Article #9 in this running series. Your musical director is probably your first and most primary connection as a cabaret artist. In fact, if you don’t have a director and/or writers with whom you’re working (both of which we will be addressing in future pieces), they may very well be your only collaborator in the […]
Article #8 in this running series. “I’ve learned how special the audience is, the feeling that you get from people being right in front of you, becoming part of your act. You hear every word, cough, and sneeze. They tell you if they’re amused or moved by your interpretation and how they perceive you and […]
Article #7 in this running series. Let’s say you’ve been in love with Judy Garland and the songs she made famous for years, and you want to do a tribute to her in your next cabaret show. Or, you think Janis Ian is an underrated songwriter and you want to do a night of all […]
Article #6 in this running series. Patter is such a seemingly trivial term for the talk between songs in a cabaret act. However, the multiple definitions of the word are not all as superficial as the word itself might seem. Patter in the dictionary is 1) the talk with which an entertainer accompanies a routine; […]
Article #5 in this running series. A key factor to creating a successful cabaret act or revue is to give the show an emotional throughline underpinning it. The classic notion of choosing a bunch of songs that you like, and then alternating uptempos with ballads, can create a haphazard and unfocused experience, even if it […]
Interpretation, not imitation! Article #4 in this running series. Most of the time and, in most performance situations—particularly in cabaret, you’ll want to give every song you perform your own stamp. Why? If you’re trying to find your own voice as a performer and an interpretive artist, the last thing you want to do is […]
Article #3 in this running series. What draws you to a song and why does it matter? If you like a song, shouldn’t you just go ahead and sing it? Yes, it does matter. And depending on why you fall in love with a song, it may or may not be right for you. Songs […]
Article #2 in this running series. “Just be yourself on stage.” Sounds easy, right? The truth is it’s anything but easy. Every time you go on stage, you’re playing the role of some person. In theatre, it’s through a character. In cabaret, the person is you. Defining who you are on stage—the aspect(s) of yourself […]
This is article #1 in this new running series by Shellen Lubin. You go to see a show. It’s in a nightclub, or a concert hall, or outdoors in a park. There’s one person onstage, or a few people, or maybe there’s no stage at all. They’re singing, and maybe they’re talking, too. There’s one accompanist […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Twenty years ago, I compiled and edited The Cabaret Artist’s Handbook – Creating Your Own Act in Today’s Liveliest Theater Setting (Back Stage Books). The text was based on the hundreds of “Bistro Bits” columns that Bob Harrington wrote in Back Stage where I was his editor. The chapters covered all the […]