I’ve never been the world’s biggest movie fan. When I was a child, my parents would take me to the drive-in once or twice a month. The best part for me was the snack bar (I didn’t always get to go there). I’d fall asleep during the movie and wake up just in time to go home. My last trip to a movie theater was probably 
a few years ago to see “That Thing You Do”. These days I’m more apt to rent a movie—though, I tend to hear about one which might remotely interest me and think, “well, maybe I’ll just rent it”…then I forget about it.
Despite this, I along with the rest of the audience had a great time at the Saturday night version of “The First REEL Cabaret”. It was part theater --popcorn, candy, “wrap” sandwiches (that all-important food connection), movie posters, marquees—and part Hollywood bash, with glamorous waiters and waitresses, a “heads or tails” game giving you a chance at a trip to Maui if you buy “Groucho glasses”, and Julie Madden playing the Army Archerd/Entertainment Tonight role of interviewing the arrivals. One flashed her Audrey Hepburn bag for the cameras, while others were a bit camera shy about describing their attire.
I may know little about the movies, but I do watch the award shows from time to time. Here are a few “categories” one can come up with from some of the evening’s performances, and nominees:
Best performance of a song from a movie I never heard of but known to many others:
- Pat Frederick, who did a song from “Don Juan De Marco”
- Carin Vagle and Billy McLaughlin with a song from “Cinema Paradiso”
Push the envelope to make the song fit the theme (a perennial Cabaret category!):
- Bruce Kurnow doing “Fields Of Gold” – claiming it was heard on the radio in the background in a movie called “Flight of Fancy”
Most obscure movie song:
- Peter Ostroushko, playing a waltz from a mid 80’s movie “The Grey Fox”
- Diane Jarvi – tango from a Finnish movie “Man Without A Past”
Best hit movie song interpretation:
- Steve Kremer and Dan Chouinard for “Mrs. Robinson” (also nominated for best role reversal—taller Steve on the guitar and Dan on solo vocals)
- Mary Jane Alm on “It Might Be You”
- Boyd Lee and Joe Cruz on “Man of Constant Sorrow”
- Bob Hanson for “Pinball Wizard”
- Lee Vague for “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”
- Gary Rue for “Town Without Pity”
- Deb Harley for “I Believe I Can Fly”
- St. Paul Peterson for “Purple Rain”
Best camp performance:
- Newlyweds Shane and Kathy Speltz for “You’re the One That I Want”
- Rachel Kroog and company for “Time Warp” (also nominated for most anticipated performance…what outrageous fun thing would she do this year?)
- Julie Madden and Dan Chouinard for “Que Sera Sera”
Best duet:
- Fred and Anna Mae Vagle for “Makin’ Whoopee”
- Nancy and Chelsea Stockhaus for “All That Jazz”
- Paul and Tim Frantzich with “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes”
Best Wizard/Wiz performance:
- Dennis Spears on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
- T. Mychael Rambo on “If You Believe”
Best instrumental performance:
- Pat Donohue from “High Noon”
- Joe and Dan Chouinard(right) from “The Sting”
- Mark Stillman with a medley of songs with movie weddings
Best “rock the house” performance:
- Cyril Paul taking it to the islands with a song from Beetlejuice, inspiring a conga line made up of half the audience
- Bruce Henry with “Shout”
Performance bringing back childhood memories:
- Ann Reed- “Stay Awake” from “Mary Poppins”. Ann performed this in memory of Paul and Sheila Wellstone. But it wins the childhood memory award because I got the Mary Poppins soundtrack album when I was about 10, and it must have etched itself into my brain …I still know many of the more obscure songs from that movie.
Classiest classic performance:
- Prudence Johnson – The Man That Got Away
Best multilingual performance:
- Sima Shumilovsky – “Edelweiss” sung in Russian and English
Best mix of classic and modern:
- Michael Hennessy, performing a Chaplinesque mime routine to the tune of “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”
Supporting performances by musicians:
- Dick Hedlund- bass
- Jim TenBensel – horns
- Bruce Kurnow-harmonica
I noticed quite a few performers echoed the thoughts of many who attended: “don’t you just look forward to this all year long?” The answer is a resounding yes. Some even fly in from other states to attend Cabaret. Not only is Cabaret a very successful fund-raiser for St. Joan of Arc, but it’s also earned its reputation as one of the best parties in town.
 |  | | Writer, speaker, consultant, administrative professional, Wendy Vickers, has
been an active supporter and encourager of local musicians in the Twin Cities
music community for several years. Her online newsletter on local coffeehouse
performers and other music-related activities can be found on her website at
www.wendyv.com .
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 |  | | Peg LaSota comes from a photography background. She now works in the digital world, computer instruction, and with "videography" and the restoration of family films. She is enthusiastic about capturing family memories and preserving them digitally. Along with that, her time is spent with her family and her love for learning Spanish, piano, recorder.....and of course singing with the choir!
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Next year, Cabaret celebrates its 10th year. What will they come up with then? Stay tuned for the 10th anniversary sequel!
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