Qu'est-ce que c'est Cabaret?

How would you define cabaret? According to Webster's Online Dictionary, it's "a spot that is open late at night and that provides entertainment (as singers or dancers) as well as dancing and food and drink." In other words, it's a venue. Wikipedia gives a more savvy explanation, calling cabaret "a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue -- a restaurant or nightclub with a stage...." That's closer, but still not quite.

I could not find one dictionary source that defined cabaret as an art form -- a way of personally expressing oneself, just like poetry, painting, or dance. However, cabaret has its own distinct characteristics that differentiate it from all other modes of expression.

To get a better understanding of the art form, and to pinpoint what makes it so distinctive, I reached out to a number of this year's Back Stage Bistro Award recipients. It came as no surprise that certain themes were repeated, intimacy being the most prevalent.

Christine Pedi (Outstanding Musical Comedy Performer) states, "I love the intimacy. That's what makes it so unique. A small group of attentive people ready to engage in an hour of musical storytelling. I enjoy it as a performer and as a patron...whether I'm on the giving or receiving end of music. It's emotionally and artistically stimulating on a very deep and satisfying level."

Jeremy Lawrence, who conceived and performed in Lavender Songs: Queer Berlin Cabaret From Weimar to Hitler (Outstanding Theme Show), admits that the intimacy factor is the prime reason for his foray into cabaret: "The bond between audience and performer is especially strong -- not just because of the physical proximity -- which raises the heat potential, and yes, I am talking emotion and sex, not just physical temperature. In German kabarett, it is the ability of the performer to beguile, tease, and subvert his or her audience that is key. The material is not so much decadent...as it is subversive. In the intimacy of the cabaret, that subversive element can work wonders."

"The thing that American cabaret inherited from its European forebears -- namely, real intimacy -- is what attracts me to cabaret as a form," points out Robert Kohler, producer with his wife, Karen Kohler, of Kabarett Fête (Outstanding Special Event). "Nothing for me taps the humanity I share with a performer more quickly than seeing their perspiration, smelling their cologne, breathing the same air, and feeling us both dilate into the meaning of what they're saying and I'm seeing and hearing."

Along with the intimacy of the setting comes a direct connection with the audience. There's no "fourth wall" in this environment.

Bryan Batt (Outstanding Vocalist), who created a show, Batt Out of Hell, based on the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in his hometown of New Orleans, explains: "I love the immediate communion and connection with the audience...and unlike many actors, I don't have to hide in a character. I rather enjoy being myself and having fun. The biggest compliment I receive is that people have an emotional journey: laugh and cry, cry and laugh. I think it has helped me be a better actor. There is no possible way one can do an intimate cabaret and make one false move or fake an emotion. By the sheer nature of the art form, you are too exposed and open."

For Stacy Sullivan (Outstanding Vocalist), the intimacy and audience connection is why cabaret is her "drug of choice." "Film acting has always been appealing to me because of the intimacy of the acting style," she says. "Cabaret is similar because each nuance and emotion has to be played 'for real' or the audience just doesn't buy it. Anything that smells planned or anticipated is apparent to the audience. They are only a few feet away. Each song is a monologue to be embraced and nurtured. Each time it is sung -- each 'take,' if you will -- should bring a new color to the palette of a great song."

When a performer exposes his or her soul to the audience, "anything can happen," says Ellie Dvorkin, one half of the comedy duo Mel & El, whose song "Fagnet" won for Outstanding Musical Comedy Number. Arnaldo Inocentes (Outstanding Characterization) talks about "the near nakedness of the form and its license to be.... You'll never have the same show twice. It's risky and unpredictable and therefore very exciting."

"It's actually a great deal scarier, but so much more exhilarating at the same time," Outstanding Song & Dance Man Jeffry Denman emphasizes. Jason Graae (Outstanding Special Musical Material, for his song "I'm Not Doing My Cabaret") adds, "What excited me to no end was that I was standing on stage in this mini-theatre where I could be the whole production and where the possibilities were endless. And no one was telling me how to do it or what to do, or especially what not to do. It was thrilling and dangerous to me. Still is."

There are no holds barred in cabaret. You have the freedom to be yourself. If you have a talent that is so unique and original you can't be easily cast in most stage or film productions, this outlet has a door open for you.

"It's a medium that is almost limitless," Gabrielle Stravelli (Ira Eaker Special Achievement Award) explains. "People do theme shows or mixed sets with no through-line; they act like themselves or assume a persona. Some focus on the music; some focus on the patter. One show might be very theatrical and precise, while someone else's might veer towards a rock concert or a more casual musical happening. Cabaret is an umbrella term for many different kinds of live music experiences." Pedi adds, "The cabaret rooms make it possible for me to make a creative home for myself when I feel the need to perform. If you waited to get cast in something, it could be months or years before you found yourself on a stage, and even then it's anybody's guess whether you and the material would be a satisfying fit."

There's also the storytelling aspect of cabaret. "Each song I select allows me to tell a tale I do not otherwise express as easily," states Linda Kosut, recipient of the BMI Outstanding Recording Award. Bill Daugherty (Outstanding Revue, When the Lights Go On Again) stresses the obligation to "breathe life into every phrase and not just to try to show the world what a pretty voice you have. All the actors that I've had a hand in training are all taught to respect the story and tell the tale. Cabaret is an unforgiving forum for someone who isn't prepared to do just that."

The strong community feeling is another attraction. "The people who come to cabarets and the people who practice it," comments Jonathan Whitton (Outstanding Debut), "are a unique, supportive, generous community, and I'm honored to count myself amongst them." Denman concludes, "It was my first time delving into the world of cabaret, and it won't be my last. I am good and hooked."

The Bistro Awards will be held Mon., April 7, at the Gotham Comedy Club, 208 W. 23rd St., NYC. Just about all the artists I interviewed here will be performing, and so will Marilyn Maye, our Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement recipient, accompanied by Billy Stritch. Comic Jim David and musical actor-comedian Marilyn Sokol will be our guest emcees, with Jerry Scott as reception pianist. The show will once again be under the skilled direction of Sara Louise Lazarus.

For ticket information, call (646) 654-5725 or email [email protected]. You can purchase tickets online at www.backstage.com/bistros.

-- Sherry Eaker, Editor-at-Large