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Joe Materoff's 'Cabaret'

The popular musical Cabaret has been going through progressive changes in productions since it opened on Broadway in 1966. Says Francesca Sobrer, who directs the production at Bloomington High School North, "Frankly, it was pretty fluffy in the sixties. Then, with Bob Fosse's movie and later productions, the level of grit and pain really increased. We're steering for something in-between."

Two Ladies

One of the songs from Cabaret is "Two Ladies." The Bloomington High School North production has two ladies in the lead.

The show is double-cast, with Nicole Emerson and Korinne Dunn alternating as the main character, Sally Bowles. Emerson has been in shows at both Bloomington South and North. She says that in the role of the oblivious Sally, she's ‘playing against type. And the role has given her, "a chance to see how some different people view the world." The production has led Emerson to a bit of personal discovery about her strengths in the theatre. "I kind of just discovered it, but I guess my main strength in singing."

A Dancing Actor Thanked

Like Emerson, Korinne Dunn is a school theatre veteran. She said that she's enjoying the production's double-casting. "Nicole and I talk a lot about the character and we definitely watch one another. I like working with her and she's been nice enough to say that I help her with the dancing." Emerson thinks that everyone has a little bit of Sally Bowles in them, "It's that desire to sort of deny the outside world when it hurts you," she says.

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