The second-annual Chicago Cabaret Week will get underway on Friday, spanning 10 days and more than a dozen venues, with more than 40 artists participating.
Anne and Mark Burnell have been sharing the stage for 30 years, and they want to share their love of cabaret with the city.
The Brunell's say that they were inspired to create the event after a friend discussed modeling an event after Chicago's Restaurant and Theatre Weeks, which draw attention to the rich cultural diversity in the city.
Anne and some of her cabaret colleagues pitched the idea to the city, and Chicago Cabaret Week was born.
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“We just fashion it the same way," she said. "It’s a number of venues and it’s a number of artists that are all over the city, (and) it’s not necessarily Liza Minelli and musicals."
“It could be a blues show, it could be all George Gershwin, it could all be songs about love anything, as long as its intimate and it’s communicating with the audience," Mark added.
Singer LaShera Moore-Ellis, who is performing Monday night at the Black Ensemble Theater as part of a Broadway Soul Show, is looking forward to the experience.
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“Any song that you sing, whether it’s a Broadway musical or an R&B song, or pop song, you can make it your own," she said. "And that’s what is beautiful about cabaret, that you can make it as you wish.”
Chicago Cabaret Week opens Friday May 12 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts.
Click here for a list of participating artists and venues. Ticket prices run $30 or less, and some events are free.
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