10 )RXUWK(VWDWHApril 19, 2012

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Students bring Cabaret to Weidner
-$5('&+5,670$1
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UWCreen Bay sIudenIs are
seI Io Iake Ihe sIage wIIh IheIr
producIIon oI Ihe hII musIcaI
"CabareI" AprII 2021.
"CabareI" marks Ihe IIrsI IIme a
sIudenI producIIon has been per
Iormed on Ihe WeIdner CenIer's
maIn sIage In more Ihan 10 years.
"CabareI" Is a groundbreakIng
musIcaI seI In Ihe seedy KII KaI
CIub In 1931 BerIIn as Ihe NazIs
are ascendIng Io power. II IeIIs
Ihe sIory oI 19yearoId caba
reI perIormer SaIIy BowIes and
her reIaIIonshIp wIIh a young
AmerIcan wrIIer, CIIII Bradshaw.
The show garnered much
accIaIm sInce IIs premIere on
Broadway In 1966. In addIIIon Io
wInnIng numerous Tony Awards,
a 1972 IIIm versIon sIarrIng LIza
MInneIII Iurned Ihe musIcaI InIo a
worIdwIde phenomenon.
UWCB Is perIormIng Ihe 1998
versIon oI Ihe musIcaI, whIch
Is Ihe mosI recenI revIsIons Io
Ihe musIcaI. II Is known Ior Ihe
way II IackIes socIaI and poIIIIcaI
Issues. The revIvaI aIso IeaIures
musIcaI numbers IhaI were noI In
Ihe orIgInaI scrIpI, such as "MeIn
Herr" and "Maybe ThIs TIme."
MaIIhew HarrIs, senIor IheaIre
perIormance major, and MoIIy
LeCapIaIn, senIor musIcaI IheaIre
major, sIar as CIIII Bradshaw and
SaIIy BowIes In Ihe UWCB produc
IIon. AIIer monIhs oI prepara
IIon, LeCapIaIn saId she Is sIIII
pInchIng herseII In dIsbeIIeI.
"II's sIIII unreaI Io me,"
LeCapIaIn saId. "ThIs roIe Is
so IconIc. When I Iound ouI I
was casI as SaIIy, I was jumpIng
around on my bed. I'm so bIessed
Io be pIayIng IhIs parI."
LeCapIaIn aIso saId she IdenII
IIes wIIh her characIer.
"There are a IoI oI Iayers Io
SaIIy," LeCapIaIn saId. "She seems
Io be happy, and she's aIways so
happy Io see peopIe, buI she has
Issues wIIh men. She's jumpIng
Irom man Io man, week Io week.
Deep down she wanIs Io seIIIe
down, buI every guy she's ever
been wIIh has IeII her Ior one
reason or anoIher. I IhInk every
gIrI can connecI wIIh IhaI Io some
exIenI."
In addIIIon Io SaIIy and CIIII,
Ihe Ioud, sexuaI emcee Is a major
pIayer In "CabareI." LrIc LIndahI,
UWCB aIumnus and proIessIon
aI acIor, reIurned Io Creen Bay
Io pIay Ihe parI oI Ihe emcee.
LIndahI graduaIed Irom UWCB In
2002. He was aIso In Ihe IasI sIu
denI producIIon perIormed In Ihe
WeIdner CenIer beIore "CabareI."
LIndahI, who currenIIy resIdes
In ChIcago, was IraveIIIng back
Io Creen Bay every weekend Ior
monIhs durIng rehearsaIs. He
saId aI IIrsI II was a IIIIIe daunI
Ing Io reIurn.
"II's a IIIIIe InIImIdaIIng beIng
Ihe guy who's comIng back,"
LIndahI saId. "There's added
pressure, buI II's InIeresIIng geI
IIng Ihrown back InIo Ihe coIIe
gIaIe experIence aIIer beIng away
Irom II."
The casI has prepared Ior Ihe
perIormance Ior monIhs, buI Ihe
musIcaI IIseII has been In pre
producIIon Ior years.
CourIney Sherman, musIcaI
dIrecIor and assIsIanI proIessor
oI musIc, saId IacuIIy members
were aIready braInsIormIng Ideas
beIore she came Io UWCB Ihree
years ago. However, Sherman
saId work on Ihe producIIon has
Increased over Ihe IasI year.
"We've been workIng on Ihe
desIgn process Ior abouI a year-
beIore audIIIons even sIarIed,"
Sherman saId. "II's nIce Io see
everyIhIng Is comIng aIong won
derIuIIy. The sIudenIs are reaIIy
engaged, and a IoI oI peopIe are
excIIed abouI II."
Sherman aIso noIed how much
work Ihe dIIIerenI arI deparI
menIs puI InIo "CabareI." The
producIIon reIIes heavIIy on
musIc, IheaIre and dance.
DenIse CarIsonCardner, prI
mary dance InsIrucIor and cho
reographer oI UWCB musIcaIs,
sIressed Ihe ImporIance oI dance
In Ihe musIcaI.
"UnIIke scrIpIs and musIc,
musIcaIs do noI come wIIh pre
deIermIned choreography,"
CarIsonCardner saId. "I have Ihe
opporIunIIy Io creaIe orIgInaI
choreography wIIh every musI
caI."
CarIsonCardner saId Ihe cho
reography In "CabareI" Is a com
bInaIIon oI Iosse dance sIyIe and
dance sIyIes popuIar In Cermany
In Ihe 1930s are sure Io make IhIs
producIIon sIand ouI.
"'CabareI' Is noI your IypIcaIIy
IIuIIy, happy musIcaI," LeCapIaIn
saId. "II's very sexy, Ihere are a
IoI oI aduII Ihemes, and Ihere are
a IoI oI poIIIIcaI Ihemes."
TIckeIs are on saIe now and
can be purchased by phone aI
92046S2400 or onIIne aI weI
dnercenIer.com.
1,&2/(/$6((
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Ior many peopIe, sIarIIng a
band Is jusI a hobby, buI aIIerna
IIve poprock band The Sommer
Is IryIng Io prove IIs wIIIIng Io
Iurn musIc InIo a career. The
Sommer wIII brIng IIs orIgInaI
musIc Io Ihe PhoenIx CIub AprII
20 aI 10 p.m.
Members |ohn and MIke
McCauIIey boIh wrIIe songs, pIay
guIIar and sIng. KaIeb OrIhober
aIso wrIIes, sIngs and pIays bass,
and |ames ArbIer pIays drums.
They IInd InspIraIIon Ior IheIr
sound Irom arIIsIs IIke Ihe Coo
Coo DoIIs, LIIehouse, Creen Day,
ThIrd Lye BIInd and OasIs.
"We Iound a sound IhaI worked
Ior aII oI us when we meshed Iwo
bands IogeIher," MIke McCauIIey
saId. "We have a '90s era band
wIIh a grungysoundIng guIIar
wIIh pop vocaIs and meIodIes.
They work weII IogeIher."
WIIh Ihree sInger,songwrII
ers In Ihe band, Ihe person who
wrIIes Ihe song IypIcaIIy per
Iorms II.
"I IInd InspIraIIon Ior songs
anywhere I Iook and see IhaI II
shouId be capIured by my mInd,"
OrIhober saId. "I sIIII am work
Ing Ioward IhaI perIecI song,
Ihough."
|ohn McCauIIey saId hIs Iavor
IIe song Io perIorm Is one he
recenIIy wroIe.
"The song Is caIIed
'DesperaIIon,' and Ihe meanIng
behInd II Is emoIIonaI and per
sonaI Io me," |ohn McCauIIey
saId. "When I wroIe II, II was IIke
Ihe song was aIready wrIIIen and
jusI needed Io come ouI wIIh no
sIruggIe In Ihe process."
The band has been IogeIher Ior
nearIy sIx years, despIIe a Iwo
year perIod oI no shows whIIe
OrIhober aIIended a unIversIIy In
NorIh DakoIa.
"The bIggesI sIruggIe Ior a
young band IIke ours Is IIndIng a
group oI guys who have chemIs
Iry and a common pracIIce IIme,"
OrIhober saId. "Once you have
IhaI and a sound IhaI works, Ihe
resI oI II Is decIded by your audI
ence."
The Sommer's audIence seems
Io push Ihe band Ioward success.
The band gaIned popuIarIIy In
hIgh schooI and became a com
mon choIce Ior graduaIIons and
house parIIes.
"My IavorIIe perIormance was
a house parIy In coIIege," |ohn
McCauIIey saId. "We had a good
connecIIon wIIh Ihe crowd, and
peopIe were dancIng and sIng
Ing aIong. ThaI's whaI you
wanI when you pIay-peopIe
havIng a good IIme wIIh you."
CurrenIIy, Ihe band Is
unsIgned, buI Ihe members
hope Io expand IheIr musIc
careers In Ihe near IuIure.
"I hope we Iake our band as
Iar as we can and hopeIuIIy
move Io a bIgger musIc cIIy
IIke Texas or CaIIIornIa," MIke
McCauIIey saId. "Lven II we
dIdn'I hII II bIg, we couId aII
make a IIvIng wrIIIng musIc."
TheIr careers have aIready
begun wIIh a Iaunch compe
IIIIon aI SummerIesI and a
showcase aI Ihe SIeeI BrIdge
Song IesIIvaI maIn sIage.
The nexI sIop In The
Sommer's career couId be
Ihe 2012 Vans Warped Tour.
The band Is compeIIng wIn a
spoI on Ihe LrnIe BaII BaIIIe oI
Ihe Bands sIage. The Sommer
Is No. 1S rIghI now Ior Ihe
MIIwaukee venue. The Iop 100
bands Irom aII oI Ihe venues
wIII compeIe In Ihe IInaI brack
eI Ior Iour spoIs on Warped
Tour.
"We Iook IhIs as an awesome
way Io geI Ieedback and geI
our name ouI Io make IhIs a
IuIIIIme gIg," MIke McCauIIey
saId.
Photo courtesy Wendy Huber
Cast members of Cabaret prepare for the first student production on the Weidner Centers main stage
in more than 10 years. The theatre program wiII perform the 1998 version of the Broadway hit.
AIternative pop-rock
band heats up UWGB
The Sommer plays April 20