Association of Cabarets) award winner, winning the Major Female Vocalist of the
year for six consecutive years.
Price: $35, $45, $55
*Annual Cabaret Fundraiser
Laura Benanti: Let Me Entertain You
September 29, 8:00 PM
 |
| Laura Benanti |
This
irresistible star of Broadway, TV, and film shares a saucy evening with her
favorite stories and songs. Laura has taken Broadway by storm, earning the Tony
Award for her portrayal of Louise/Gypsy Rose Lee, starring opposite Patti
Lupone in Gypsy. Other Broadway
credits include Women on the Verge of a
Nervous Breakdown, Swing!, Into the
Woods opposite Vanessa Williams, Nine
opposite Antonio Banderas, and The Sound
of Music. She has performed her cabaret in top venues around the country,
including Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center’s “Spotlight” series, curated
by cabaret legend Barbara Cook. *The evening will include a silent auction,
heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine tasting, and a champagne and dessert reception
following the performance.
Price: Individual $150, Table Sponsor
$1,000, **Corporate Table Sponsorships
available
*Gavin
Creel: Live, Out Loud
October 12
& 13, 8:00 PM
Tony nominated Broadway star and singer/songwriter, Gavin
Creel has a unique sound that blends his love for both pop and musical theatre.
Performing songs from his already vast Broadway career (Hair, La Cage
aux Folles, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Mary Poppins) and his
contemporary originals, Gavin showcases his extensive musical talent. In tandem
with his success as an actor, Creel has garnered an organic mainstream
following as a singer/songwriter, playing to sold-out crowds from New York to
London.
Price: $35, $45, $55
*Todd Murray: Croon
November 2
& 3, 8:00 PM
Before the age of electrified amplification, songs had to
be sung loudly in order to be heard. The
introduction of the microphone introduced a new, intimate style of performing
which became known as crooning. Todd Murray follows the history of crooning,
beginning in the 1920’s through today.
With lush popular ballads, swing, Latin beat, all with lyricists such as
Berlin, Porter, Lerner/Lowe, Hal David, and Leonard Cohen, Murray demonstrates
that all popular music has its roots in crooning.
Price: $35, $45, $55
*Victoria Clark: Glorious
Days
November
16 & 17, 8:00 PM
A favorite among audiences and critics alike, Tony Award-winning
Broadway star Victoria Clark brings her one-woman show to Indianapolis. The
show will feature standards from the Great American Songbook alongside material
from lesser-known composers and music from her Broadway career (The Light in the Piazza, The Grapes of Wrath, Sister Act:
The Musical, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Cabaret, Urinetown, Titanic, How to Succeed
in Business Without Really Trying, Bye Bye Birdie, Grand Night for Singing). The New York Times says Clark, in her Piazza, role gave
“hands down the best musical performance by any actress this season.” This is
sure to be one show you won’t want to miss!
Price: $35, $45, $55
 |
| Shannon Forsell |
*Martinis
& Mistletoe, featuring Everett Greene, Shannon Forsell & The
Buselli Wallarab Jazz Orchestra
December
13, 14 & 15, 7:30 PM
December 15, 2:30 PM
Start with the rich sounds of jazz vocalist Everett
Greene (compared by many to Barry White, James Earl Jones and Darth Vader); add
the sultry, smooth vocals of local diva, Shannon Forsell; stir in the Buselli
Wallarab Jazz Orchestra with their lush, sophisticated arrangements; toss in
holiday classics such as “The Christmas Song,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,”
along with a dab of instrumentals from the infamous TV cartoon special A Charlie
Brown Christmas; add a few other holiday gems and voilà – the perfect
evening to warm you up on a cold winter’s night!
Price: $35, $45,
$55
*** Check back at GottaGo.us throughout the season for review of performances ***
*The Signature Series, features the finest national and international cabaret performers.
**Club Series showcases the wealth of Central Indiana’s seasoned local performers.
Location: The Cabaret at the Columbia Club, 121 Monument Circle, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Parking: $10 valet parking for cabaret patrons.
ABOUT THE CABARET
The
Cabaret is a professional, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The mission of The
Cabaret is to elevate the cabaret art
form; attract, develop and retain high-quality local performance talent; and
provide a unique and important contribution to the city’s artistic and cultural
life.
Photos: Furnished by The Cabaret Club
Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGo and Facebook.
Gotta Go is published in M magazine and the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.