The new Yale Cabaret season, as you’ve doubtless noticed from the review posted below, has begun. It’s the theater’s 46th season. (My interview with the three new co-artistic directors is here.)

There are several visible changes already. The lobby has been painted with a large manifesto along one wall (shown in the photo above).

On the opposite wall, questions are posed in chalk inside empty picture frames, and audience members are encouraged to scrawl replies right on the wall.

Down the corridor which leads to the Ladies Room, there’s a gallery of photos from Cabaret productions dating back decades.The message is that traditions are being observed and history has proven instructive, while there is also a uniform goal to be progressive and current and groundbreaking.

One area where there’s been no change in years, to the relief of those who come to the Cabaret for both a show and a dinner, is in the kitchen. Anna Belcher remains the Cabaret’s head chef.

This week’s menu boasted, among other things, a watermelon gazpacho soup, linguine with grilled vegetables and chimichurri sauce, toasted barley salad with pine nuts and basil, and a lemon ricotta crepe dessert served with caramelized peaches and blueberries. Of the 12 items of the menu, four were vegan and seven were gluten-free, a ratio which late-night diners of a certain age and constitution should heartily approve.

As for the shows themselves, one is already upon us, the next two have been announced, and info on the rest will apparently be released this coming Tuesday. If you don’t receive emails from the Cabaret, check the website: www.yalecabaret.org. Of course, I’ll be running them down here on Theater Jerk as well.