Upcoming Events
**All performances are open to the public.
Signature Series
Janis Siegel: New York Standard Time, Presented by L.M. Henderson & Co., LLP
Feb. 24 & 25 at 8 pm
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Club Series
Cynthia Layne: The Back Room
Mar. 24 at 8 pm
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Club Series
Shannon Forsell: Songs I've Never Sung On Broadway
Apr. 20 & 21 at 8 pm
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The room with tiered seating, massive hanging brass and crystal chandeliers, huge potted plants, full length mirrored wall, and lead glass windows overlooking a glittering Monument Circle, was the perfect setting. It was also an ideal atmosphere to showcase music that was at its height from the 1920's through the 40's, when sophisticated, swanky, supper clubs flourished.
Special thanks to Mark A. Lee, Great Exposures, for all photos of The Cabaret.
Cabaret Appears Twice on Gotta Go Top 10 List 2011
Elizabeth Musgrave, GottaGo.us
"Stephanie J. Block: The Cabaret at The Columbia Club-Fun, flirty and feisty." (More)
REVIEW: SAM HARRIS GIVES AUDIENCE 'THE OLD RAZZLE DAZZLE' IN CABARET SHOW
TOM ALVAREZ, INDIANAPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS EXAMINER
"It was going to take more than a bad cold to keep Sam Harris down. Reinforcing that “the show must go on,” and like the trouper he is, Harris brought down the house during Broadway, Ballads & Blues, the 2012 season opener, at the Cabaret at the Columbia Club, Friday night." (More)
CABARET MAKES TOP TEN PERFORMANCES OF THE YEAR
TOM ALVAREZ, INDIANAPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS EXAMINER
"Stephanie J. Block, who made her name playing Elphaba in Wicked and other shows on Broadway, gave an unforgettable benefit concert for the Cabaret at the Columbia." (More)
CABARET BEST IN SHOW 2011
LOU HARRY, INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL A&E EDITOR
"Vocal pleasures were commonplace at the Cabaret at the Columbia Club, which continued to bring in some of the best vocal talent in the country. In 2011, that included outstanding shows from composer Jason Robert Brown and crooner Tony DeSare." (More)
REVIEW: CHRISTINE PEDI AT THE CABARET
LISA GAUTHIER MITCHISON, NUVO
"I can't think of a more elegant and sophisticated setting for New York-style cabaret than than the Columbia Club. Thursday night's searing wind made the lights from the Monument Circle tree sway, creating tracers through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Crystal Terrace room. What a picture-perfect backdrop for a Christmas-themed show!" (More)
REVIEW: PEDI AND DIVAS HOLD COURT IN CABARET HOLIDAY SHOW
TOM ALVAREZ, INDIANAPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS EXAMINER
"The wickedly funny Pedi, accompanied by her music director and fine pianist Matthew Ward, not only demonstrated her extraordinary gift for mimicry through her impersonations, but also showcased her own artistry, style and substantial vocal skills during those songs when she performed as herself." (More)
REVIEW: The Cabaret, Stephanie J. Block
Elizabeth Musgrave, GottaGo.us
"Stephanie J. Block lit up the poshest venue in Indianapolis Friday evening with her wit, energy and talent. The Cabaret at The Columbia Club, 121 Monument Circle, aka the third floor's Crystal Terrace, twinkled with stardust as Block brought her own brand of vivaciousness to attendees of the upscale club's annual fundraiser." (More)
REVIEW: Cabaret Benefit features Broadway Star
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"…The beauteous Block performed a program that showed off her powerhouse voice, broad range and tremendous dramatic talent. Add to that a powerful delivery and limitless energy, and her performance was anything but ordinary. In fact, it was simply sensational." (More)
‘Spielberg of musical theater’ rocks Cabaret
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"They reflected his genius at composing music with a contemporary sound and fusing it with lyrics that are striking in their sophisticated originality... Brown’s banter with the audience was rapidly delivered in an nearly unfiltered stream-of -consciousness manner. It added to the high entertainment value of a stage persona influenced by Brown’s New York roots and Jewish sensibilities. In the end, his self-deprecating humor brought a vitality to a room that often features acts that are perhaps more conventional and far less edgy." (More)
REVIEW: Jason Robert Brown & Shoshana Bean at The Cabaret
Lou Harry, Indianapolis Business Journal A&E Editor
"Highlights of both evenings included songs familiar to fans of his work (who probably already saw the set list here), but also strong new songs from his in-the-works musicals based on "The Bridges of Madison County" and "Honeymoon in Vegas."
Neither had been on my high-anticipation list before. But hearing Brown's plaintive "Wondering" from the former and the joyfully smarmy "When You Say Vegas" gives clear indication that both shows are in great musical hands. They provided more evidence that no one writing musicals today has as sure a hand as Brown in defining characters through song." (More)
REVIEW: 'Dreamy' DeSare beguiles cabaret audience
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"Nowhere is DeSare’s talent for communicating the meaning of a song more evident than during ballads, when he slows the tempo and really takes his time to languorously sing lyrics." (More)
REVIEW: Tony DeSare at The Cabaret
Lou Harry, Indianapolis Business Journal A&E Editor
"In a vibrant program focused primarily on love songs, the crooner/pianist/songwriter simultaneously stamped and respected classics such as "Moon River," "Georgia on My Mind," and "They Can't Take that Away from Me." While in terrific voice, he also spent ample time taking playful keyboard turns, accentuating both the standards and the originals." (More)
REVIEW: Noted jazz singer (Kevin Mahogany) and all star band light up Cabaret
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"Physically large in stature, Mahogany showed vulnerability and a penchant for romantic sentiment in a program consisting of ballads such as “I Want to Talk About You,” “Our Love is Here to Stay,” “When I Fall in Love,” and “My Romance.”" (More)
REVIEW: Liz Callaway surveys Broadway career in Cabaret show
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"Possessing a powerful voice trained to reach the highest balconies in theaters on the Great White Way, Callaway demonstrated her ability to also connect with an audience such as that in the more intimate space of the Cabaret." (More)
Review: Deb Mullins at The Cabaret
Elizabeth Musgrave, Gottago.us
"Creating an intimate mood, the local songstress brought the audience to its feet more than once in admiration of her powerful vocals." (More)
Venue Review: The Cabaret at The Columbia Club
Elizabeth Musgrave, GottaGo.us
"Compared favorably by critics to NYC cabaret greats like the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel and Café Carlyle, the 120-seat venue sells outs most performances trumpeting in its success at Indianapolis’ prestigious Columbia Club. Complimentary educational music programs, including master classes, have been added to the roster and are open to public." (More)
Review: Divine Divas of Jazz Cabaret show is diamond in the rough
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"In a program that mostly consisted of jazz standards, with some original material, the performers who stood out the most were Allen, a Chicago-based jazz singer and Blue Note Records recording artist, and Ramsey, also a recording artist, who frequently performs both locally and nationally." (More)
REVIEW: Billy Stritch channels ‘The Velvet Fog’ in Cabaret show
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"Conveying a joyful energy and warmth that endeared him to an audience charmed by his brilliant smile and gleaming eyes, Stritch performed many of the same Tormé songs as those on his current CD." (More)
VENUE REVIEW: The Cabaret at The Columbia Club
TripAdvisor Customer Review
"It is difficult to overstate the richly atmospheric charm of the Crystal Terrace, on the third-floor of the Columbia Club, once the house lights go down and the evening, with little conscious effort, becomes lost and tangled in New York City, circa 1920s. The staffs of the Cabaret and the Columbia Club, like co-conspirators in the magic, didn't break the spell as they seated and served us." (More)
REVIEW: Andrea Marcovicci at The Cabaret
Elizabeth Musgrave, GottaGo.us
"Queen of Quips and Tips" might be her unofficial title as the songbird made her way about the Crystal Terrace, flirting and chatting with old friends, who flew in just for her performance, and new friends, alike. As glamorous as the Hollywood stars from her younger days, Marcovicci swept onto stage with style, grace and sass." (More)
Review: Andrea Marcovicci at The Cabaret
David Hoppe, Nuvo Newsweekly
"...Marcovicci’s show, an anthology of songs derived from movie history, was smartly literate throughout and the joy she communicated for her audience and for that extraordinary room created a magic of its own. Her treatment of the less sentimental songs on her set list, like “Hamlet,” made famous in 1949 by Betty Hutton, was dexterously witty and her conflation of “The Way We Were” with “Thanks For the Memory” demonstrated her gift for creative reinvention. By the time she was done, Marcovicci had staked a memorable claim." (More)
REVIEW: Tierney Sutton at The Cabaret
Elizabeth Musgrave, GottaGo.us
"Swanky, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is fashionably elegant. Swanky, as defined by Indianapolis, is The Cabaret at The Columbia Club..."
"Bottom Line: With a feather-light touch, Tierney and her trio begin quietly and... somewhat sensually. As the music and vocals slip across your skin like ribbons of silk, you initially resist the temptation to close your eyes, revisiting the loveliest of memories. Eventually, you forgo all pretense and simply succumb to the ethereal experience." (More)
Review: Shannon Forsell sparkles in Cabaret at the Columbia Club Crystal Terrace
"Stephanie J. Block: The Cabaret at The Columbia Club-Fun, flirty and feisty." (More)
Tom Alvarez, Indianapolis Performing Arts Examiner
"Ultimately, in producing this exceptional event, Forsell reinforced why she has become such a pivotal force in making the Cabaret art form and its music, relevant today. As the Managing and Producing Director of the Cabaret, and loving interpreter of classics from the American Songbook we all continue to benefit greatly from her versatility." (More)
