Lyssa BeyerIt’s a variety show: latin, funk, disco, rhythm and blues, country, rock, swing and pop music all rolled into one night with a bit of comedy dispersed in between.
And there’s still time to see it.
Today, Friday and Saturday, UW-Eau Claire’s Cabaret XXX Diamond Anniversary show will appear in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center, featuring a musical revue of four decades of song.
“It’s quite a production,” said senior Katy Eckes, one of the 11 student directors.
The student-run show is the university music department’s largest annual production and features performers from Concert Choir, Jazz Ensembles, The Singing Statesmen, University Symphony Orchestra and Women’s Concert Chorale.
“People hear the word ‘cabaret’ and they either think it’s a musical or they’re not quite sure what to expect,” Eckes said. “It’s a little bit of everything. It’s just really entertaining and fun: two hours of great music and awesome choreography.”
Eckes said the group of 133 student performers started rehearsing in the fall, and in the days leading up to opening night, they practiced 10 hours each day.
Executive Director Gary Schwartzhoff, music and theatre arts professor said all the work paid off.
“For me, the most exciting part is seeing it together,” he said. “We truly do work on this for an entire 12 months . seeing it come together this week is very rewarding.”
Right after Eau Claire resident Ralph Hudson saw this year’s show, he wrote an email to Schwartzhoff, telling him how much he loved it.
He said he’s been attending for about 15 years now, and each time it gets better and better.
“It was, as usual, wonderful,” he said. “I never cease to be amazed at the hours and hours that these students put in. You can’t always achieve perfection, but boy, it comes close to it.”
Hudson, a retired physician, never attended the university, but said he wants to help out the music program as much as he can.
His wife, Peggy, and him have set up the Ralph and Peggy Choral Music Support Fund, which provides scholarships to music students.
“We just feel this university adds so much to the community. I think it’s sort of under sung,” he said. “Not just in the financial input, but also what these students do in the community. That’s one reason why we like to return something to the university . it’s just that simple.”
Director of major gifts with the UW-Eau Claire Foundation Marcia Van Beek said she plans to attend Saturday’s show and expects great things like she saw in the past.
“I think they’re wonderful. The kids do a great job. The choreography is great. The sound is great. They do a nice professional performance,” she said. “It’s a nice way to spend a cold winter evening.”
The two-hour production consists of eight sets, each centered around one of the different music genres, and dinner can also be purchased.
And of course, the performers dress as the particular genre they portray.
“The 80s: that’s pretty fun to watch,” Eckes said, describing the leg warmers and side ponytails donned by the performers.
In between the choreography, costumes, latin dancing, disco fever and more, small acts also take the stage to keep the audience entertained, Eckes said.
People auditioned to perform as solo or group ensembles, she said, to provide some comic relief.
For example, one skit is a spin-off of “Kid’s Say The Darndest Things,” the T.V. show hosted by Bill Cosby, that asks children questions sure to provide amusing answers.
During another act, performers will do skits based off of annoying chain emails about topics such as football and Minnesota weather, Eckes said.
Hudson said the skits were great.
“(The comic relief actors) are always good. They were unusually good this year, though,” he said.
Eckes recommends everyone check it out.
“It’s something for the whole community. I feel like students don’t know as much about it just because it’s not as publicized on campus,” she said. “It’d be great to see more students. It’s something so different from any other campus. I have never encountered any other campus that has a showcase as this.”
