Cultural Event: "A Family Affair"

     On May 20, 2011 I attended a cabaret show held by the Lamont School of Music in the Frederic C. Hamilton Family Recital Hall at the University of Denver. Going into the show I had no idea what a cabaret actually was, and I was only attending because my suitemate Cecilie Nygaard was performing in the show and I knew she would do a wonderful job! I was expecting an exotic dance routing with flamboyant outfits and mainly women. However, a cabaret is actually an entertaining show full of song, dance, and even comedy.

     The show, entitled "A Family Affair," was directed by Catherine Kasch and it was composed of an assortment of musical numbers taken from shows such as West Side Story and Rent. The program stated that the show was "Broadway's version of a family portrait" and in total there were twenty-two songs. All of the music had some relation to family and all of the relationships that exist in the family unit. The cast had a good mixture of both male and female voices and I was impressed with the amount of talent that exists within the music school. The costumes and set were kept fairly simple with everyone in all black and few props being used, but the simplicity of the show worked towards its benefit. The focus was kept on their voices and the message they were trying to get across through music. My favorite number was undoubtedly Mamma Mia! which was sung by the entire cast and involved the most coordinated dance routine. There was so much life and energy put into this number I could not help but smile and feel proud that I knew someone in the show.