Bulgakov, Change and Rock Death: the Yale Cabaret Returns

The Yale Cabaret’s announced the first three shows of its 2012-13 school-year season. It’s the Cabaret’s 45^th season. The six other titles of the fall semester will be announced later on.

The Cabaret kicks off September 20-22 with an adaptation of Bulgakov’s sci-fi story The Fatal Eggs, scripted by Dustin Wills and Ilya Khodosh and directed by Wills  (whose previous Cabaret efforts include Basement Hades and Clutch Yr Amplified Heart and Pretend). The eggs are chicken eggs, but there are also snakes in this speculative satire of government, science and society.

The September 27-29 slot brings This., a new oral-history-styled piece “conceived and created by Margot Bordelon, Mary Laws and Alexandra Ripp. Bordelon  directed The Secret in the Wings for the just-ended Yale Summer Cabaret season. Ripp did the translation of Rey Planta at the Cabaret last fall, and Laws was part of the ensemble that presented the Cabaret rendition of Church. I know a little about this world premiere, since I was one of many people who was interviewed for it. The thesis is “a moment in your life when everything changed,” and it’s derived from anecdotes from a range of “Yale students, Cabaret patrons and other members of the New Haven community.” My own experience being interviewed was this is a thoughtful, introspective team that appreciates the value of the natural, heartfelt voice. Bordolon has some similar works on her resume, and reviews suggest that she brings a welcome creativity and abstraction to the table. So don’t expect just a lot of people sittin’ around talkin’.

Oct. 4-6: Ain’t Gonna Make It, another original work, this one more linear, and described thus: “Eric likes Tequila Sunrise and can make women sing in unexpected ways, but now he’s just trying to figure out why there’s an age limit to this “Make A Wish” thing.  Ain’t Gonna Make It is an unabashed exploration of what it means to know that you’re gonna die, fusing the chaotic revelry of a rock concert with the intimacy of theatrical storytelling.” The show is Conceived by Lauren Dubowski, Nicholas Hussong, Cole Lewis, 
and Masha Tsimring. Dubowski was involved in last year’s Cabaret resurrection of The Yiddish King Lear. Dubowski is studying dramaturgy (and has been named Artistic Associate at the Yale Cabaret this season), Hussong is a design student (and Associate Artistic Director at the Cabaret), while Lewis is in the School of Drama directing program and was the assistant director for The Realistic Joneses at the Yale Rep last season.

The other Cabaret offerings of fall happen nearly every weekend through Dec. 8. The theater is dark on the weekends of Oct. 11-13, Nov. 1-3 and Nov. 22-24.

Artistic Director this year is Ethan Heard. Managing Director is Jonathan Wemette. Besides Hussong, Benjamin Fainstein is an Associate Artistic Director. The Associate Managing Director is Xaq Webb.