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The series will include a master class for budding entertainers.
The series will include a master class for budding entertainers.
YOUNGSTOWN — New York-style cabaret shows will come to town as part of a new series beginning in November.
Cabaret at the Christman will begin Nov. 22 in the elegant Christman Hall on the third floor of Stambaugh Auditorium.
The idea for the series began when Mary Jo Maluso and Rick Blackson, a cabaret act based in the Mahoning Valley, saw a show by Stephanie Riso and Tony Richards in Pittsburgh. Maluso and Blackson introduced themselves and the two couples kept in touch. Their talks eventually led to the creation of the series.
Richards will be the performer for the inaugural show (there will be two: 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.).
Maluso and Blackson are the producers, and will serve as hosts, greeting the audience and singing an introductory song.
The acts for the remaining dates in the series — Feb. 7, May 30 and Aug. 8 — have yet to be determined.
Those who have never seen a cabaret show might be surprised at what it is and what it isn’t. Patrons are seated at tables with comfortable chairs, and are provided with a glass of wine and hors d’oeuvres. The show itself is short — anywhere from 60 to 75 minutes.
It is not dinner-theater — there is no meal — but it is intimate. The audience will be limited to 150. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased by calling the Stambaugh box office at (330) 259-0555 or at stambaughonline.com.
Testing the market
Richards and Riso, who visited Christman Hall recently to announce the series, said they are serving as “guinea pigs” to test the market and find out what it wants in a cabaret show. The first show, “A Touch of Broadway,” will be streamed live on cabaretpgh.org.
The pair plan to create a circuit, with acts doing shows in succession in Pittsburgh, Youngstown, Cleveland, Buffalo and possibly other cities.
“It’s something you haven’t seen in a while,” said Richards, describing the shows as “intimate and classy.”
Cabaret-style shows once thrived in larger cities, he said, but the venues gradually closed and the singers were forced to take more specific routes, such as Broadway, classical or opera.
The Nov. 22 cabaret will include a variety of jazz and pop standards and some fresh arrangements of Broadway classics.
Riso and Richards, who are married, constitute Cabaret Pittsburgh, an act that regularly performs at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.
Riso is the founder and programmer for Cabaret Pittsburgh, but both are seasoned stage performers. Her credits include roles with Pittsburgh’s Civic Light Opera, Public Theater, and Irish and Classical Theatre.
Richards is a singer and voice teacher specializing in the principle of belt, a vocal technique. As a performer, he spent more than 25 years on the road in a variety of theater and opera roles. He sang on tour with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, and in nightclubs and on cruise ships.
Richards is best known for playing Raoul in the long-running Toronto cast of “The Phantom of the Opera.”
Learning experience
An education program will be part of the Cabaret at the Christman series. Music and theater students will be able to participate or observe a master class taught by the visiting performers. Blackson and Richards will teach the first class, “The Principle of Belt.”
Audition announcements will be sent to area music and theater programs. Ten will be selected for the class, and others will be allowed to observe. The fees will be $60 for participants and $30 for observers. There is no cost to audition.