Tennessee Rep Opens CABARET Tonight

Tennessee Repertory Theatre will present the multiple Tony Award-winning musical Cabaret with book and lyrics by Joe Masteroff and Fred Ebb and music by John Kander. Cabaret runs tonight, February 16 - March 9 at TPAC's Johnson Theater.

Willkommen to the Kit Kat Club. Take your seat at a bar table, order a little something from your fetching cocktail waitress, and immerse yourself in the musical theatre event of a lifetime. You're not just at the show... you're in the show as Tennessee Rep transforms Johnson Theater into 1930s Berlin. Inside the cabaret, Sally Bowles and the beguiling Emcee live in a seedy, sexy world of delicious decadence, while outside, the gathering storm of Nazi oppression grows. Filled with hit Broadway songs and a story that still speaks profoundly to us today, Cabaret is a knock-out, once-in-a-lifetime theatrical experience.

Tennessee Rep Producing Artistic Director René D. Copeland says, "Dark, gritty, sexy, funny, heart-breaking...and wonderful music. What more can I say? Cabaret has been on my 'dying-to-do' list for some time now. It's one of those musicals that brings so much more to the table than you expect. The story is rooted in a time and place rife with violence and uncertainty, a crumbling era when things were falling apart and danger was lurking in unexpected places. The impact of that time and place echoes in the music-the musical numbers are funny and entertaining, but there are undercurrents that give depth and unexpected impact. I love that-when something is more than it seems on the surface. As has become a benchmark for Tennessee Rep, we can't wait to transform Johnson Theater in a way that will put our own special stamp on this multi-Tony-winning classic. "

Nashville favorite Jenny Littleton returns to Tennessee Rep's stage in the iconic role of Sally Bowles. Littleton says, "I am really happy to be working with Tennessee Rep again. Cabaret will force me to step outside of my 'Doyle and Debbie' comfort zone for a bit and challenge me to slip into another skin and another era altogether. I am especially looking forward to working with such a talented cast... and seeing many of them dance around in their underwear."

In addition to Littleton, the production stars David Compton as the Emcee. Other cast members include Elizabeth Bailey, Mike Baum, Vanessa Callahan, Ruth Cordell, Rosemary Fossee, Stephen Jones, Caleb Marshall, Kristi Mason, Jeremy Maxwell, Marin Miller, Mia Rose, B. J. Rowell, Patrick Waller, Derek Whittaker, and Martha Wilkinson.

Since 1985, Tennessee Repertory Theatre has been a critically acclaimed regional theatre, creating the highest quality professional productions and by serving as a prime cultural, educational, and economic resource within the Nashville and Middle Tennessee communities. Tennessee Rep produces work that is designed, built, and rehearsed in Nashville by highly skilled actors, designers, directors, and technicians. A non-profit organization, Tennessee Rep is committed to consistently delivering thought-provoking theatre each year. For more information on the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, visit www.tennesseerep.org.

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