The 26th-annual Valentine Cabaret at Oklahoma Christian University plans on being a sweet experience, treating the audience to a variety of music and desserts.
The cabaret, scheduled for Valentine’s weekend, is themed “A Sondheim Sampler,” featuring music from Composer Stephen Sondheim. The theme is intended to be a combination of music resembling a box of chocolates, according to Susan Mogilka, the piano accompanist for the show.
“We have created the show, so it’s an all original idea of taking the Sondheim songs and kind of rearranging them,” Mogilka said.
Junior Andrea Ochoa said she enjoys the personalization of the show.
“I really like the theme, and I really like what we’re doing with it,” Ochoa said. “We’re taking his music and putting our own personal flair into [it], kind of making it personal to OC.”
The show is directed by Barbara Berard, adjunct professor of communications, and the show will feature 12 students, including 10 vocalists and two string players. The vocalists will also employ acting ability to help bring the songs to life.
Senior Kirby Allen is a vocalist and will also perform in the string quartet.
“It’s been a lot of fun for me,” Allen said. “It’s neat getting to do some more small group performance things as well as incorporating…the acting, singing, playing instruments.”
One new aspect of the annual event is the change from a dinner cabaret to a dessert intermission.
“UDining will be doing some fabulous desserts,” Mogilka said. “In the past, it used to be a dinner show, but we have decided to make it at 7:30 p.m. so that everyone can have their dinner and then come for dessert.”
Dessert options will include chocolate paradiso, key lime calypso, pyramid noisette and tiramisu. Tickets for dessert are an additional price.
Allen said he likes performing in a smaller environment compared to other Oklahoma Christian productions.
“It’s different from anything else that OC puts on,” Allen said. “One of the neatest things, I think, is that intimate setting; it’s in the recital hall, and you get to really be a lot more up close – almost on the same level as the performance.”
Ochoa said she looks forward to finally having an audience for the cabaret.
“Once you get out there and you’re watching the audience and you can see what they’re doing and that you’re like kind of striking them in a way is definitely the best part,” Ochoa said.
One challenge of this particular show, according to Ochoa, is the difficulty of Sondheim’s music.
“His music is really hard, the rhythms are all really wacky, the keys are really weird, there’s a bunch of dissonance all the time,” Ochoa said. “[But,] the music, [is] beautiful…and there’s a lot of little elements that make it very, very interesting.”
According to Allen, the audience should look forward to seeing students display their ability in a less common setting.
“Students really get to show off more of their individual talent,” Allen said. “I think there will be a lot of songs that [the audience will] recognize and enjoy getting to see a more intimate performance.”
Mogilka said that the objective of the cabaret is to provide the audience with an entertaining Valentine’s Day-themed experience.
“[The audience] will laugh a lot, it’s really going to be fun, and maybe cry quite a bit too,” Mogilka said. “It’s all about Valentine’s and love and having a wonderful emotional moving show.”
The Valentine Cabaret will be Feb. 12-14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Adams Recital Hall.
Tickets are $10 for the show only and $18 for the show and dessert and purchasable online at www.oc.edu/valentinecabaret.
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