Fans of cabaret will be thrilled to learn about Cabaret Detroit, an exciting new endeavor that will return this popular form of entertainment to Metro Detroit beginning April 7.
Set initially to perform every Thursday and Sunday in Royal Oak through May 8 (except for Easter Sunday), Cabaret Detroit will feature local talent performing a wide variety of songs – including, of course, show tunes! Creator and producer Sharlan Douglas spoke recently about the project, explaining the concept of cabaret, why she chose to locate it in Royal Oak, and what patrons can expect when Cabaret Detroit opens its doors.
Who tends to be the audience for cabaret?
I see this appealing to the kind of people who go to the theater. They are willing to immerse themselves in other people's stories. They're looking for grown-up entertainment. Baby boomers will be looking for ways to occupy their free time and there are a lot of them. Us.
I also think it has a retro quality that will appeal to younger people who are rediscovering things from the 1940s and '50s, like classic cocktails and vintage apparel.
So why create Cabaret Detroit?
You mean why did I wait until the middle of the biggest recession in 30 years to start a new entertainment business in Metro Detroit? (Laughs) I've wanted to do this for years. In fact, I produced and directed a cabaret series at Stagecrafters five or six years ago. The Blue Room Cabaret performed in the theater's lobby whenever there wasn't a show on stage. We drew an audience – and that was without cocktails, just coffee and dessert.
One day last fall a friend nudged me about it, asking when I was going to get off my hands and do it again. This time it took.
How did your interest in cabaret develop? And what's in your background that will help make this venture a success?
Hearing Barbara Cook in a club in New York in the early 1990s set the wheels in motion. I then discovered Andrea Marcovicci, the doyenne of contemporary cabaret. She engages you instantly and uses her skill as an actress to tell a story.
I've directed plays and musicals in community and professional theater for 25 years. A good song is a three-minute play.
What's the concept behind Cabaret Detroit?
Detroit has a reputation as a great music town – not so much because of the recording industry, but because it had a lot of venues for live performance. We should own that reputation in every genre, cabaret included.
I want to grow our local talent pool, so – to start – I've recruited some of the best singers I know from the theaters where I'm active. I'm looking for more local talent. Down the road I'd love to find a larger venue and bring in regional and national acts.
What will set Cabaret Detroit apart from any other cabarets that may be in the area?
We are presenting concerts, not background music. And I don't know of any other sustained venue in the region which features this category of music. Some jazz artists do pop standards, but, in jazz, the focus is more on the music than on the words.
You'll open April 7 in the lower level lounge of Bastone in downtown Royal Oak. Why was this particular location chosen? What advantages does it offer for what you're hoping to achieve?
We need a space that is separate from a main dining room or bar and that seats about 40 people and serves adult beverages. Voila! This does the job.
I really wanted to start in Royal Oak, because, well, I live and work here and it's a hub for entertainment in Metro Detroit.
Why were these particular performers chosen to debut Cabaret Detroit? Are they indicative of the types of performers you'll offer on a regular basis?
I want our audiences to experience the familiar and also discover something new, and these two sets really articulate the range of music Cabaret Detroit will offer.
George Gershwin's career started in the early days of Tin Pan Alley, the mother ship of American popular music. Future Cabaret Detroit singers will draw from that tradition with songs by icons like Irving Berlin, Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Harry Warren and Fats Waller. Others are finding inspiration in the works of contemporary songwriters like John Bucchino, Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowdermilk and… Lady Gaga!
PREVIEW:
'Cabaret Detroit'
Opens April 7 at Bastone, 419 S. Main Street, Royal Oak, and runs Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. through May 8 (excluding April 24). $15. 248-383-5460 or http://www.cabaretdetroit.com
