Looking for a good excuse to blow off studying for that Econ midterm Thursday night? Giving up hard drinking for Lent? Tired of not rocking out? A solution is at hand, and it goes by the name of Cabaret. This year’s Cabaret promises to be an excellent show; make sure to catch it this Thursday and Saturday nights.
According to producer Nicole Diamant (CAS ‘04) Cabaret, a decades-old tradition at Georgetown, presents the 10 best Georgetown singers backed by a 10-member band.
Competitive auditions are held at the beginning of each year, and an intense period of rehearsals lasts from winter break until the show. Each singer gets two leads, and the rest provide backup during each of the songs. In addition to the requisite keyboards, drums, and guitars, the band includes two saxes, a violin and a trumpet.
Diamant is excited about prospects for the band, many of whose members have played in Cabaret in previous years, and so have a lot of the kinks already worked out. The show will last about two hours, with a 30-minute intermission. GUSA President and Vice President Brian Morgenstern and Steve De Man will MC the event.
“There will be something for everyone,” claims Diamant, and fellow singers Alexis George (CAS ‘04) and Will Strumolo (CAS ‘05) agreed. They didn’t want to give away too many secrets, but allowed that they will be performing songs from such artists as Aerosmith, Shakira, Guns ‘N Roses, No Doubt, Outkast, Beyonce and Led Zeppelin. Songs change annually, so fans of last year’s Cabaret at Club Insomnia can look forward to all new material.
So how good are the 10 best singers at Georgetown? George gave an impromptu preview, despite the rain and miserable weather in Red Square, belting out a great cover of a Nelly Furtado song with Diamant on backup.
If they’d been doing that for everyone in Red Square, the tickets would already have been completely snatched up. Strumolo’s got some range himself. I last heard him perform the song “Dream On” by Aerosmith for the celebrated Bobby McFerrin, quite impressively managing to hit the high notes at the end of the song. When McFerrin, then artist in residence, critiqued the a capella group, his advice to Strumolo was to just “keep doing what you’re doing.”
Proceeds from Cabaret go to the D.C. Schools Project. Diamant proudly mentioned that in the last two years they have raised over $10,000, and hope to improve on that this year. So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets, give to charity, and prepare for a blast this weekend.
Cabaret will be performed Thursday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 28, at Kili’s Kafe and Lounge at 2009 8th St. N.W. (near the 9:30 Club).
