DETROIT, August 5, 2016 >> Cabaret 313 returns with its most evocative season yet, featuring five intimate evenings of song in some of Detroit’s most iconic spaces. The season is headlined by Broadway and televistion star Megan Hilty, who will present a special edition performance on Nov. 26. Now in its fourth season, C313 presents an eclectic and engaging series designed to open minds and hearts across metro Detroit to the art form of cabaret.
“The art form of cabaret is all about forging a meaningful connection between artists and audiences,” Co-founder and President Sandi Reitelman said. “At its heart, it is storytelling through song, in an intimate setting. People laugh, they cry, they are provoked to thought. We carefully curate the season to bring our audiences a truly interesting range of cabaret experiences, and we are especially thrilled with this year’s lineup.”
The season launches on Sept. 16 with the much-anticipated homecoming performance of Detroit natives Danny Gurwin and Erin Dilly at The Players Club. In “To Broadway and Back Home,” the lifelong friends will share their decades-long journey from meeting as “nerdy” teens at an area youth theatre camp to realizing their shared dream of making it on Broadway.
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| Erin Dilly and Danny Gurwin |
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“There will be stories and humor as we journey from our Michigan beginnings to our Broadway careers and always, with full hearts, back home again,” Gurwin said. “We’ll both talk (and sing) about our high school times and our time together at the University of Michigan. So many of our Michigan family and friends will be in the audience. It’s a tribute to them, really.”
The program is full of musical memories from their time in Michigan, including selections from Into the Woods, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Little Women.
“This is the first time we have featured artists born in Detroit,” Co-founder and Board Chair Allan Nachman said. “It was important to us to include a performance that really embodies the spirit of our city, and Erin and Danny will do just that.”
C313’s second fall performance features crossover superstar Megan Hilty as never seen before in “An Evening with Megan Hilty.” The television and Broadway personality will veer from her traditional set list to present a rare performance featuring favorites from her whirlwind rise to stardom. She has been featured in Noises Off, Wicked, Nine to Five: The Musical and NBC’s Smash. Hilty will also welcome the holiday season, with some highlights from her new Holiday album. The special edition performance will take place at Max M. Fisher Music Center’s Music Box on Nov. 26 at 8 p.m.
“Every year, we bring in a blockbuster performance, and this year is no exception,” Nachman said. “Megan Hilty is a major Broadway and television star with a broad appeal. We’re excited to present her in a show the she put together just for our audience. We know that Megan has countless older and younger fans here, and we are excited to be able to offer tickets to those under 40 for $25 for the first time.”
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Marin Mazzi and Jason Danieley will bring romance to the DIA’s Rivera Court on Feb. 11. |
Romance will ring across the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Rivera Court when Broadway’s “Golden Couple” headlines a special holiday performance. Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley will star in “My Funny Valentine” on Feb. 11. The performance will feature favorites from their most beloved roles, including Ragtime, Kiss Me Kate and The Full Monty. Mazzie, a three-time Tony Award nominee, will return to her Michigan beginnings. The proud Western Michigan University graduate has a scholarship named in her honor.
“Cabaret is often associated with the many emotions of love, and we’re grateful to be able to bring a program that humorously highlights romantic love — the good, the bad, the funny — in one of the most romantic venues in the city,” Nachman said. “This should be a really magical experience and a lovely way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We’ve never presented a show at the DIA before, and are delighted to add this space to our roster of venues.”
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| Gabrielle Stravelli |
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The season continues with another C313 first — an all-jazz program by a celebrated emerging artist. Vocalist Gabrielle Stravelli is making major waves across the nation with raving reviews from the Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post and The New York Times. She has been compared to “Ella Fitzgerald in her prime” (The New York Times) for her captivating voice, daring imagination and eclectic musical influences. She will present her new set, “On the Road Again,” on March 25 at the Detroit Opera House’s Black Box Theatre.
“Gabrielle Stravelli represents our first effort to branch out into the jazz genre,” Reitelman said. “We are hopeful that traditional jazz fans will come out to see Gabrielle, with her fluid voice, lovely interpretation and engaging personality.”
The final performance of the Cabaret 313 season features Broadway legend Chuck Cooper and his talented offspring in “Chuck Cooper and the Clan” at the Boll Family YMCA’s Marlene Boll Theatre on Friday, May 19. The Tony Award-winner has spent three decades as a powerful force across television, film and musical theater. He’ll be joined by his children Lilli (Spring Awakening, Wicked), Eddie (Little Shop of Horrors, Cinemax’s Banshee) and Alex, a talented musician and artist.
Regular season performances feature two showings at 7 and 9:30 p.m., each of which is preceded by a half-hour reception. Tickets can be purchased for $60 for general seating or $125 for preferred. Discounts for subscriptions-three or more performances-and patrons under 40 are available for all shows. The special edition performance, “An Evening with Megan Hilty,” is $195 for front & center tickets, $125 for preferred cabaret table seating $60 for general stadium seating, and $25 for those under 40. All tickets can be purchased by calling 313-405-5061 or visiting cabaret313.org.
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| Chuck Cooper and his talented children will close the C313 season on May 19. |
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