Carmen Cusack, Kyle Riabko and More Set for Cabaret 313's 2017-18 Season

Cabaret 313's 2017-18 season marks its fifth anniversary as Detroit's premier cabaret presenter, offering audiences the opportunity to experience some of Broadway's biggest names and brightest young talent. The season includes five performances across the city featuring Tony Award nominees and Grammy Award winners.

"Detroiters have always supported cultural arts, but five years ago there were no opportunities to experience true cabaret performances in the city," said Allan Nachman, Cabaret 313's President and Executive Director. "Presenting these performers in such intimate spaces is unique to Cabaret 313, and we are grateful to have been able to allow audiences to experience amazing artists like Megan Hilty and Alan Cumming."

Cabaret 313 was born as a response to the lack of cabaret performances in Detroit. Since 2013, Cabaret 313 has existed as metro Detroit's only traditional cabaret company, presenting Broadway performers and artists from multiple genres in some of the area's most beautiful venues.

"This year undoubtedly features the largest variety of music we've presented since our inception," Nachman said. "Detroit is a musical city, and our artistic offerings will reach a wider audience with hits from jazz, pop, Broadway and classics from the New American Songbook."

The 2017-18 season features five performances with award winners and Broadway stars including Carmen Cusack (Bright Star, Sunday in the Park with George), Kyle Riabko (Spring Awakening), Kelli Barrett (Wicked, Dr. Zhivago, Royal Family), Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys) and Birmingham native Alexandra Silber (West Side Story, Fiddler On the Roof), as well as a special edition performance featuring critically-acclaimed Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli alongside his singer/actress wife Jessica Molaskey. While traditionally seen in New York venues and on the Broadway stage, Cabaret 313 gives these artists the opportunity to perform in a way that brings the art up close and personal with the crowd.

"Cabaret 313 is an opportunity to hear and experience music in a unique way," said Nachman. "You can hear it on a record, you can see it on the Broadway stage, but the intimate cabaret experience is unmatched."

Over the last four years, Cabaret 313 has collaborated with Wayne State University's Department of Music to present master classes to students. Education initiatives will continue throughout its 2017-18 season through partnerships with Wayne State as well as the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance and Detroit's Mosaic Youth Theatre to give young artists in the region an opportunity to learn from its acclaimed artists.

"These master classes can be incredibly influential on the future careers that these students are working towards," Nachman said. "It's an opportunity to interact one on one with these artists in potentially life-changing sessions."

Four master classes will occur throughout the season:

- Carmen Cusack and students from the University of Michigan | Sep. 22

- Kyle Riabko and students from Wayne State University | Oct. 27

- Jarrod Spector & Kelli Barrett and Mosaic Youth Theatre | Feb. 10

- Alexandra Silber and Mosaic Youth Theatre | Late March

At the end of the 2016-17 season, actress and singer LaChanze (center) met with Detroit's Mosaic Youth Theatre for a one-on-one master class with some of the city's rising young performers.

Tickets to Cabaret 313 performances are $60 for General seating, $125 for Preferred seating and $25 for guests 40 & Younger. A special $200 Front & Center ticket is available for the John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey performance. To purchase tickets, visit cabaret313.org or call 313-405-5061.

Subscribers have the opportunity to reserve the best seats in the house while saving up to 15% on their entire order. Simply choose three or more performances to create a Cabaret 313 subscription.

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2017-18 Season:

Carmen Cusack
An Evening with Carmen Cusack
September 23, 2017
The Players Club Playhouse

Tony Award-nominee Carmen Cusack comes to Cabaret 313 following her solo concert debut in 2016 and her critically acclaimed and Tony-nominated Broadway debut in Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's Broadway musical, Bright Star. Previously, Cusack starred in the Chicago premiere of The First Wives Club: The Musical, and she received a Jeff Award nomination for her portrayal of "Dot/Marie" in Sunday in the Park with George at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Kyle Riabko -- The Look Of Love / I Say A Little Prayer - Live at Joe's Pub - Oct. 2016" src="https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-5kLGg3LB0g/hqdefault.jpg&watermark=PLAYICON_BORDERED" align="right" width="300" />Kyle Riabko
Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined
October 28, 2017
The Black Box Theatre at the Detroit Opera House

Kyle Riabko, star and creator of the hit West End and Off-Broadway show Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined, brings his fresh Bacharach arrangements to life in a special solo concert. Accompanying himself on guitar, Riabko presents his contemporary arrangements of Bacharach standards in "One of the Year's Best" performances (The New York Times).

Jarrod Spector & Kelli Barrett
Funny How it Happens
February 10, 2018
Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Hitched in 2014, Kelli Barrett (Wicked, Dr. Zhivago, Royal Family) & Tony nominee Jarrod Spector (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Jersey Boys) present Funny How it Happens, an intimate look at the make-it or break-it moments that eventually brought them together. The show features pop favorites and iconic songs from Broadway musicals while offering an inside - and often hilarious - scoop on what life is really like as a married Broadway power couple.

Alexandra Silber
Coming Home: Alexandra Silber in Concert
March 24, 2018
The Black Box Theatre at the Detroit Opera House

Touted as "glamorous and hyper-articulate" (The New York Times), Alexandra Silber grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, and will return home to take you on a musical journey through her multi-faceted international career. The 2015 Grammy Award nominee (West Side Story) will present a unique and intimate evening, combining Silber's signature depth and wit with classic hits to convey her love of her hometown and her journey back home.

John Pizzarelli - Baubles, Bangles and Beads from Sinatra & Jobim @50" src="https://web-extract.constantcontact.com/v1/thumbnail?url=https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3e6rt0AnWnc/hqdefault.jpg&watermark=PLAYICON_BORDERED" align="left" width="300" />John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey
An Evening with John Pizzarelli & Jessica Molaskey
May 19, 2018
The Cube at the Marjorie S. Fisher and Max M. Fisher Music Center

Hailed by Time Magazine as one of the year's "Ten Best Shows," cabaret's star couple, Jessica Molaskey and John Pizzarelli, bring a combination of Broadway, pop and jazz hits to Detroit in a performance featuring songs by Stephen Sondheim, Johnny Mercer, Adam Guettel, Billy Joel and more. Join Cabaret 313 for this one-of-a-kind mixture of all things cabaret in this special edition performance.

For full season information, visit cabaret313.org or call 313-405-5061.

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Founders Sandi Reitelman and Allan Nachman established Cabaret 313 with a dedication to bringing the art form of cabaret to Detroit while supporting and enhancing the increasing energy and vibrancy in the city. As part of its mission, Cabaret 313 also fosters the growth of the art form through master classes with university students and Detroit youth.

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