For many years past, the acting ensemble at Williamstown was given a chance to stretch their artistic muscles at the cabarets, which were typically held three or four times a summer. Actors not known for singing would try their hand at a standard (Dylan Baker sings!), and singers would deliver numbers not usually found in their repertoire (Laura Benanti goes country western!)—sometimes songs they authored themselves. Interns and lowly ensemble players were also given the chance to sing. Comedian Lewis Black usually served as an acerbic emcee. The events were held in a small stone hall on the Williams College grounds, where the festival is situated.
For his final season at WTF, producer Michael Ritchie decided to bring the late night fun to prime time on the Main Stage. The show is titled Cabaret & Main to express the graduation (and the address—the theatre is on Main Street in Williamstown).
Lewis Black, Betty Buckley, Kate Burton, Tim Daly, Charlotte d'Amboise, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bill Irwin, Keith Byron Kirk, Alex Korey, Janine LaManna, James Naughton, Terrence Mann, Andrea Martin, Joe Morton, Debra Monk, Martha Plimpton, Billy Porter, Sarah Ramirez, Roger Rees, Dana Reeve, Marisa Tomei, Scott Wolf and Carol Woods are confirmed for the show. Black will host.
Scheduled to perform on June 24 are Korey (who will sing "I Can Sing"), LaManna, Mann, Naughton, Ramirez, Woods ("I'm a Woman"), Kirk ("Lowdown Blues"), Rees, Reeve ("Some Enchanted Evening") and Billy Porter ("Let it Sing" from Violet). Irwin and d'Amboise will perform "A Couple of Swells," the number made famous by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in the film "Easter Parade."
The show runs through July 10. The 2004 festival schedule runs as follows:
Main Stage:
Cabaret & Main, June 24-July 10
A Midsummer Night's Dream, July 14-25
Design for Living, July 28-August 8
The Cherry Orchard, Aug. 11-22
Nikos Stage:
The Water's Edge, June 23-July 4
Rodney's Wife, July 7-18
R Shomon, July 21-Aug. 1
Dedication or The Stuff of Dreams , Aug. 11-22
The Festival Box Office at the Adams Memorial Theatre will open on June 15 at 11 AM. Tickets may be purchased beginning June 15 by calling (413) 597 3400, or by visiting the box office in person. Mail orders received prior to June 15 will be processed before the Box Office officially opens to the public.
For the latest updates on casting and events, or to receive a season brochure by mail, patrons are encouraged to visit WTF's official website at www.WTFestival.org.
