PLEASE DO NOT TAKE PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE CABARET BOOKTHE CABARET BOOK

It began in Paris on November 18, 1881, the year in which the first and most famous cabaret of all, the Chat Noir (Black Cat), was established. Paris, during what the French like to call the Belle Epoque, was the cultural capital of Europe, the mecca of the arts to which admirers and young hopefuls flocked from one end of Europe to the other, and indeed from still farther away. If something caught on in Paris, the immense reputation of the city as the source of fashion and innovation ensured its rapid diffusion across the continent and beyond.

Besides giving rise to many cabarets in Paris itself, in its own time and after it became history, the Chat Noir also inspired the introduction of cabaret in major cities throughout Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In the beginning, cabaret arose as an informal grouping of artists – painters, poets, musicians, and theatre people – who felt the need to come together. It was intended as something essentially private. From 1881 to 1917, audiences were made up predominantly of artists, their friends, and a variety of cultural fellow-travelers. In post-World War I Europe, the cabaret ceased to be a novelty and by and large fulfilled its function as a locus of an emerging avant-garde. Cabarets became places of entertainment; their facilities were expanded and enhanced, their doors thrown open to the public.

When developing FST’s Cabaret, we took the diverse and rich history of the form to create the atmosphere you see today. Set in a turn-of-the-century Parisian cafe, and offering fresh baked food, the Cabaret is an intimate space for an intimate form of theatre.

Turn-Of-The-Century Cabaret by Harold B. Segel

What is Cabaret?

Artwork by Théophile Steinlen

The Origins of Doo-WopInspired by rhythm and blues, doo-wop is a musical style that originated in the urban centers of the Northeast in the 1940s. Drawing from the close, four-part harmony of barbershop quartets, doo-wop songs have a catchy melodic line set to a simple beat with little to no instrumentation.

The earliest vocal harmony groups were made up of teenagers who could not afford musical instruments, so they performed a capella at school dances, on street corners, and under bridges. They had to rehearse and perform at these public places because they were the only places readily available. In a way, doo-wop not only gave the singers a way to keep themselves occupied and entertained, but it also gave them a creative outlet to share their stories and struggles.

Pictured: Travis Keith Battle, Kenneth Quinney Francoeur, Jason Pintar, Ryan Morales. Photo by John Jones.

THE WANDERER | With an upcoming World Premiere at Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, The Wanderer is an all-new musical about Dion DiMucci’s life. Telling the no-holds-barred story of Dion’s rise to fame, The Wanderer is a riveting true story of the man that Bruce Springsteen calls “the link between Frank Sinatra and Rock & Roll.”

Musicals About Doo-Wop

JERSEY BOYS | Winner of the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical, Jersey Boys is a theatrical telling of the creation, fame, and disbanding of The Four Seasons. In the show, each member has a chance to share their perspective on the group’s history and the music they created together. The musical ran on Broadway for 12 years and features the group’s top hits, including “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry,” and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night).”

AIN’T TOO PROUD | Written by three-time Obie Award winner Dominique Morrisseau, Ain’t Too Proud follows The Temptations’ incredible journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring the group’s treasured hits, like “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” and “Get Ready,” this new musical shares how the group met, and how personal and political conflict threatened to tear them apart.

DREAMGIRLS | Inspired by the success of groups like The Supremes and The Shirelles, the musical follows a young girl group as they start out as amateurs singing in Chicago to becoming national superstars. When the show opened on Broadway in 1981, it was nominated for 13 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In 2006, the musical was adapted into a movie, which starred Jamie Foxx, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson.

“With ‘Sherry,’ we were looking for a sound. We wanted to make the kind of mark that, if the radio was playing one of our songs, you knew who it was immediately.” – Frankie Valli

“I came up in Brooklyn singing doo-wop music from the time I was 13 to the time I was 20. That music served a

purpose of keeping a lot of people out of trouble, and also it was a passport from one neighborhood to another.”

– Richie Havens, American singer-songwriter who was the opening act at Woodstock

“I was singing doo-wop on the corner under the streetlight with four other guys when it wasn’t called doo-wop. We just got together and sang, so that music is inside of me. It’s a lot of stuff that has been rolling around in here and becoming this compost and has made me who I am as a singer.” – Al Jarreau, American singer and musician, seven-time Grammy Award winner

“Singing Rock & Roll - they called it singing for the devil. But we all wanted an opportunity to compete in the

music industry, and that was the opportunity.” – Dennis Edwards, frontman for The Temptations

Harmony Groups through History1942The Mills Brothers release “Paper Doll,” which holds the number one position on the Billboard Singles charts for 12 weeks. The song featured the close four-part harmony and vocal parts that mimic musical instruments—two important aspects of doo-wop.

1945The Delta Rhythm Boys release the song “Just A Sittin’ and a Rockin,’” which featured the series of syllables with no meaning, “Doo Doo Doo Doo-wop.” This is where the genre’s name comes from.

1948Baltimore-based doo-wop group, The Orioles, release “It’s Too Soon to Know,” a romantic ballad featuring the tight, multi-part harmony that has become synonymous with doo-wop. The Orioles pictured right.

1953Although female doo-wop singers were rare, Lillian Leach was the lead singer of the Bronx-based doo-wop group, The Mellows. She helped pave the way for women in doo-wop, soul, and R&B. Lillian Leach and The Mellows pictured left.

1954The Penguins’ only hit song, “Earth Angel,” makes the Top 10 of the national Billboard charts. Considered to be a definitive doo-wop song, “Earth Angel” sold more than 10 million copies. The Penguins pictured right.

1957The Diamonds release “Little Darlin,’” which ranks #2 for eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Billboard later ranked the song at number 3 for the whole year of 1957.

1959Dion and The Belmonts release “A Teenager in Love,” which reached #5 on the Billboard pop charts. Two months later, three different versions of the song were ranked in the UK’s Top 20 charts.

1961The term “doo-wop” first appears in print in The Chicago Defender in reference to The Marcels’ song, “Blue Moon.” The Marcels pictured below.

1964The Beatles perform “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on The Ed Sullivan Show, attracting 45% of American television viewers. The song takes the tight harmony that was popular in doo-wop and blends it with Rock & Roll. The Beatles with Ed Sullivan pictured above.

BERRY GORDYAmerican record executive and producer Berry Gordy founded the Motown record label and helped countless musicians of color achieve unprecedented commercial success. Gordy discovered The Miracles, a doo-wop group known for songs like “You Really Got a Hold On Me” and “Shop Around,” and guided them as their songs started to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. He also took chances on little known artists, like Mary Wells, who he signed to Motown

Records in 1960. Performing songs written by Smokey Robinson, Wells helped define the distinctive Motown sound of the era.

BRIAN EPSTEIN

Referred to as “The Fifth Beatle,” Brian Epstein served as The Beatles’ manager from 1962-67. After discovering them at a concert in Liverpool, Epstein almost immediately got The Beatles to sign a contract. There was one catch—the group had to discard their scruffy look for a clean-cut style, with matching suits and haircuts. His plan worked, because within months, The Beatles became international stars.

Behind the Music: Meet Some of the Instrumental Individuals Behind the Music We Love

DICK CLARK As the host of American Bandstand from 1956 - 1989, Dick Clark introduced Rock & Roll to countless Americans. He gave Smokey Robinson & The Miracles — a Motown group that used doo-wop’s four-part harmony — their first exposure to audiences nationwide. Clark also helped jumpstart the careers of Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, and Sam Cooke.

HERB REED

One of the four original members of The Platters, Herb Reed is actually responsible for giving the group its name—he saw that DJs in the ‘50s called records “platters” and ran with it. This successful vocal group is known for “Only You (And You Alone)” and “The Great Pretender,” both of which feature the signature four-part harmony of doo-wop. Reed is the only member of The Platters to be heard in all 400 songs recorded by the group.

GEORGE TREADWELL

George Treadwell was the manager of The Drifters, helping them become one of the greatest R&B vocal groups of all time. He saw The Drifters through the many lineup changes the group experienced from 1953 to the mid-1960s. Even as two of the group’s lead singers—Johnny Moore and Ben E. King—went on to pursue solo careers, Treadwell helped the group stay on the top of the charts with “Up on the Roof,” “On Broadway,” and “Under the Boardwalk.”

The Legacy of Doo-WopMusical Styles That Inspired Doo-Wop

Sounds That Doo-Wop Inspired

Rhythm & Blues (R&B): Rhythm and Blues, or as it’s more commonly known, R&B, is a genre with roots in jazz, gospel, and swing. Doo-wop originated as a Rhythm & Blues subgenre, which would rise to prominence in the 1940s and became the standard for music in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Barbershop Quartets: Four men singing tight harmony in a vaudeville-type setting. While not as popular today, barbershop quartets are still featured in places like Disney Parks and revue shows. They often used nonsense vocals like “Ba Dum Bum Bum” or “Da Duh Da Duh Duh” that were the standard of such types of music.

Scat:Scat mixes doo-wop and jazz and is best known for its strings of nonsense words. Examples of scat can include anything from the song “Scatman” (which has “Ski Ba Bop Ba Dop Bop” as a featured nonsense phrase) to songs featured in Disney’s animated classic The Jungle Book.

A capella:A capella is a unique type of music like doo-wop, scat, & barber shop in which artists use their vocal instruments to recreate the sounds of real instruments. Once again, this style uses harmonies to create music in vocally non-tradition-al ways. A capella is very popular from Pentatonix to the movie Pitch Perfect and will be around for years to come.

Boy Bands:From Boyz II Men (pictured right), who described their sound as “Motown Philly” in the early 1990s, to NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, and more in the mid-90s and early 2000s, to the K-Pop of today, boy band groups can all trace their musical inspiration back to the male harmony groups of the ‘50s.

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RICHARD HOPKINS is the Producing Artistic Director of Florida Studio Theatre. Mr. Hopkins has fostered the development of FST’s Mainstage and Cabaret productions. His many directing Mainstage credits include: Sophie Tucker: The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Honor Killing, Inspired Lunacy, The Best of Enemies, Next to Normal, Race, Ruined, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Boleros for the Disenchanted, Permanent Collection, and Metamorphoses, among numerous other plays. Mr. Hopkins led the development of FST’s Cabaret productions

of Three Pianos, Outlaws & Angels, Guitar Girls, Mack the Knife, Older than Dirt, Piano Men, and The Prima Donnettes. Mr. Hopkins also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Florida Studio Theatre. This includes overseeing the creation and implementation of all FST programming, including Mainstage, Cabaret, Stage III, New Play Development, The FST School, and Touring. Since his arrival at FST in 1980, Mr. Hopkins has guided the theatre from a small touring company to a nationally-recognized regional theatre, which impacts over 235,000 adults and children annually. He created the New Play Development Program, the Cabaret Series, FST’s award-winning WRITE A PLAY Program, and he has directed the design and renovation of all FST’s theatres. Mr. Hopkins is the recipient of numerous awards including the Arts Leadership Award from the Sarasota Arts Council, the Richard G. Fallon Award for Artistic Excellence from the Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the 2012 Cultural Champion Award from the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County. In 2016, Mr. Hopkins was awarded the Luminaire Award, honoring excellence in creativity, philanthropy, advocacy, and all elements that are keys to future growth of the arts in Sarasota. In 2017, Mr. Hopkins was awarded the Florida Theatre Conference Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing to the rich cultural fabric of the Sarasota community and the state of Florida, and his dedication to developing future artists, educators, and advocates.

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FST Cabaret: A History1995 – 1996 Season

Hot ‘N ColeMy Castle’s Rockin’ by Larry ParrBack to the 40’s with the Boiler SistersForever Ivy Rowe by Mark Hunter and

Barbara Bates SmithAn Evening WastedSong and Dance by Andrew Lloyd Webber The Jazz Club

1996 – 1997 SeasonBy GershwinI am an American by Kurt WeillMotown CabaretAlways...Patsy Cline by Ted Swindley

1997 – 1998 Season Honky -Tonk Highway by Richard Berg

and Robert Lindsey-NassifO’Carolan’s Farewell to Music by Patrick

Ball and Peter GlazerLicense to BashOver the RainbowGunmetal BluesInspired Lunacy (revised)Rendezvous with MarleneCarrenoClearly Invisible by Carl SeigerForever Plaid by Stuart Ross

1998 – 1999 Season Harry Who?A Brief History of White Music conceived

by Dee Dee Thomas and David TweedyShakespeare’s Greatest Hits

1999 – 2000 SeasonThree Girls Berlin!Sophie Tucker: American Legend by

Jack Fournier & Kathy HalendaThe All Night Strut

2000 – 2001 SeasonBy MercerHarry Chapin and Friends Brassy Broads

2001 – 2002 SeasonThe Rhythm of Life: The Songs of Dorothy FieldsThe Songs of Jaques BrelLaughing MattersSophie Tucker: Last of the Red Hot Mamas

2002 – 2003 SeasonMy One and Only GershwinGuitar Girls A Vaudeville Cabaret

2003 – 2004 SeasonToo Darn Hot: A Tribute to Cole PorterOn the Road One-Hit Wonders

2004 – 2005 SeasonG.I. JiveThe Rise and Fall of Western Civilization

According to Tom LehrerThree Friends, Two Guitars

(and a broken tambourine)

Liz Power in Dancing In the Street. Photo by Maria Lyle.

2005 – 2006 Season My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank

Sinatra by David Grapes and Todd OlsonPiano MenFlip Side

2006 – 2007 Season Over The Rainbow, A Tribute to Harold ArlenThe British Invasion Laughing Matters…Too

2007 – 2008 Season Harry Who? The Lullabye of Broadway European Cabaret Outlaws and Angels

2008 – 2009 Season Steppin’ Out Hula Hoop Sha-Boop Laughing Matters ’09

2009 – 2010 Season That’s Life Reflections Night Train to Memphis

2010 – 2011 Season The Wanderers Brassy Broads: The Next Generation Laughing Matters

2011-2012 SeasonThat’s Life, Again! Shake, Rattle, & RollReel Music

2012-2013 SeasonLet’s Twist Again: With the WanderersUrban Cowboys By Gershwin: A Tribute to George and Ira

2013-2014 SeasonThe Prima DonnettesPoems, Prayers and Promises Too Darn Hot

2014-2015 SeasonDancing in the StreetAmerican Pie Never Marry A Girl With Cold Feet: and

other life lessons from Vaudeville2015-2016 Season

Soul Mates: A Journey to HitsvilleYesterdayLaughing Matters (vol. 5) Lock the Gates!

2016-2017 SeasonGypsies, Tramps, and ThievesPiano MenOlder Than Dirt

2017 – 2018 Season Mack The Knife: The Bobby Darin Songbook Blue Suede ShoesShakespeare’s Greatest Hits

2018 – 2019 Season Unchained Melodies Guitar GirlsThe Wonder Years: The Music of the Baby Boomers

2019 – 2020 Season That’s Amoré!Outlaws & AngelsLight My Fire

2020 – 2021 Season Three Pianos

Arthur Marks in That’s Life, Again. Photo by Maria Lyle.

Music Director minhui lee

scenic designer Bruce Price

Costume Designer Susan Angermann

Lighting Designer ANDREW GRAY

Sound Designer Thom Korp

Directed by catherine randazzo