What is Cabaret?
“We are listed in the January, 2002 “Cabaret Scenes” Directory. Upon receiving our copy we came across the following description of “cabaret” written by the late Darrell Henline, then Editor of that prestigious publication. We saw ourselves and our performance objectives in the insightful editorial. Although we pride ourselves in our ability to adapt to an impressive array of performance venues and scenarios, we believe we are at our very best in the true “cabaret” setting.”
- Rick Blackson & Mary Jo Maluso


What is Cabaret Anyhow?
Description of Contemporary “Cabaret” - Darrell Henline, Editor, Cabaret Scenes

The cabaret scene today is not what it was in Germany in the 20s. It’s not topless bars and strip joints that bill themselves as Cabarets or Sports Cabarets. It’s also not Supper Clubs where one struggles to hear the performer over the clamor. On the other hand, it’s not just Edith Piaf tearing your heart out with sad tales of wishful love, no love or unrequited love...

Today, in our world of cabaret, most performers present a “show.” They rarely sing over the clamor of people having a noisy dinner or waiters banging dishes around. Cabaret is now a slice of theatre without that third wall. A singer performs in a cabaret room or theatre where the lights are dimmed, the spot lights turned on, and the audience sits with baited breath awaiting the performance they are about to hear, see, and feel.

Cabaret performers come from a wide background and the cabaret performances are as varied as theatre performances - at times, even more so. There is usually patter between songs that can provide an insight into the performer, the composer and/or lyricist, or perhaps just a slice of life. Other performances might be quite humorous - yet the performer sings with a voice from heaven. Still others will perform songs that make you teary eyed or remember some long-forgotten moment in your past. The varied formats are endless. The key to cabaret is how the performer interprets the lyrics of a song, frequently finding new meanings to old songs that you never realized were there - or singing the song to completely different rhythms, tempos and arrangements than you have ever heard.

The line separating cabaret vocalists, jazz vocalists and Broadway vocalists is getting less and less well defined. Maybe the time has come to call all of these great entertainers just singers - or performers - or artists.

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