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Weston Cabaret Continues to Entertain

Weston, Vermont - August 10, 2009

When the lights go down on the main stage at the Weston Playhouse, downstairs, another show is just beginning. Musician Jacob Patorti chuckles, "Not a lot of stuff happens at 11 pm in Vermont, let alone in Weston, Vermont!"

Patorti, a Rutland native, is the music director for this summer's round of Act IV Cabaret performances at the Playhouse. The cabaret is an hour of entertainment that runs the gamut from serious ballads from Broadway to silly farces.

The cabaret gives the star spotlight to singers who may have smaller ensemble roles on the big stage upstairs. Many of the young actors are still in college or recent graduates. They use this experience to build their resume and hone their talents, especially in improvisational comedy. They work alongside more seasoned actors.

Logan Lipton, the director of Act IV, explains, "I think they get the training, get the collaboration, find their comic timing down there in the Cabaret, and they can bring that to New York as well."

Some of the Act IV Cabaret alums have gone on to top roles on Broadway, or as composers. There has even been at least one Tony Award winner.

It's a tradition that goes back to the early 1970s. Channel 3 visited in 1978. By then, the Weston Playhouse had tallied up just a few dozen versions of the always-changing revue. Since then, there have been more than 170 teams and programs. In our intitial report, Marselis Parsons asked one actress. "It's midnight. Are you tired?" She sighed, "Exhausted!"

Parsons then asked, "Why do this?" and she beamed, "Because I like doing it! I have to do it!"

These days, the shows don't go so late into the night. But the reasons actors and musicians want to be here are the same: a love of theater and a drive to build skills. "It's a really good test on my playing ability as an accompanist, going back and forth between all the different genres. It doesn't get stale, ever!" says Patorti.

Fans say the appeal of the shows is their intimacy. The space only holds a few dozen people. They also like getting to track rising stars, as many of the Weston actors have gone onto big theater careers.

The Act IV Cabaret performances are every night there's a show at the Weston Playhouse, but they do require an extra ticket. Click here for more information.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News