{"id":27800,"date":"2018-03-13T07:29:10","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T11:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=27800"},"modified":"2018-03-14T14:09:21","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T18:09:21","slug":"on-stage-cabaret-comes-to-wilmington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=27800","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Cabaret comes to Wilmington"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Cabaret<\/p><\/div>\n

A trip to Wilmington, this week could also be a trip to Berlin \u2013 to Berlin in 1931 when the Nazis were first rising to power.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because the National Tour of \u201cCabaret\u201d is running from March 13-18 at the Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-888-0200, www. ThePlayhouseDE.org<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Based on Roundabout Theatre Company\u2019s Tony Award\u00ae-winning production, Sam Mendes\u00a0(\u201cSkyfall,\u201d\u00a0\u201cAmerican Beauty\u201d) and Rob Marshall\u2019s (\u201cInto the Woods\u201d and\u00a0\u201cChicago,\u201d\u00a0the films) \u201cCabaret\u201d will play The Playhouse on Rodney Square in Wilmington for eight performances. This is the first time the Broadway revival has toured the historic Wilmington theater.<\/p>\n

It features some of the most memorable songs in theatre history, including \u201cCabaret,\u201d \u201cWillkommen\u201d and \u201cMaybe This Time.\u201d<\/p>\n

This all-new production launched in December 2017 in Worcester, Massachusetts with tour direction by BT McNicholl (\u201cSpamalot\u201d), tour choreography by Jennifer Werner and original costume design by William Ivey Long (\u201cChicago,\u201d \u201cCinderella\u201d).<\/p>\n

Set in the infamous Kit Kat Klub, the show features some of the most well-known songs in theater history \u2013 songs such as \u201cCabaret,\u201d \u201cMaybe This Time\u201d and \u201cWillkommen.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Kit Kat Klub featured Sally Bowles, the Emcee, and a rousing ensemble known as the Kit Kat Klub Band. Their invitation to audiences was to come to the Cabaret and leave their troubles outside.<\/p>\n

The story focuses on Cliff Bradshaw, a young writer from America, and his relationship with the English cabaret performer Sally Bowles.<\/p>\n

A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fr\u00e4ulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor.<\/p>\n

The Kit Kat Klub and its activities serve as a metaphor for the gloom-portending political scene in Weimar Germany in the early 1930s.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show demonstrates how people just wanted to have a good time,\u201d said Bailey McCall Thomas during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Utica, New York.<\/p>\n

Thomas plays the lead role of Sally Bowles.<\/p>\n

\u201cCabaret\u201d premiered on Broadway in 1966 and won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical as well as the New York Drama Critics\u2019 Circle Award and the Outer Critics\u2019 Circle Award.<\/p>\n

The initial revival of \u201cCabaret\u201d first opened on Broadway in 1998 and won four Tony Awards \u2014 including Best Revival of a Musical. It ran on Broadway for six years.<\/p>\n

The show returned to Broadway at Studio 54 in March 2014, with Alan Cumming<\/a> reprising his Tony-winning role as the Emcee. It played 423 performances through March 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had seen \u2018Cabaret\u2019 on Broadway,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cIt was the most recent revival, which is the same production as this tour. Before that, I didn\u2019t know much about the show. I had only seen the movie back when I was auditioning for the tour. The movie is more familiar to people than the stage show.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like that it\u2019s off-beat. All the characters are a little quirky and it tells a story. It has a real story. The whole aesthetic of the Kit Kat Klub \u2013 it\u2019s really exciting.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s pretty clear \u2013 especially in this version \u2013 what is going both socially and politically in Berlin at the time. People are shocked when they realize what is the real story.\u201d<\/p>\n

The role of Sally Bowles in the play is an eclectic role that has been performed by many top-flight actresses \u2013 including Jill Haworth, Brooke Shields, Natasha Richardson and Michelle Williams.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Sally,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cI love her more every day. She doesn\u2019t apologize for who she is.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very emotionally-charged role. As an actress, it takes its toll on you mentally and emotionally. There is no room to hide. I have to be vulnerable at times because Sally is vulnerable at times. It\u2019s also a physically-demanding role with three big production numbers right at the front.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCabaret\u201d is an enduring success \u2013 drawing patrons to the theater for more than 50 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cAudiences love it because it\u2019s so entertaining,\u201d said Thomas, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople relate to each of these characters. Everything about the show is so well-done. The music is so beautiful, and the script is so well-written.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for \u201cCabaret\u201d from Tony Awards \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/wp5wskxKhh0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The production of \u201cCabaret\u201d will run from March 13-18 at the Playhouse. Ticket prices start at $40.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The Bad Plus<\/p><\/div>\n

Last year, The Bad Plus had a minus \u2013 and then a plus. Things changed \u2013 and remained the same.<\/p>\n

The trio from Minnesota lost a founding member, added a top-flight player from Philadelphia and never missed a step along the way.<\/p>\n

On March 13, The Bad Plus, which now features Philadelphia jazz legend Orrin Evans, visits Evans\u2019 hometown for a show at South Restaurant (600 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-600-0220, www.southrestaurant.net<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The Bad Plus features bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Orrin Evans, and drummer Dave King. The addition of Evans was the band\u2019s only line-up change in its nearly two-decade history. \u201cNever Stop II\u201d\u00a0is the first full-length release from this lineup and is comprised entirely of original music with each member contributing fresh compositions.<\/p>\n

Ethan Iverson, Anderson and King first played together in 1989 but it wasn\u2019t until 2000 that they established The Bad Plus. The band recorded its first album after playing only three gigs together and later was signed to Columbia Records in 2002.<\/p>\n

The intensely collaborative trio has constantly searched for rules to break and boundaries to cross, bridging genres and techniques while exploring the infinite possibilities of three exceptional musicians working in perfect sync. It is a group of passionate collaborators with no single \u201cleader.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDave and I grew up together in Minneapolis,\u201d said Anderson, during a phone interview Monday morning as the band travelled from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia. \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing together since we were 15. Then, I went to the East Coast. Dave went to L.A. and then came back to Minneapolis. Ethan was in New York.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were all band leaders. When we got together as The Bad Plus, the guiding principle was that it\u2019s group music. We\u2019re three leaders that come together and we get to be ourselves and have a band sound. It\u2019s not \u2018somebody and his trio.\u2019 We made our first album with this group in 2001 and we\u2019ve released quite a few albums since then. \u2018Never Stop II\u2019 is the first with Orrin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evans was born in Trenton, New Jersey<\/a> and raised in Philadelphia. He attended Rutgers University, and then studied with Kenny Barron.<\/p>\n

He released the album \u201cTrio,\u201d which his debut as a leader, in 1994. Through 25 albums as a leader and co-leader, including his neo-soul\/acid jazz ensemble Luv Park and the bracing collective trio Tarbaby, Evans has always followed a vigorously individual path.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, Ethan said he didn\u2019t want to be in the band anymore,\u201d said Anderson. \u201cFrankly, it wasn\u2019t a surprise. We wanted to continue the band and to carry on the legacy of the band and Orrin was an obvious, choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had known Orrin since the early 1990s. He\u2019s just a player that we really respect. He has an outsider perspective that we all share. He\u2019s a band-oriented musician \u2013 and a good friend. When we asked him to join, he had to think about it \u2013 for about three seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrrin walks this line. He\u2019s obviously a very respected jazz player. But, he goes into other territories as well. He has always been avant-garde.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same description could be applied to The Bad Plus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Bad Plus is jazz and avant-garde,\u201d said Anderson. \u201cWe\u2019re a jazz group for sure and that should encompass the avant-garde, which is an established part of jazz. The two definitely co-exist.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to make music that is personal. We also are trying to make music that comes from our influences \u2013 especially the improvisation part.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018Never Stop II\u2019 in September at a studio in Brooklyn. We always write individually and then bring the music to the band. In our current live shows, we\u2019re playing everything from the album and some older stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for The Bad Plus \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/vYAGyO0qdF0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The shows at South Restaurant will start at 7 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $35.<\/p>\n

Other upcoming shows at South Restaurant are Sarah Elizabeth Charles on March 14, David Dyson on March 15 and Christian Sands on March 16 and 17.<\/p>\n

When it comes to producing top musical acts, Omaha will never compare to Brooklyn, L.A., Nashville or Austin.<\/p>\n

But, Nebraska\u2019s largest city has produced a good number of talented acts including Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes), the late Elliott Smith, Doug Ingle (Iron Butterfly bassist) and highly-acclaimed singer-songwriter Paul Williams.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

High Up<\/p><\/div>\n

Now, there is another act you can add to Omaha\u2019s list of musical luminaries \u2013 High Up.<\/p>\n

High Up has a family vibe. It features Christine Fink, her sister Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, etc.), Orenda\u2019s husband Todd Fink (The Faint), Josh Soto, and Matt Focht (Head of Femur, Bright Eyes). The band\u00a0draws from a wide variety of influences such as Janis Joplin, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins as well as Dead Kennedys and The Birthday Party.<\/p>\n

The Nebraska-based quintet is now touring in support of its album \u201cYou Are Here,\u201d which was released via Team Love on February 23. The tour brings them to the area on March 14 for a show at Bourbon and Branch (705 North Second Street, Philadelphia, 215-238-0660, bourbonandbranchphilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recorded \u2018You Are Here\u2019\u00a0at ARC Studios in Omaha,\u201d said Christine Fink, during a phone interview Monday morning from a tour stop in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cut the album in March 2017 with the production done by Mike Mogis, who has produced acts such as Bright Eyes and Monsters of Folk. A few years ago, we released an EP that we made from demos. \u2018You Are Here\u2019 is our first full-length.\u201d<\/p>\n

High\u00a0Up\u00a0singer Christine Fink moved to Omaha to be closer to her sister Orenda Fink back in 2012. When Christine was living in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, she frequently sang in local karaoke bars and received great response.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been playing music off-and-on since I was a teenager,\u201d said Christine. \u201cI was a journalist down south working at a newspaper. There were a lot of layoffs. So, at age 30, I followed my dream. My sister lived in Omaha and wanted me to move there. In 2012, my husband and I packed up and moved to Nebraska.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a few years in Omaha, Orenda noticed that Christine brought the house down no matter where she was singing with people of all ages and walks of life lining\u00a0up\u00a0to buy her drinks and even give her requests to sing their favorite soul songs. But Christine was depressed, feeling aimless, shuffling between minimum wage jobs, and the thrill of the weekend performances wore off quickly.<\/p>\n

One night, the two began to talk about the future, and Orenda insisted that Christine should try and do what makes her happiest — perform for people. After much discussion, they decided to start\u00a0High\u00a0Up, a collaboration mixing elements of indie, punk and soul that showcased Christine\u2019s powerful vocals and Orenda\u2019s seasoned songwriting.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy sister watched me at karaoke bars,\u201d said Christine. \u201cShe said \u2013 you\u2019re really killing it\u2026let\u2019s do our own songs. So, we fleshed them out and a few years later started High Up.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s seven years older than me. I idolized her and her career path. As we got older, we lived in different locations, but we stayed close. When I moved to Omaha, it was the first time we lived in the same city. Now, we\u2019re very, very close.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrenda is very good at writing songs. She does the lion\u2019s share. Actually, she conceptualizes songs around me. It\u2019s been nice to have a guru.
\n\u201cOur music is 98 per cent originals. We did have one cover on the record. In our live set, it\u2019s all originals except for one cover \u2013 a High Up version of Devo\u2019s \u2018Gut Feeling.\u2019 We also sometimes do a Dead Kennedys cover in our encore. We don\u2019t want to do obvious covers. Even with the one in the show, we take a Devo song and funk it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for High Up \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/clBeyUoE4vc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Bourbon and Branch, which has Whispertown and Blue Baby as opening acts, will start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10.<\/p>\n

In a bit of a coincidence, another music act will be playing Philly on March 14 after releasing a new album on February 23.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Grant-Lee Phillips<\/p><\/div>\n

Acclaimed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips is out on the first leg of a U.S. tour in support of his ninth solo album, \u201cWiddershins,\u201d which was released on February 23 on Yep Roc Records. The dates include a co-bill with Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses. On March 14, he will headline a show at Boot and Saddle (1131 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, 215-639-4528, www.bootandsaddlephilly.com<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe album was recorded in the second week of May 2017,\u201d said Philips, during a phone interview last week from a tour stop in Somerville, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole process was pretty concentrated. The songs were written over a period from November 2016-March 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe stuff came so quickly. I\u2019m always writing. I finished my previous album and went on the road. I write a lot on the road because most of the time it\u2019s just me and my guitar in a hotel room.\u201d<\/p>\n

The album was recorded over four days at Sound Emporium in Nashville. The 12-track set was produced by Phillips (guitar\/vocals\/keyboards) and cut largely live in the studio as a trio with Jerry Roe (drums) and Lex Price (bass). Mixed by Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists) and engineered by Mike Stankiewicz, the album delivers its poetic truths in Phillips\u2019 peerless melodic sensibilities, relayed via vocal performances that balance intensity and vulnerability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could have put it out sooner, I would have,\u201d said Phillips. \u201cBut, the record company likes to have a six-month window for release. That\u2019s the way it is with albums. Folks that listen to me \u2013 as well as my friends and I \u2013 still prefer albums. But, I also do like having access to streaming. When you want to hear songs you haven\u2019t heard in a long time, all it takes is a few clicks.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Phillips, \u201cWiddershins\u2026it\u2019s an old word — moving counterclockwise, spiraling backwards. The album begs the question, in what direction are we moving?\u201d<\/p>\n

The word widdershins is an adverb meaning \u201cin a direction contrary to the natural one, especially contrary to the apparent course of the sun or counterclockwise: considered as unlucky orcausing disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI took a whole left turn,\u201d said Phillips. \u201cI reflected on the news of the day \u2013 on what kept me up at night \u2013 on the social thread. The songs came quickly over a month or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are topsy-turvy, highly absurd times. Widdershins means counter-clockwise. People want to turn the clock back to times when there was less civility. Maybe we need to turn it back to even darker times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know things aren\u2019t O.K. and we\u2019re being forced to look at our darkside. These songs answer a lot of those questions. As singers, the teakettle reaches a rolling boil and we sing out. There is a great deal of relief I get from singing these songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video link for Grant-Lee Phillips — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZzMkmWvkQ8Q<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The show at Boot and Saddle will start at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $22.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times A trip to Wilmington, this week could also be a trip to Berlin \u2013 to Berlin in 1931 when the Nazis were first rising to power. That\u2019s because the National Tour of \u201cCabaret\u201d is running from March 13-18 at the Playhouse on Rodney Square (10th and Market streets, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7529],"tags":[9490,6518,10060,10059,10058],"class_list":["post-27800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-cabaret","tag-featured","tag-grant-lee-phillips","tag-high-up","tag-the-bad-plus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27800"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27811,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27800\/revisions\/27811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/27802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}