What is Cabaret?
It is difficult to give a concise, accurate description of cabaret. It is its own, identifiable art form, separate from musical theatre, lounge singing, or concert and recital music. It is an all-encompassing performance genre and can include singing styles from Broadway to jazz to folk music and everything in between.
Contrary to popular belief, modern cabaret has nothing to do with the burlesque shows portrayed in the musical, Cabaret .
From Andrea Marcovicci in the New York Times, 1994:
“Cabaret singing has its roots in the chansons of Paris at the turn of the century, in the dark political satire of Berlin in the 20's and in the mellow, smoky nightclubs of New York in the 50's. But I believe it's become something quite distinct in the 90's.
“It has come to mean an intensely personal evening of song and stories, delivered in a simple, honest way, in an intimate space that shatters the “fourth wall,” a term actors use to describe what's beyond the footlights. Part stand-up comic, part balladeer, part evangelist, today's performer often has a theme that unifies the evening (either the work of a single composer, an era like World War II or a genre like theater) and a strong dramatic sense of beginning, middle and end. They also tend to know a great deal about the music they're singing, be it classics from the American popular songbook, obscure treasures or new songwriters just starting out; they are generous enough to share that information in witty and inventive ways.
“But the real art of the cabaret performer lies in the juxtaposition of songs, putting two or three songs together in such a way that new and deeper meanings come to light, the resonance of one song lingering to change the color of the next. At its best, cabaret can amuse, entertain, and inform… it can dazzle you, catch you unawares and make you weep. It is not television. The audience participates in a direct, emotional conversation with the artist and leaves feeling contacted and personally touched…
“One of the most important things about cabaret is the world it conjures up. It is a world of elegance, grace and sophistication–cocktails and conversation… and the perfect retort. But the world we're stuck with today is so overproduced. Broadway's gone bombastic; movies are all special effects and car chases; pop music is mostly brassy belt or rhythm and anger. Where to go for tenderness, a clever turn of phrase, a moving melody? Cabaret.”
While bringing audience and performer together, cabaret preserves the great songs of the past, rescues hidden gems from obscurity, and is one of the few outlets for the new music of today's lyricists and composers. As such, it is one of the few places an 80-year-old and an 18-year-old can sit together enjoying the same musical experience. Very few musical forms can boast that.
