What Even Is 'Cabaret'?

Is it a play? Is it dinner theatre? Is it a Jimmy Fallon tiny desk concert?

Dictionaries describe cabaret as some combination of singing, dancing, and comedy in an intimate performance venue.

The cabarets I produce certainly align with that definition, but when you come to a CJ show, you’re getting a much more cohesive and specific experience than just any cabaret. It’s more involved than a concert or comedy show, but not quite as structured and prescribed as traditional musical theatre.

When I first began creating the unique type of productions I offer, I test-drove the term ‘dragsical’. I wanted to communicate that it was not just a variety show, but closer to a jukebox musical*—if that musical was performed by a drag artist and the fourth wall* was gone. Essentially, a bit of column A; a bit of column B (or a lot of both A and B, more accurately).

I thought the term ‘dragsical’ was pretty self-explanitory: a drag musical. But as I’ve learned, people prefer familiarity, even if they’re already familiar with the two concepts/words that are being smushed together. So I’ve been opting for less ambiguous terms like “cabaret” and “musical comedy”...and “drag” thrown in there somewhere.

*Jukebox Musical: A musical that builds its narrative around existing music (often from the radio), rather than an original score.

*Fourth Wall: The invisible barrier between performers on stage and the audience. The division between reality and a fictional world.

To find out what my version of cabaret is like, check out the 3 C’s of a CJ cabaret:

Confidence

In everything I do as an artist, I aim to empower others in some way. I try to emit a confidence that is contagious. In Flyin’ Solo!, audiences followed my character Rosemary’s journey from lost and lonely to independent and self-assured. The goal here was to inspire viewers to find the independence and self-sufficiency that Rosemary owned by the end of the story.

In Jingle Belle, I use Ruby (Mrs. Claus) in her pursuit of stardom, as a mirror for anyone who feels underappreciated—especially women. You can catch that one this Thursday here in Moncton (details here).

Throughout both shows, I invite audiences to let loose and really get into the spirit of the music and the surprises I throw at them. This is my way of making sure everyone feels included, even if they don’t closely relate to the narrative. The baseline goal is to create collective effervescence*; fostering an atmosphere where people feel bolder and lighter than usual.

*Collective Effervescence: A feeling of heightened excitement and joy experienced by a group of people engaging in a common activity.

Comedy

Life without levity can be daaaark. Everyone needs to laugh, and doing it with others is better than doing it alone in front of the TV. Research has shown that shared laughter lowers stress and amplifies the emotional impact of humour. Laughter isn’t just entertainment; it’s a release. A reset. A shared moment that acknowledges the absurdity of life while celebrating that we’re surviving it together.

Comedy is like a pillow on the hard surface that is our complicated world. A well-timed joke can make room for difficult truths. A sarcastic aside can defuse tension. And my sassy version of Mrs. Claus can speak to inequity, ambition, and visibility in ways that feel inviting rather than confrontational. I use humour to create ease for an audience that might have come in with tension from the outside, so they can relax and actually enjoy the moment.

What I do isn't necessarily stand-up or sketch, but comedy is the glue that brings the night—and the people—together.

Connection

You know when you’re watching a movie, and you wish you could talk to the people in the screen; to answer the questions they ask? At a cabaret, you can! That’s the beauty of live art—you can’t stream it on demand, but you can interact with it in a very human way, and you have to be there, in the moment.

I love audience interaction, and I intentionally don’t script every single moment because I want it to be somewhat spontaneous, and co-directed by the audience. What really makes the experience memorable are the reactions and input from the house*.

*House: The area where the audience sits.

A quick story:

Recently, when I asked a crowd what I should know about their region, one woman eagerly shared details of the pizza from a particular spot in her nearby hometown: “It’s crusty and dusty and brown”. I’m still not sure if she was a fan of this pizza or not, but either way—it was hilarious, and gave everyone in the room an inside joke to be part of. Regardless of how bizarre the comment was, it was something we were all in on, and provided many laughs throughout the night.

Another one was me blaming dementia any time something didn't go quite right. (Mrs. Claus is fabulous, but she is, in fact, old.)

'Callback' jokes are just one way connection lives in my cabaret environments. No matter what jokes are told or what songs are sung, they act as the framework for a biproduct that is actually THE product: connection. People from all ages and walks of life enter into a joint experience of liberation, levity, and love. And that’s why I do it all—to give the gifts of confidence, comedy, and connection.

And that’s cabaret, CJ-style.