Broadway Stars Abound In Upcoming Season At The Cabaret

The Cabaret's next season of engaging, intimate performances continues at Indiana Landmarks Center's Cook Theater. The Cabaret's 2017 Summer/Fall season, which includes nine Broadway stars and the debut of local chanteuse, Gail Payne, kicks off on Friday, June 30.

"We are thrilled to present another season at Indiana Landmarks Center," says Artistic Director & CEO Shannon Forsell. "We will finish out 2017 in the beautiful and intimate Cook Theater. We are incredibly grateful to the entire Indiana Landmarks Center team for being such wonderful hosts throughout this interim year and look forward to sharing our exciting plans for The Cabaret's permanent home later this summer."

Krysta Rodriguez, star of Broadway and the hit TV show Smash premieres her first solo cabaret show at The Cabaret on June 30, after starring on the small screen with John Lithgow in the NBC comedy Trial & Error. She has starred in Broadway's Spring Awakening, First Date, The Addams Family, A Chorus Line, and more. Join Krysta for an unforgettable evening of memorable songs and stories from her career so far.

Gail Payne, acclaimed Indy cabaret performer, brings her show This Is U.S.: We Hold These Tunes To Be Self-Evident to The Cabaret on July 7 before debuting at New York's famed Feinstein's/54 Below! Gail and renowned New York musical director, Alex Rybeck, along with director and Tony Award winner Faith Prince, have curated an evening of music and stories that celebrate and explore the complex flavors inherent in American society today.

Gail's show will also kick off a "sneak-peak" announcement concerning a significant expansion in The Cabaret's programming in 2018. "Over the past eight years, The Cabaret has strategically worked to fulfill its mission "to elevate and promote the cabaret art form by presenting the finest in professional cabaret performances and developing the next generation of cabaret artists," says Artistic Director & CEO Shannon Forsell. "As a result, we have created a need to expand our programming in ways that will support our growing local cabaret scene and provide professional performance opportunities for our local and regional artists."

"Numerous performers like Gail, who have taken part in our educational programming, are now going on to perform in top cabaret rooms in New York City, and we could not be more proud," says Forsell. The announcement will include plans to present a new performance series featuring local artists, a "Live at The Cabaret," record label, scholarships for performers to go on to perform in New York and more.

Kyle Dean Massey, star of Broadway's Next to Normal, Wicked, and Pippin, recently appeared on three seasons of ABC's Nashville as songwriter Kevin Bicks. Kyle Dean looks back, not at the things that were, but at the things that weren't. The songs he heard nightly, the ones he played on guitar or belted in the shower...along with songs that "were" from his extensive career on Broadway.

In partnership with the Arts Council of Indianapolis, Mandy Gonzalez, currently starring in Broadway's Hamilton, brings her unforgettable show Raise the Roof to The Cabaret on Thursday, August 31 and Friday, September 1. Mandy is best known for her portrayal of Nina Rosario in In the Heights, and has also appeared on Broadway in Aida, Dance of the Vampires, Lennon, and as Elphaba in Wicked. Join us as Mandy raises the roof with her powerhouse vocals in an evening of classic Broadway, pop, and standards not to be missed!

Seth Rudetsky, SiriusXM radio host and creator/star of Broadway's Disaster! serves as host and pianist for an up close and personal evening with one of Broadway's hottest stars, Will Swenson, on September 15. The evening will be a seamless mixture of intimate, behind-the-scenes stories of Will's career through insightful, funny and revealing questions posed by Seth, along with fan favorite tunes sung by Will. Will currently stars opposite Sara Bareilles in Broadway's Waitress and received a Tony nomination for his performance as Berger in the revival of Hair. This spontaneous evening of hilarity and show-stopping songs is not to be missed! Bottom of Form

One of Broadway's favorite leading men, Santino Fontana appears at The Cabaret on September 29. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his charming performance as Prince Topher in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella. Film and television fans will recognize him as the voice of another prince-the villainous Hans in Disney's Frozen-as well as the singing barman, Greg, in the CW series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

Alice Ripley and Emily Skinner, the award-winning stars of the original critically acclaimed Side Show perform one show-stopping number after another with brassy humor, heartbreak and joy. Both Alice and Emily have gone on to appear in several Broadway shows. Alice received a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Next to Normal. These powerhouse stars prove that two divas are better than one for The Cabaret's annual fundraiser gala on November 10.

Broadway and Emmy Award-winning actress Jane Lynch and her posse are back in Indianapolis for a comically kitsch throwback to the old WWII USO canteen and 1960's Christmas specials of yore. Lynch is joined by fellow comedic actress Kate Flannery (The Office) and the oh-so-dapper Glee vocal arranger, Tim Davis for A Swingin' Little Christmas on December 8 & 9. Together they navigate in and out of tight three-part harmonies, backed by the Tony Guerrero Quintet. The show celebrates the album of the same name, with swingin' arrangements of Christmas classics and originals.

The Cabaret has expanded its discount ticket program. Members of The Lounge (Ages 21-35) receive 20% off per ticket. Membership to The Lounge is free. To join, call The Cabaret at 317-275-1169 or sign up online at www.thecabaret.org. Students (with valid student ID) can now purchase tickets for $20. Season tickets go on sale May 30, 2017. For more information, including performance videos of all the performers, visit www.thecabaret.org or call 317-275-1169.

To post a comment, you must register and login.