Cabaret for all ages

The Bloomington Playwrights Project ran the cabaret "Candy & Friends," on Friday and Saturday as a part of the Cabaret Nouveau Series. The show was an excellent chance to experience an interactive performance, as the singers made sure to draw in the audience. \n"I equate cabaret to giving a party for your closest friends and you are the host or hostess," said Candace Decker, the show's creator. "It's a journey told through stories and songs. It's immediate and real. It is an art form that breaks the fourth wall of conventional theater and includes the audience in its intimate performance."\nShani Wahrman, Cairril Adaire and William and Christina Shriner comprised the cast. \nThe performers' ages range from 17 to 83, plus a special guest performer, nine-year-old Maya Wahrman.\nShani Warhman, a Bloomington High School South senior made her debut as a cabaret artist.\nWharman's cabaret was entitled "When I was 17." She sang "Moon River," "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Put the Blame on Mame." You could tell throughout her performance she was very excited to be there and have the opportunity to tell her story, which is truly just beginning. \nHer sweet innocent voice certainly did the songs justice. During her second number she was joined by her nine-year-old sister, Maya, who will obviously follow in her sister's footsteps to the stage. \nThe next cabaret was Adaire's, who began singing professionally at the age of 11 and has spent the majority of her life in theater and vocal performance with years spent composing as well. Adaire's cabaret, "The Sight of the Stars," included the songs "I Sing the Body Electric," "Angel Eyes," "Signing her Praises" and "O Watch the Stars." \nHer portion of the evening was more performance-driven than interactive with the audience, and often led to cold moments of narrative. While her commentary came off as being dark, her voice was certainly hot. Her smooth and sensuous voice made up for the tension between numbers. \nThe final cabaret of the evening was "A Love Affair to Remember" performed by William and Christina Shriner.\nChristina Shriner, a veteran performer and IU alumna, was a leading soprano at the Krefeld-Monchengladbach City Theatres in Krefeld, Germany. During her career, she has performed in a plethora of operas throughout Germany and the United States, as well as roles in Barcelona, Spain. \nShe was joined by her husband, former IU Professor of Voice, William Shriner. He was a leading baritone with the New York City Opera, Forth Worth Civic Opera, Houston Grand Opera and the NBC Opera Theater.\nThe Shriners' performance was a lovely walk down memory lane of their 31 years of marriage. The talent and chemistry the two share was undeniable. Every song was perfectly executed and full of their humor and still boiling passion for each other. \nIn addition to creating this cabaret series in Bloomington, Decker has 12 years of cabaret experience, starting with her career in Chicago. She was selected for the 2000 NYC Cabaret Symposium as a Cabaret Fellow at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center. \nShe sang "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," "Millwork," "My Sweet Caroline" and "Bye Bye Blackbird." All of her songs emitted true emotion that reached out to the audience as her performances ran through a gamut of emotions and showed off her energetic and powerful voice. She did a fabulous job of weaving together all of the performers, who were not only very talented as individuals but very moving and powerful as a group.