Klea Blackhurst, Natalie Douglas and Lora Lee Gayer to Headline Gulfshore Playhouse Broadway Cabaret Series

Broadway may still be dark, but Gulfshore Playhouse is bringing a little bit of the Great White Way to Naples in February. Gulfshore Playhouse, Naples' premier professional theater, will showcase three bright stars from the theater world during its special Broadway Cabaret Series. Performing for four nights each, Klea Blackhurst, Natalie Douglas, and Lora Lee Gayer will entertain audiences with their performances of iconic and classic songs and stories from Broadway's greatest hits.

"Cabarets offer an intimate setting for audiences to connect with the performers and explore the story-telling aspects of these well-known musical numbers," said Kristen Coury, founder and producing artistic director of Gulfshore Playhouse. "Our Broadway Cabaret Series brings some of the best singers from New York to Naples, where local audiences can enjoy both their immense talents and their interpretations of much-loved songs from iconic Broadway shows. We're excited to be able to bring these shows to our longtime patrons and, hopefully, some new audience members interested in enjoying and supporting the arts."

The February series will be hosted by Master of Ceremonies, John McDaniel, who will also accompany the performers on piano. A Grammy and Emmy-winning music director, composer and conductor, McDaniel famously led the band on the Rosie O' Donnell talk show. He's worked on nine Broadway shows, such as "Annie Get Your Gun," starring Bernadette Petters, "Catch Me if You Can," "Grease," and more. He's also collaborated with Patti LuPone and Tyne Daly.

Kicking off the February Broadway Cabaret Series, Klea Blackhurst will perform Feb. 11 through 14. Singer, comedienne, and Ethel Merman enthusiast, Blackhurst will take audiences on a journey through Broadway history with her jazzy vocals and hilarious personality. Blackhurst has dominated stages across the country, performing at venues like Carnegie Hall and the London Palladium, and playing roles such as Dolly Levi in "Hello, Dolly!," Miss Lemon in "The Nutty Professor," and Mama Rose in "Gypsy."

Natalie Douglas takes the stage Feb. 18 through 21, transporting audiences to a decade reminiscent of the 1940s New York City nightclub scene. Called "a true force of nature" by the Times (UK), Douglas is known for her refreshing, sultry award-winning voice. Douglas has performed in New York and London's most famous cabaret scenes such as Birdland and Feinstein's/54 Below. She's also been honored multiple times with awards from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs and BroadwayWorld. As an actor, she has appeared in "The Atrainplays" and off-Broadway in "The People vs. Mona."

Naples native turned Broadway star, Lora Lee Gayer wraps up the Broadway Cabaret Series on Feb. 25 through 28. As if plucked straight from Broadway's golden age, Gayer's incredible range will dazzle audiences with Broadway classics, jazzy tunes, and contemporary hits. Gayer has graced the Broadway stage in hit musicals such as "Holiday Inn," "Follies" and "Doctor Zhivago." The award-winning performer is also the founder of The Hysterical Womxn's Society, a nonprofit focused on giving platforms to those fighting for human rights.

Members of the creative team are Scenic Designer Steve TenEyck; Lighting Designer Dalton Hamilton; and Sound Designer John Kiselica.

Thursday, Friday, and Sunday Broadway Cabaret Series performances take place at 7:30 p.m. at The Norris Center. Saturday performances take place at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are $45; three-show deals are available for $110. Tickets can be purchased at www.GulfshorePlayhouse.org.

Gulfshore Playhouse has been fully committed to collaborating with the Actors' Equity Association to ensure a safe workplace and environment that protects its audiences, artists, and staff. Gulfshore Playhouse has worked closely with health and government officials to develop a robust health and safety plan in accordance with guidelines from AEA, CDC, OSHA, City of Naples, and Naples Community Hospital. Safety protocols implemented at Gulfshore Playhouse include mandatory face masks, physically distanced seating with 50% capacity, temperature checks, extensive cleaning and disinfecting measures, air purification, ticketless entry, and digital playbills. For a full listing of safety measures, visit www.gulfshoreplayhouse.org/health-and-safety.

Gulfshore Playhouse is passionately committed to enriching the cultural landscape of our region by producing professional theater to the highest artistic standards and providing unique educational opportunities to diverse groups of people in a spirit of service, adventure, and excitement. The Playhouse's work is inspired by a belief in the magic of theater to expand the imagination, challenge the senses, provoke discussion, and revitalize in its audiences an understanding of our common humanity. This belief drives the care with which Gulfshore Playhouse treats its artists, audiences, students, staff, and members of the greater community. For more information, visit www.GulfshorePlayhouse.org.

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