arts&life

stage

Love And

Cabaret

In the midst of its fi fth season,
Cabaret 313 keeps gaining speed.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

K

details

Kelli Barrett and Jarrod
Spector will perform at 7 and
9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10,
at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
$25-$125. Guests at the 9:30
p.m. performance can enjoy a
three-course dinner in Kresge
Court for an additional $55 per
person. The season continues
with “Coming Home: Alexandra
Silber in Concert” on March 24 at
the Detroit Opera House and “An
Evening With John Pizzarelli &
Jessica Molaskey” on May 19 at
the Marjorie S. and Max M. Fisher
Music Center. (313) 405-5061;
cabaret313.org.

elli Barrett and Jarrod
Spector, known for their
acclaimed musical the-
ater roles on Broadway, clearly
remember the Valentine’s Day
they celebrated on their second
dating anniversary.
Spector had a little band set
up outside a restaurant, and
he proposed marriage as the
musicians played the couple’s
song, “You Don’t Know Me,”
made popular by a Ray Charles
recording that was playing as
they had their first kiss.
Valentine’s Day remains spe-
cial as they reach their third
year and third month of mar-
riage, coordinating work sched-
ules filled with roles on stage,
screen and television. While
she has been widely seen by
New York audiences in Wicked
and Doctor Zhivago, he is recog-
nized for major parts in Jersey
Boys and Beautiful: The Carole
King Musical.
The two, wed in a dramatic

Alan Cumming at Cabaret 313

20

February 1 • 2018

ceremony that honored the
synagogue practices he has
known and the church practices
she has known, tell about their
lives in song through an auto-
biographical cabaret show titled
Funny How It Happens as they
head off Valentine’s Day celebra-
tions in Detroit.
The Detroit celebrations are
presented by Cabaret 313 — a
nonprofit performing arts initia-
tive in its fifth season of bringing
professional cabaret to Detroit —
as Barrett and Spector, accompa-
nied by piano, bass and drums,
offer two performances on Feb.
10 at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Cabaret, wrote the New York
Times, is an evening of song and
storytelling in an intimate space
that allows the “audience to
participate in direct, emotional
conversation with the artist.”
“With cabaret, we’re in
control creatively, and we like
the connection with the audi-
ence,” Barrett says. “It’s always

Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett

jn

remarkable how people want to
hear our story.
“We meet people after shows,
and they tell us about their
romances and how the sharing
of our struggles and successes
uplifted them. It’s very meaning-
ful how our lives have affected
other people, and I think that’s
the point of art.”
Allan Nachman demonstrates
his dedication to the arts — and
talent — by taking on volunteer
responsibilities as Cabaret 313
president and executive direc-
tor. He was a longtime musical
theater fan before founding the
entertainment initiative with
Sandi Reitelman, now a board
member serving with Nachman’s
wife, Joy, as well as Larry Bluth,
Irwin Elson, Larry Gardner, Paul
Jacobs, Hazel Karbel, David Karp,
Bruce Kridler and Jim Stout.
“I have a passion for Broadway
and cabaret music, and I have
a passion for the reimagining
of Detroit,” says Nachman, who

is transitioning into retirement
after a specialized career as a
real-estate and development
attorney. “The fact that I can
be involved with adding to the
cultural enrichment of the city
celebrates the city’s emergence.
That’s what drives me to do this.”
Because of their commit-
ment to the Metro Detroit area,
Nachman and Reitelman decid-
ed to name the initiative after
the telephone area code of the
city. They sought supporters who
also appreciated the arts and
established their first season by
identifying three people willing
to host separate home concerts.
Performances featured Christine
Andreas, Carole J. Bufford and
Louise Pitre.
About 90 guests attended
individual shows and built
momentum for opening the
program to the general public in
the upcoming years. A variety of
venues were chosen, each fea-
turing a small space to accom-

T. Oliver Reid
at Cabaret 313

