{"id":236,"date":"2019-07-17T18:18:02","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wcsu.wpengine.com\/news-archives\/cabarettheplay\/"},"modified":"2019-07-17T18:18:02","modified_gmt":"2019-07-17T18:18:02","slug":"cabarettheplay","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/cabarettheplay\/","title":{"rendered":"Cabaret"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DANBURY, CONN. <\/strong>\u2014 \u201cWhat good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a Cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Well \u2026 what are you waiting for?<\/p>\n

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Forty-two years after the hit show \u201cCabaret\u201d opened at the Broadhurst Theater and took Broadway by storm in November 1966, the Western Connecticut State University theatre arts department invites theatre-lovers to \u201ccome hear the music play\u201d at its production of the Tony Award-winning play the first three weekends in November. <\/p>\n

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The show ran for 1,165 performances on Broadway, but local theatre enthusiasts will only have nine opportunities to be transported back in time to early 20th-century Berlin.<\/p>\n

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Performances will be Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 6 \u2013 8 and 13 \u2013 15; and Friday and Saturday, Nov. 21 \u2013 22, in the Berkshire Theatre in Berkshire Hall on the university\u2019s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Opening Night, Thursday, Nov. 6, and at 8 p.m. all other evenings. There will be a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. The public is invited. Tickets will be $22 for adults, and $18 for seniors and non-WestConn students. WestConn students with valid I.D. will be admitted free. <\/p>\n

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WestConn Professor of Theatre Arts Sal Trapani, the show\u2019s producer, said the theatre arts department\u2019s fall production will be \u201cbig budget,\u201d featuring two revolves \u2014 sections of the set that rotate. \u201cWe\u2019ve never had anything like this before,\u201d Trapani said. \u201cCabaret\u201d also will have a two-tier set and an 18-piece orchestra on stage, conducted by WCSU Music Professor Dr. Fernando Jimenez. The sizable production is indicative of the \u201clarge influx of new and transfer students in the theatre arts department,\u201d Trapani said. \u201cThis is the biggest theatre class we\u2019ve ever had, and many of these students can also sing.\u201d Several students from WestConn\u2019s music department also will lend their trained voices to the production.<\/p>\n

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Associate Professor of Theatre Arts Pam McDaniel, who will direct, said \u201cCabaret\u201d is both a play and a musical, and incorporates a very serious story line. \u201cThe play explores the relationship of the cabaret to Germany just prior to World War II and how it became a reflection of what was going on at the time,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cThere are really two different planes being portrayed: the emergence of the Nazi movement; and how it began to shape the fabric of the characters\u2019 lives during that time period.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat people remember most about \u2018Cabaret\u2019 are the cabaret acts,\u201d McDaniel said. \u201cA song performed by a character in the play may end up being sung by a performer in the musical cabaret. There are probably a dozen songs that people will recognize.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The 1966 production earned Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Composer and Lyricist, Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Joel Grey), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Peg Murray), Best Scenic Design, Best Costume Design, Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince). A 1987 revival netted six nominations but no awards. A 1998 revival garnered awards for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Alan Cumming), Best Actress in a Musical (Natasha Richardson) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Ron Rifkin).<\/p>\n

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WestConn\u2019s cast will include Matt Bagley, of Windsor, as Emcee; Sean Zackrison, of Mount Kisco, N.Y., as Cliff Bradshaw; Kayla Koschel, of Sandy Hook, as Sally Bowles; Jenn Billingsley, of Danbury, as Fraulein Schneider; Amy Bentley, of East Lyme, as Fraulein Kost; Frank Beaudry, of Oakville, as Ernst Ludwig; Joshua Wagner, of Roxbury, as Herr Schultz; Andrew Hendrick, of Fairfield, as Max; and Conor Bartram, of Hamden, as Maitre D. The cast also includes Annie Bryson, of Shelton; Kristina Chester, of Dudley, Mass.; Amanda Forker, of Wethersfield; Kaitie Hartman, of Jewett; Holly LoRusso, of Wolcott; Paige Meehan, of West Hartford; Aline O\u2019Connor, of Colchester; Chelsea Pinero, of Southbury; Brianne Sassone, of Paramus, N.J.; and Samantha Tuozzola, of Norwalk, as the Kit Kat Club girls. Jason Nolan and Patrick Baldwin, of Bridgeport, and Anthony DePoto, of Danbury, portray sailors. <\/p>\n

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The crew will include Trapani as producer, McDaniel as director, Frank Herbert as technical director, Liz Popiel as set designer, Amy Jones as musical director and choreographer, Dan Hassenmayer as lighting designer, Jess Rosso as sound designer, Joseph Russo as costume designer and Nick Bussett as production manager.<\/p>\n

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Bagley, a junior theatre major, said of his role as Emcee, \u201cI\u2019m excited, to say the least. When I heard we\u2019d be staging it, I watched Joel Grey\u2019s performance in the movie and I fell in love with it. It\u2019s a wonderful show.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Bagley said he considers his character a smart and satirical commentator on the political events of the day, much like present-day analysts Steven Colbert and John Stewart. The only difference is that much of what the Emcee has to \u201csay\u201d is done in song. Last seen on WestConn\u2019s stage as Ethan in \u201cThe Full Monty\u201d and the Lover in \u201cTommy,\u201d Bagley said his preparation for \u201cCabaret\u201d has been \u201cvery heavy on the dancing and singing.\u201d He\u2019s working with a choreographer and taking voice lessons in the university\u2019s music department.

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\u201cThe show in a lot of ways parallels what\u2019s going on in today\u2019s society,\u201d Bagley said. \u201cHopefully the audience will see the connection in our current political and economic situation to 1930s Berlin.\u201d<\/p>\n

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WestConn alumni couples who want to enjoy dinner before their theatre experience on Friday, Nov. 7, can buy a combination dinner-theatre ticket for $45. The Alumni Dinner-Theatre will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Warner Hall on the university\u2019s Midtown campus. A limited number of tickets are available for the dinner theatre. To make a reservation, call the Office of Alumni Relations at (203) 837-8290.<\/p>\n

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For tickets or more information, call the Berkshire Box Office at (203) 837-8732 or go to www.wcsu.edu\/tickets.<\/p>\n

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Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England\u2019s best small private universities.
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Download poster DANBURY, CONN. \u2014 \u201cWhat good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a Cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret.\u201d Well \u2026 what are you waiting …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-236","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/236\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/news-archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}