Grab your handkerchief — the 2Co’s Cabaret theater group will perform its first show of the year tonight, “2Co’s Got the Blues.”
Each 2Co’s production adheres to a certain theme which dictates the structure and material featured in the show. The blues theme for this performance will feature music and drama, spotlighting painful aspects of human experiences.
“The show is structured in a variety show-type format. And I use that term very, very loosely. It combines monologues, one-act plays and music from our house band, Downtown DFN,” said Tom Cardinal, general manager and performer at 2Co’s Cabaret.
It’s no accident the blues theme was chosen for the first show of the year.
“This is the third year in a row for ‘2Co’s Got the Blues’ and it has always turned out to be our most popular theme,” Cardinal said. “We’re probably going to experiment with some new themes this year, but this is a theme that’s pretty much tried and true, and we will probably end up doing it every year as the first show of the year.”
To help set the mood, Downtown DFN will compliment the theme with blues music.
“Musically, this show is going to blow people’s socks off … it ranges from things from the ’40s all the way up to ZZ Top,” said Pamela Callahan, spokeswoman for 2Co’s.
The short plays and monologues will highlight personal tragedy in a number of ways. “Bucket of Moon” is a short play about survivor guilt, which often plagues survivors of tragic events. In this play, a New York firefighter must cope with the Sept. 11 attacks. “People Who Need People,” a monologue exploring the loss of a partner, will be performed by Cardinal.
To prevent the mood from becoming too dark, comedy pieces will also be presented. Dramaturgy group members, such as Jimmy Mak, select performance material.
“One of the difficult things about picking out the material is that you don’t want it to be entirely depressing,” said Mak, who also writes and performs.
The last two dress rehearsals have been strong, and the goal is to touch people in a positive way, Mak said. Although the material is varied, it stays true to its theme.
“It’s like an emotional rollercoaster. I know that’s cliché, but it’s got a lot of highs and lows,” Callahan said.
2Co’s Cabaret, which serves both food and drinks and features cabaret-style seating, is not a traditional dinner theater. The cabaret experience focuses on performance, with a meal served only for the patron’s convenience.
“2Co’s Got the Blues” opens at 7 p.m. tonight at 2Co’s Cabaret, 790 N. High St. It will be performed Thursdays through Saturdays until March 15. Doors will open at 6 p.m. on opening night and Thursdays, and at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are $15 for the public and $7.50 for students and senior citizens.
