What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1436910
They used to tell us that, as an audience member, you should know more about the artist when you leave than you did when you came in — so it's revealing. That doesn't mean it has to be about your personal life. It could be your take on something, whether that's a comic take on a universal theme or, alternatively, a lot of cabaret is autobiographical — your journey through life." In 2003, Sutton collaborated with Lenny Watts, an award-winning performer/director/producer in the New York City cabaret scene, to write and perform his first cabaret show. "It was born out of me wanting to do my own thing, because I was tired of walking into audition rooms singing, 'Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,' because it was expected of me," Sutton says. "My first [cabaret] was very typical, 'I moved to New York, here's my journey.' I look back and cringe, but I think that's part of the journey of cabaret — you start with that, and then you learn, and your subject matter becomes more sophisticated. "The tendency is to get overly sentimental, but the challenge is to talk about those things that are important and maybe heavy in a way that is relatable and might get a chuckle," he adds. "That's the challenge that I like. I was faced with that with this show, because I wanted to address where we are in the world with this pandemic, but I'm doing it in a way that, I hope, is funny. And that's what excites me." Putting together a cabaret show has different challenges than learning a part in a musical, says Sutton. For one thing, a cabaret artist is responsible for writing the stage patter that links the songs chosen to move the story along. Perhaps most difficult is the fact that a cabaret performer speaks directly to their audience. "I think, especially as someone who studied theater — we learned about that 'public solitude' kind of thing. We know the audience is there, but we create a world where we eliminate them in order to tell the story," says Sutton. "Early in my cabaret journey, that was a little jarring, to look people in the eye and see them receive the message, receive the story that I'm telling. It can be a little daunting at times. But that's another part that I love — it's thrilling." Sutton wrote and rehearsed the show in New York City in collaboration with Watts and musical director Steven Ray Watkins, a cabaret veteran with over four decades under his belt as a musician. In Arkansas, Jason Burrows will serve as co-musical director and will be responsible for the instrumental arrangements and for rehearsing the band. Burrows is a frequent collaborator with TheatreSquared, an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas and has worked previously in New York City as a performer and director. "We have a piano, bass, drums and a cello, and Jason is orchestrating some beautiful moments with those instruments, so I'm really excited about that," says Sutton. Sutton grew up singing for family and friends at church and school in Mountain View, but it's been decades since he's performed for an audience consisting of so many familiar faces. He professes to some nervousness as a result. "You hear performers say, 'I'd rather sing in front of 20,000 people than at church,' and this feels like church in that family and friends are all still here," he says. "I have received many, many DMs on Instagram saying, 'We'll be there on such-and-such night.' It's gratifying — and a little overwhelming. I try to tune that out and just remind myself that I'm here to do a show, tell a story and create a moment." JAN. 4-9 | 8 SHOWS! TICKETS START AT $41! Broadway Supporters: Bob & Becky Alexander Friends of Broadway Broadway Series Sponsor: Media Support: Additional support provided by Bill & LeAnn Underwood Show Sponsor: 4 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 12-18, 2021 Heart Continued From Page 3 FAYETTEVILLE