Feature: AN EVENING OF SONG with The 5 & Dime LIVE at BABS Lab

The 5 & Dime held an evening of song at BABS Lab in Riverside Friday and Saturday night. Some of Jacksonville's finest took the stage in a themed "Miscast" Cabaret, and I was there to speak with the cast and audience members post-performance (video). The evening was full of laughter and awe as voices filled the theatrical space in timbres not so often associated with their original sound.

The 5 & Dime holds these cabaret fundraising events a few times a year, and the next one is in September, so hold a spot on your calendar now. Each act was intentional and personal, with lots of giggles sprinkled in between. It was a special opportunity to see some veteran (and rookie!) Jacksonville talent tackle numbers they would never get to play otherwise.

Adina Pavlesich, a recent graduate of the University of Florida's Master of Music Performance program, left the audience agape with her full sound and heartbreaking interpretation of "Daddy's Son" from RAGTIME. Rodney Holmes had fun with "When You're Good to Mama," from CHICAGO, and Josh Waller belted out Sondheim's dark "Ladies Who Lunch" from COMPANY. Newcomer Samantha Wicklund stunned with her non-stop "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" from HAIRSPRAY, Emily Suarez showed strong vocal skills with her convincing portrayal of "Moving Too Fast" from THE LAST 5 YEARS, and Lee Hamby's "There are Worse Things" from GREASE left us with the best introductory line of the evening. "This is for everyone who should never play Rizzo," he quipped, and was met with much laughter. Amy Farmer opened with a bold, hilarious take on "My Unfortunate Erection" from 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, followed by Julia Fallon, another fresh face at The 5 & Dime, who brought the laughs with her interpretation of "Me" from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Standout numbers of the evening were brought by Katie McCloskey, whose gut-wrenching, flawless "Being Alive" brought tears to many, and Douglas Anderson rising senior Malik Bilbrew, whose "Still Hurting" from THE LAST 5 YEARS furthered my fervor for a gender-reversed take on the emotional Jason Robert Brown musical.

The 5 & Dime, previously a nomadic theatre company that has found a permanent home in Jacksonville's urban core on Adams Street, enjoys branching out to other areas of the city to bring theatre lovers together for community and culture. This production was held at BABS Lab, a Story-Shaping Studio at CoRK Arts District. BABS is owned and operated by Barbara Colaciello. You can learn more about BABS Lab here.

After the performance, I chatted with some of the evening's attendees. Check out what they think about The 5 & Dime...

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