Review: Good Night Theatre Collective Brings the Nostalgia with ONE-HIT WONDERS CABARET

This past weekend Good Night Theatre Collective hosted their fourth cabaret show of the season presenting songs known for being One-Hit Wonders. Featuring four members of their company; Ruth Sturm, Jessica Johannen, Gabe Mambo and Abbey Chapdelaine, the One-Hit Wonders Cabaret show was a wonderful way to spend to a Sunday night after a Saturday blizzard that left many Sioux Falls residents stuck at home.

Good Night, a Sioux Falls theater company formed 2016, brings fun and unique professional productions to the community - including cabaret nights, original works, musicals, and plays. Previous cabaret nights include themes of Miscast: A Broadway Cabaret, A Very Merry Cabaret, and A Red Carpet Cabaret. Good Night also premiered their original show DAVID & LUCY: A NEW MUSICAL this past November. What is fun about Good Night productions is that they really get into the theme of each event, even providing a signature drink for the night. This time audience members were treated to the 99 Red Balloons cocktail, a delicious companion to the performance.

The show definitely brought the nostalgia for members of the audience, bringing back those old favorites from days gone by that left you singing for weeks and then were never heard of again. From "I'm Blue" by Eiffel 65, to Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" and "Afternoon Delight" by Starland Vocal Band, they really covered some ground in finding those one-hit wonder songs that are bound to get stuck in your head for days after the show ends. Throughout the show I found that as a song would start I would usually know the song, I most likely would know the words, maybe I knew the song title but I could never tell you who the song was by without looking it up on my phone. Even now, going back through the set list and finding out who these original artists are, I still haven't heard of half of them. I guess that is why they are considered one-hit wonders?

The show opened with all four cast members performing "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers and closed with "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners. In-between, each song showcased the featured performers and allowed them to bring their own flair to each number.

During Jessica's cover of "Mercy" by Duffy, she made hitting those high notes look easy, showcasing her stellar voice and range. Ruth was constantly in character, no matter what song she was singing. When she walked on stage you pretty much knew you'd be smiling from the character she projected into each song. In his first cabaret show with Good Night, Gabe covers "Do You Love Me" by The Contours and asks 'Do you love me now that I can dance?' As an audience member the answer is easy - yes, yes Gabe we do. He brought the moves in several songs throughout the night, including "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega - a song he admitted to causing him a nick name or two growing up. Abbey, also performing in her first Good Night cabaret, admitted to practicing her rendition of "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia in the mirror growing up. You could tell that she knew this song inside and out, really getting into it and losing herself in the music.

As with most of their cabaret shows, half way through the set they brought a little audience participation into the mix; bringing an unsuspecting audience member on to stage to perform with them. The audience guest played along well, getting into her own character and interacting with the performers on stage as Gabe proceeded to serenade her with "What is Love?" by Haddaway.

This was my second Good Night production I've seen and I have to say, we are lucky to have them putting out great content like this in Sioux Falls. I am excited to see what they have in store for season three kicking off in September. Don't wait until then to get your dose of Good Night though- their final show of the season is Pride: The Love Cabaret on June 14th and 17th at the ICON Lounge in Downtown Sioux Falls.

Photo Credit: Good Night Theatre Collective

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