Événement

Round One Cabaret

Round One Cabaret is the third in a series of unique showcases devoted to new songs by San Francisco Bay Area writers and composers of musical theater.The theme of the November showcase is titled "Taking Charge in a Crazy World." It features an eclectic mix of songs mostly in the contemporary Broadway style.

Among eight new musicals represented are: 'Scary, Scary Night' - a camp Halloween comedy, 'In the Hands of the Raven', a spiritual "dramedy" about coping with loss, 'Uncle Sam's Lament' - a contemporary American political satire.

The composers and lyricists (whose works were selected from dozens of submissions) are a who's who of Bay Area rising talent: Peter Alexander, Billie Cox, Paul James Frantz, Richard Jennings, Bill Johnson, Sandy Kasten. Allison Lovejoy, Michael Lunsford and Peter Master. The ensemble consists of six talented performers, many of whom are staples of the local musical theater scene: David Bicha, Helen Laroche, Jihan Sabir, Ernie Tovar, Rana Weber, and Ted Zoldan.

Inspired by its theme, each cabaret is built around a kind of abstract story that utilizes the songs with roughly the same dramatic purpose as their parent musicals. Although the songs are presented outside their original contexts, the evening captures the drive and feel of a plotted show. The result is an enthralling evening that is part concert, part musical theater.

The cabaret is produced by Not Quite Opera Productions at the charming new Alcove Theater near Union Square located at 414 Mason Street in San Francisco. The production is directed by Jonathan F. Rosen with music direction by Ben Prince.

Not Quite Opera Productions is a company dedicated to the development of musical theater. Artistic Director Anne Nygren Doherty, author of the long-running Absolutely San Francisco, created the cabaret as a means of discovering local musical theater writing talent, with the intent of forming collaborations between her company and Bay Area artists. Submissions to the cabaret must originate from new musicals, whether completed or still in progress.