PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Wednesday, September 22, 2010 CONTACTS: Ari Lipsky, aslipsky@syr.edu or 315-443-2636 Patrick Finlon, 315-443-2636 or pjfinlon@syr.edu Syracuse University Department of Drama presents Cabaret Kander and Ebb's Award-Winning Landmark Musical Book by Joe Masteroff Music by John Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb Based on the play by John Van Druten Based on stories by Christopher Isherwood Directed and Choreographed by David Wanstreet Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet ARCHBOLD THEATRE at SYRACUSE STAGE Opens: October 1 Closes: October 10 (Syracuse, NY) Kander and Ebb's groundbreaking musical Cabaret will inaugurate the Syracuse University Department of Drama's 2010-2011 season. Originally directed on Broadway in 1966 by Harold Prince, Cabaret won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The musical inspired the eight-time Academy Award-winning 1972 film, starring Liza Minelli as Sally Bowles. 1
For the first time, a cast comprised wholly of SU Drama students will be showcased in the John D. Archbold Theatre, more than twice the size of SU Drama s home-base Storch Theatre next door. The production, directed and choreographed by David Wanstreet, will feature an onstage cabaret orchestra sitting atop the second tier of the set, in addition to intimate cabaret seating lining the front of the audience (sold at an additional fee). The season sponsor for SU Drama is WAER. Tickets are available by calling 315-443-3275 or by visiting http://vpa.syr.edu/drama. Cabaret is recommended for age middle school and up. "It's a brilliant piece of theatre," said Wanstreet. "Cabaret is a cautionary tale about a society in trouble, and I think that still resonates today." Previously for SU Drama, Wanstreet has directed Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, Damn Yankees, Chicago and Steel Pier. Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond chose to allow the SU Drama students full access to the expansive Archbold stage, to strengthen the relationship between the Department of Drama and Syracuse Stage, and to allow the students the opportunity to perform in a larger setting. In previous years, students have participated in coproductions with Syracuse Stage, such as last year's Little Women, but Cabaret marks the first time an all-student production will play the 500-seat Archbold Theatre. The production will star Hannah Corneau (seen last season as Diana in I Love You Because) as Sally Bowles, Chris Dwan (previously seen as Leo Davis in last season's Room Service) as the Emcee, and Kenny Metzger (Valentine in last season's Two Gentlemen of Verona) as Cliff Bradshaw. SYNOPSIS Cabaret is set mainly in the Emcee's (Dwan) seedy underground Kit Kat Klub in 1930s Berlin, where singer Sally Bowles (Corneau) meets the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw (Metzger). They, along with the Klub's frequent visitors, indulge in a life of euphoric pleasure, blind to the Nazi party's imminent rise to power. Dark, sexuallycharged, and highly energetic, the musical examines a society's unwillingness to acknowledge what is right in front of them. CREATORS Joe Masteroff (Book) began his career as an actor, making his Broadway debut in The Prescott Proposals in 1953. Following a national tour, Masteroff's first play, The Warm Peninsula, opened on Broadway in 1959, and in 1963 he wrote the book for the Sheldon Harnick-Jerry Bock musical She Loves Me, which garnered Masteroff a Tony Award nomination for Best Author of a Musical. Three years later, when Hal Prince gained control of the rights to John Van Druten's play I Am a Camera and The Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood, he discarded the book for a musical adaptation already written by Sandy Wilson and hired Masteroff to fashion his own. With lyrics and music by Kander and Ebb, Cabaret won the Tony for Best Musical and ran for 1165 performances. Masteroff also has written the libretto for an operatic adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under the Elms and the book and lyrics for the musicals Six Wives and Paramour, the latter based on Jean Anouilh's The Waltz of the Toreadors. 2
John Kander (Music) and Fred Ebb (Lyrics). The John Kander and Fred Ebb collaboration of four decades created what many would consider Broadway standards and contemporary classics: Flora, the Red Menace; Cabaret (Tony Award); The Happy Time; Zorba; 70, Girls, 70; Chicago; The Act; Woman of the Year (Tony Award, Best Score); The Rink; Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award, Best Score); Steel Pier; and Curtains. Their collaboration also transferred itself to movies and television as they wrote original material for the Academy Awards; Liza With a Z (Emmy Award); HBO s Liza Minnelli s Stepping Out (Emmy Award); Funny Lady (Oscar nominated for How Lucky Can You Get ); Lucky Lady; New York, New York; Stepping Out; and Chicago (Oscar nominated for Best Song). In the mid 80s the song New York, New York became the official anthem of New York City. At the time of the unfortunate death of Mr. Ebb, Kander and Ebb had several projects in different stages of completion waiting in the wings, including The Visit and All About Us. The pair's latest musical, The Scottsboro Boys, will open on Broadway on October 31, 2010. DIRECTION David Wanstreet (Director/Choreographer) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Drama s Musical Theatre program. SU productions he has directed and choreographed include Steel Pier, Chicago, Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity, Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate. Prior to coming to Syracuse, David logged on-stage time as Bobby Child in Crazy For You, Billy Buck Chandler in My One and Only, Bobby in A Chorus Line, and Will Parker in Oklahoma!, among others. He has directed and choreographed more than 60 musical productions at theatres throughout the eastern US. Brian Cimmet (Musical Director) is a new staff member and instructor in the Department of Drama. Prior to joining the team here, he spent the last fifteen years playing and conducting many varied musical theatre projects ranging from Broadway (Mary Poppins, Drowsy Chaperone) to summer stock (13 seasons at Maine State Music Theatre). As a composer and arranger, Brian wrote the scores to Absolutely Anything and The Spirit of Reindeer with lyricist Erich Goldstein, original music and orchestrations for North Shore Music Theatre's A Christmas Carol, original songs for Remember What's Important and The Owl On The Right, and was recently honored with a MAC Nomination for his song "Understudy Blues" (with lyricist Amanda Yesnowitz). Brian is also one of the creators and co-hosts of "Fill Me In," a weekly podcast about crosswords and other puzzles, which can be found at bemoresmarter.com. Malcolm Ingram (Dialect Coach) teaches voice and acting in the Department of Drama, where he has previous directed The Way of the World, The Winter s Tale, Henry V, Charley s Aunt, The Maid s Tragedy, Our Country s Good, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Sir Patient Fancy, and A Midsummer Night s Dream. Malcolm is also an actor with a long career in the U.K. as well as many professional productions in this country. Recent appearances include Mr. Laurence in Little Women at Syracuse Stage, a Narrator in a Beyond the Score presentation of Pictures at an Exhibition with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, the Old Shepherd in The Winter s Tale and three roles in Pinter s Mirror (three one-act plays by Harold Pinter) at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. CAST 3
Kyle Anderson (Bobby) is a sophomore Musical Theatre major. Jon Baldouf (Victor) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Marion, OH. Ross Baum (Herr Schultz) is a junior Musical Theatre major from Scarsdale, NY. LilyAnn Carlson (Rosie/Gorilla) is a junior Musical Theatre major from Olney, MD. Hannah Corneau (Sally Bowles) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Clifton Park, NY. Gregory Dassonville (Hans/Rudy) is a senior Musical Theatre major from West Hartford, CT. Chris Dwan (Emcee) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Canton, MI. Marie Eife (Swing) is a junior Musical Theatre major from Philadelphia. Joseph Fierberg (Herman) is a sophomore Musical Theatre major from West Hartford, CT. Melissa Jessel (Lulu) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Boxford, MA. Mary Claire King (Texas) is a junior Musical Theatre major from Columbus, IN. Alyson Lange (Helga) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Altamont, NY. Sammy Lopez (Swing) is a sophomore Musical Theatre major from Los Angeles. Mia Michelle McClain (Fritzie) is a senior Musical Theatre major from New Orleans, LA. Kenny Metzger (Clifford Bradshaw) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Trumbull, CT. Eric Meyers (Ernst Ludwig) is a junior Musical Theatre major from Dayton, OH. Kristin Morris (Frenchie) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Stafford, VA. Mary Kate Morrissey (Fraulein Kost) is a senior Musical Theatre major. Alanna Rogers (Fraulein Schneider) is a senior Acting major from Chicago. Luke Wygodny (Customs Official/Max) is a senior Musical Theatre major from Chicago. PRODUCTION Alex Koziara (Scenic Designer) is an associate professor of Theatre Design and Technology at SU. Marc Fisher (Lighting Designer) is a senior Design and Technology dual major from Potomac, MD. Mary Olin Geiger (Costume Designer) is a junior Design/Tech major from Orlando, FL. Jonathan R. Herter (Sound Designer) is the resident sound designer and engineer for Syracuse Stage and SU Department of Drama. Jannae Lehman (Stage Manager) is a senior Stage Management major from Haslett, MI. TICKETS Tickets for the Syracuse University Department of Drama s production of Cabaret are $16-$20 for adults, and $16-$18 for students. $15 rush tickets are available at the door, one hour before curtain. For tickets and more information, contact the Department of Drama Box Office at 315-443-3275 or visit http://vpa.syr.edu/drama. Cabaret is recommended for age middle school and up. VPA AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY The SU Department of Drama is housed within the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). VPA is committed to the education of cultural leaders who will engage and inspire audiences through performance, visual art, design, scholarship and commentary. It provides the tools for self-discovery and risk-taking in an environment that thrives on critical thought and action. 4
Syracuse University Department of Drama presents Cabaret Book by Joe Masteroff Music by John Kander Lyrics by Fred Ebb Based on the play by John Van Druten Based on stories by Christopher Isherwood Directed and Choreoraphed by David Wanstreet Musical Direction by Brian Cimmet ARCHBOLD THEATRE at SYRACUSE STAGE Opens: October 1 Closes: October 10 Designers: Alex Koziara (Scenic Designer) Marc Fisher (Lighting Designer) Mary Olin Geiger (Costume Designer) Jonathan R. Herter (Sound Designer) Jannae Lehman (Stage Manager) Cast: Kyle Anderson (Bobby) Jon Baldouf (Victor) Ross Baum (Herr Schultz) LilyAnn Carlson (Rosie/Gorilla) Hannah Corneau (Sally Bowles) Gregory Dassonville (Hans/Rudy) Chris Dwan (Emcee) Marie Eife (Swing) Joseph Fierberg (Herman) Melissa Jessel (Lulu) Mary Claire King (Texas) Alyson Lange (Helga) Sammy Lopez (Swing) Mia Michelle McClain (Fritzie) Kenny Metzger (Clifford Bradshaw) Eric Meyers (Ernst Ludwig) Kristin Morris (Frenchie) Mary Kate Morrissey (Fraulein Kost) Alanna Rogers (Fraulein Schneider) Luke Wygodny (Customs Official/Max) Performances: October 1 10 Oct. 1 8 p.m. Oct. 2 8 p.m. Oct. 3 2 p.m. 5
Oct. 7 8 p.m. Oct. 8 8 p.m. Oct. 9 8 p.m. Oct. 10 2 p.m. Ticket are $16-$20 for adults and $16-$18 for students. $15 rush tickets are available at the door, one hour before curtain. For tickets and more information, call 315-443-3275 or visit http://vpa.syr.edu/drama. ### 6