‘A Valentine’s Day Cabaret’ Lights Up for the First Time

With a pink wall and fairy lights draped around a fireplace, the Leverett Library Theater was transformed for “A Valentine’s Day Cabaret.” The first official Harvard College Musical Theater performance, this cabaret performed on Feb. 11, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Carolina P. Ribeiro ’18, the president and founder of HCMT, said the show is a new way to showcase musical talent at Harvard. “[Cabaret is] a really casual way to come and perform songs that they maybe wouldn’t perform through HRDC. Songs that they really like” said Ribeiro. “[The event was meant to] let people know what we are about [and] see passion, voice, and personality really shine through.” Sarah B. Rossman ’19, Cabaret Chair, felt the show was particularly well-received because of its nearness to the upcoming holiday. “[The audience expects] love because it’s Valentine’s Day themed,” she said.

Unlike a typical musical, a cabaret offers a casual collection of performances ranging from comedic to tragic and with sources from “High School Musical 2” to “Fun Home.” Ribeiro mentioned that the range of options offered by a cabaret can make them particularly interesting. “[I] like the opportunity to see people perform songs that they get to choose themselves and that they see themselves in and seeing what kind of spin they give characters when they’re playing this song. It’s really different, I think, from what we see in an HRDC production, where the casting choices are made by someone else, usually a director. This time people really have ownership and clearly love the songs,” said Ribeiro. She added that the rehearsal process also differs from a typical production. “It’s like a lower-time-commitment version of a show hanging out with the people you would normally do a show with but without the rehearsal ten hours a week.”

Although this was the first time everyone working on the show had been together in one room, the performance got strong positive feedback from the crowd. Audience member Meghan Onserio ’19 was particularly enthusiastic about the production. “It was really good and I really loved it, just watching people shine,” she said.

After Ribeiro and Chris S. Lee ’18 founded HCMT in the fall, Rossman joined as the Cabaret Chair, handling HCMT’s cabaret production. After a few months of rehearsals, “A Valentine’s Day Cabaret” hit the stage. “This is something we’ll get to do at least once a year, but hopefully once a semester from now on,” said Rossman.

When asked about the inspiration for directing the cabaret, Rossman said that it offers new roles that wouldn’t be found elsewhere. “I like that it gives people [a space] to play roles that they otherwise would not be able to get cast in. For example, I will be singing a non-traditionally female song, which I’m super pumped about,” she said. “Musical theater makes me happy and it makes a lot of people happy.” Ribeiro agreed with the importance of the focus on musical theater. “People come here and see what it’s all about. [We are] trying to promote musical theater on campus and let people shine in whatever way they see fit. We want people to bring themselves into the work,” she said.