Franklin Performing Arts Company Announces CABARET

The Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) will conclude its musical season with Kander and Ebb's Cabaret June 14 and 15 at THE BLACK BOX. In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1920's draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich. Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken by English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally's boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include well known show tunes such as "Willkommen," "Cabaret," "Don't Tell Mama" and "Two Ladies."

FPAC's production stars Zoë Kassay as Sally Bowles. A former Equity actor, Kassay's regional credits include Legally Blonde (Elle Woods), Hairspray (Penny), 9 to 5 (Doralee), Smokey Joe's Cafe (Deelee), Footloose (Ariel Moore), Singin' in the Rain (Lina Lamont), and a stint as a mainstage performer with Disney Cruise Line. Originally from Franklin, Kassay's FPAC credits include Into the Woods (Cinderella), 'Tis the Season, and more. She has a BFA in Music Theatre from the Hartt School of Music and a Masters of Arts in Theatre Education from Emerson College.

Aaron Frongillo, a musical theater junior at Wagner College, will return to FPAC to play Clifford Bradshaw. Frongillo toured for three years with Electric Youth and has been seen in FPAC productions of Fiddler on the Roof (Perchik), Little Shop of Horrors (Seymour), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), and THE BLACK BOX Sings...Frozen (Hans). Former Equity actor Nick Paone will reprise his role as the Emcee. His professional credits include Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors, Oklahoma, Red Roses, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and Romeo and Juliet. Nick has written and directed numerous shows, produced an evening of one-act plays in NYC, and traveled extensively performing with TheatreWorks USA.

Cabaret will be choreographed by NYC's Chris LeBeau. LeBeau toured internationally with Chicago the Musical and was featured in Crazy for You at Lincoln Center starring Laura Osnes and Tony Yazbeck with choreography by Susan Stroman. He was most recently seen as Davey in FPAC's production of Disney's Newsies earlier this season starring Broadway's Christopher Rice with choreography by Chaz Wolcott. Additional choreography will be by Kellie Stamp. Stamp has a Masters of Performing Arts Degree from Emerson College and she continued her tap and jazz training at the On Stage Academy for the Performing Arts, as well as with Rosemarie Boyden and at the Broadway Dance Center in NYC. Kellie has also studied Dance for Musical Theater with Broadway actress and choreographer, Leslie Woodies.

Cabaret runs June 14 at 7:30 pm and June 15 at 2:00 and 7:30 pm at THE BLACK BOX in downtown Franklin. Tickets are available at www.theblackboxonline.com or by calling the box office at 508-528-3370. You can follow FPAC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

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