Not shown at LSHS for years, this cabaret, put on by the Drama Club on Feb. 7, has surely drawn boundless attention.

No such performance has been put on at LSHS in at least 10 years. The Winter Cabaret drew a lot of attention from the community.

Many were curious about the cabaret. According to many involved, the idea was to create a jumping-off point for people interested in musical theater.

Student involvement seemed much more intense with this cabaret than with a musical or play, as the directors and choreographers are students.

“Well, we wanted a chance to showcase kids who didn’t have the time to do the fall musical or the spring show, and also kind of give those who want to try out theater but don’t want to go through the audition process… We just want to try to give as many opportunities as we can,” senior Alexis Dodge said.

Dodge directed about half of the songs on the setlist.

The performance itself, a one-night-only showcase, was phenomenal, especially considering it was only rehearsed for a week. The opening song, “Summer Nights”, was energetic and busy, a good start with a large cast.

A solo that stood out later into the show was “Evermore” performed solo by senior Elias Hoggarth. Unfortunately, the backing track cut out due to technical issues; however, Hoggarth adapted instantly and finished the song with no backing track, an outstanding move.

My personal favorite song was the duet “Anything you can do (I can do better)”, performed by sophomore Hannah Menzel and freshman Jane Vellinga. The dancing, singing intonation and general mood conveyed by Menzel and Vellinga were both faithful to the original song yet personalized it in a very entertaining way. The song itself is supposed to be a joking banter, and every word and lyric held that tone.

The closing song, “The World Will Know”, featured nearly every person in the cast, and was very entertaining. I’d call it the zenith of the whole show, and judging by the quality of the performance and the discussions after the show, many cast members agreed. The quality of choreography, singing, blocking and every other aspect of a stage performance was as good here as it could have been on such a tight, one-week schedule.

Following the show itself, cast members talked about the experience. “I hope they do it again, because it’s a nice, kind of, push for people who don’t want to do an audition… and they still have a chance,” junior Lillian Modracek said.

Leading up to, during and after the show, it seems nearly everything about it was favorable. Nearly.

“I wish there was more time for it. Yeah, it would have been better, I think, if we had two weeks versus one. But I understood that decision,” Modracek said.

Nearly everyone involved in the cabaret spoke of new opportunities and giving a chance to act and sing to new people.

“People coming out of their comfort zone and trying theater for the first time and auditioning for solos like that is pretty cool to see because some people don’t even know theater,” senior Brooklyn Darling said, an ensemble performer in multiple songs.

Many people in the cast were experienced in theater or choir performance, and many were experienced in both.

One defining trait of cabaret is that it’s formally hosted by a “Master of Ceremonies” or “MC”. Often, there is only one host, but here there were two of them, sisters. senior Grace Menzel & sophomore Hannah Menzel, hosted the evening.

In line with the student-led nature of the cabaret, they wrote their own script in a matter of hours, rehearsed in only two days, making the bantering in their performance all that much more impressive.

Hopefully, the Drama Club will continue performing cabarets annually. It provides opportunities for fledgling student actors and singers to get their foot in the door.