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Jannie Jones, Meredith Jones, Juliana Davis Ditmyer. Photo by Mathew Holler Mathew by Photo Ditmyer. Davis Juliana Jones, Meredith Jones, Jannie . Please do not take the Cabaret Book. Richard Hopkins, Producing Artistic Director You may download a complete copy at: www.floridastudiotheatre.org Table of Contents What is Cabaret? .........................................3 To Walk in Their Shoes ............................4 Gypsies, Tramps, & Theatre .................5 Music Milestones ..........................................6 Featured Artists ................................... 8 - 11 Cher. 2 What is Cabaret? 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-travellers. 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 entertainment. Turn-Of-The-Century Cabaret by Harold B. Segel Artwork by Théophile Steinlen 3 In To Walk in Their Shoes From Motown Records in the 1960s to today’s modern pop, the music industry has always been abundant with influential female singers. These women were known to both write and perform their songs. Over the decades they have reinvented themselves and crossed into a wide variety of genres. During the 1960s Aretha Franklin became the Queen of Soul music and led the way with songs such as “Respect” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Bette Midler went from The Divine Miss M to a leading actress and Broadway star that continues to wow audiences and make them laugh. The 1970s brought artists such as Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor. Fans hit dance floors and boogied to songs Tina Turner. such as, “She Works Hard for the Money,” “I Will Survive,” and “What’s Love Got To Do With It.” Also in the ‘70s, Dolly Parton was on the rise, producing hits such as “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.” This led to other female artists, such as Reba McEntire, gaining popularity. Reba’s early songs “How Blue” and “Whoever’s in New England” topped the charts and made her into a household name in the music world. This era saw artists such as Tina Turner and Cher break ties with their former spouses, and start their rise to fame as solo artists. Tina Turner became the Queen of Rock, and established herself as a major force in pop music. Donna Summer. 4 Gypsies, Tramps, & Theatre: The Ladies on Broadway • Bette Midler has had several credits on Broadway, including concerts like Bette Midler (1973) and Bette! Divine Madness (1979-80). She made her Broadway debut in Fiddler on the Roof (1967- 69). Other credits include: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (2011-12), I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat With Sue Mengers (2013), and the Hello, Dolly! revival scheduled for 2017. • Donna Summer’s songs and lyrics are featured in the short run of Rock N’ Roll! The First 5,000 Years on Broadway in 1982. Known as the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer started her career right after her high school graduation, auditioning for a touring production of Hair, which brought her to Germany. • Dolly Parton was the composer and lyricist for the 2009 Broadway musical 9 to 5. The musical is based off the 1980 movie with the same name, in which Dolly Parton starred alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. She is also currently working on a second Broadway musical based on her life story. • Reba McEntire starred in the 2001 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun. • Tina Turner played the Acid Queen in the 1975 film Tommy. The film became a musical and hit Broadway in 1993. While there have been many attempts at putting Tina’s story on the stage, a true Broadway musical has yet to come to fruition, though a London production is rumored. • Cher starred in the 1976 Broadway play Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean. Reba McEntire in “Annie Get Your Gun.” 5 Artist Milestones 1978 1965 Donna Summer’s “MacArthur Park” Nina Simone recorded the was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for song “Feeling Good” for her three weeks and was nominated for the album I Put a Spell on You. Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. 1970 Cher had a string of hits during The Sonny & Cher Show, with songs like “Half-Breed,” “Dark Lady,” and “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves.” 1975 1967 Tina Turner released her first solo Aretha Franklin earned the title the album following her split with Ike Queen of Soul for many of her hits, Turner, Acid Queen. including the single “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” The female artists of the 1960s and 1970s are known for creating the soundtrack of social progress. Nina Simone. 6 Artist Milestones Not only did these women create music hits in the 60s, and 70s but they continued to stay 1984 relevant through several decades. Tina Turner hit album, Private Dancer, is released with hit songs 1998 like “What’s Love Got to Do with One of Cher’s most famous songs, It”, “Private Dancer”, and “Better Be “Believe,” was released and won the Good To Me”. Grammy for Best Dance Recording. 1987 This song also placed Cher in the Aretha Franklin becomes the Guinness Book of World Records as first female artist to be inducted the oldest female solo artist to top into the Rock and Roll Hall of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Fame. 1993 Dolly Parton’s song “I Will Always 1986 Love You” was covered by R&B singer With songs like, “Whoever’s in New Whitney Houston for the film The England” and “How Blue,” Reba Bodyguard. This recording set a then- McEntire dominated the country record of fourteen weeks at number music scene, winning Best Female one on the Billboard charts. Vocalist at the Country Music Awards four years in a row. Dolly Parton. 7 Featured Artists Nina Simone Nina Simone became infatuated with American music standards through jazz and blues. In her autobiography Simone wrote about how her function as an artist is “…to make people feel on a deep level. It’s difficult to describe because it’s not something you can analyze; to get near what it’s about you have to play it. And when you’ve caught it, when you’ve got the audience hooked, you always know because it’s like electricity hanging in the air.” Her renditions of “I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl” and “Feelin’ Good,” recognized her as the High Priestess of Soul. She became the voice of Civil Rights Movement and her voice “put a spell” on the music of the 1960s. Her cover of “I Loves You, Porgy” from the musical Porgy and Bess, Nina Simone. spent 15 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Aretha Franklin Growing up in a Baptist Church, Aretha Franklin has been established as one of the greatest voices in American music. Despite her beginnings as a gospel singer, she has produced hits in every genre from blues to rock to jazz. She set standards for R&B which earned her the nickname the Queen of Soul. Her most famous hit is the Carole King penned classic “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” During a recent performance of the hit at the Kennedy Center Honors, Franklin received a mid- performance standing ovation from the audience. Rolling Stone listed Aretha Franklin as number one on the list of the Greatest Singers of All Time. Aretha Franklin. 8 featured artists Bette Midler Bette Midler began singing in the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse, in the 1970s. Because of this she earned the nickname Bathhouse Betty. “Despite the way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I’m still proud of those days [when I got my start singing at the gay bathhouses]. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of ‘Bathhouse Betty’ with pride.” Midler released her debut album, The Divine Miss M, in 1972, earning her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Her cover of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” became Midler’s first Bette Midler.