A Lover’s Cabaret
A Lover’s Cabaret
Immerse yourself in a night of love-themed performances at Olean Theatre
Love is in the air, and so is the music! This weekend, Olean Community Theatre is kicking off its 45th season by bringing romance, glamour, and incredible local talent to the stage with “A Lover’s Cabaret.” Featuring a dazzling lineup of performers dressed to impress, this enchanting evening will showcase love songs from a variety of genres - classic ballads, Broadway favorites, and sultry jazz numbers alike. Whether you’re swooning over a timeless tune or tapping your feet to a modern love anthem, this cabaret promises a night of passion, melody, and pure entertainment.
Beginning at 7:30pm on Friday, February 7th and Saturday, February 8th, A Lover’s Cabaret will feature more than a dozen talented local performers, including Tim Hollamby, president of the theatre’s Board of Directors and producer of the show. “It’s a really talented group of singers and a lot of favorite songs that people will recognize when they come,” he said. “It’s just a very cozy Valentine’s-themed performance.”
This weekend’s event is the third cabaret-style show that the theatre group has produced since 2023, when an unforeseen change led to a shift in the performance lineup. Hollamby explained, “We kind of had to scramble and come up with something to fill that time slot, because we have a lot of season-ticket holders that were expecting the performance for a particular weekend. So we threw together a cabaret!” The one-night only event was such a hit that the theatre group reprised it last May. “This year, we decided to do a Valentine’s theme, and it just worked with our schedule and the shows that we had,” he said. “It’s been a really great time!”
Both the Friday and Saturday shows feature the same program of iconic love songs, including solos and duets. Audiences will enjoy classics like “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “L-O-V-E,” Broadway tunes like “All I Ask of You” and “Funny Honey,” more recent hits like “Make You Feel My Love” and “Mockingbird,” and more. “There’s a lot of classic love songs and some newer ones, some love songs from theater and different shows,” Hollamby explained. “There really is something for everybody to enjoy.”
Tickets are available online at https://www.oleancommunitytheatre.com/ and will also be available at the door. At intermission, chocolate-covered strawberries, sparkling cider, and sugar cookies will be for sale in the lobby.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
Hollamby is pleased to share the news that tickets for Olean Community Theatre’s March show, “Steel Magnolias,” are available online, too! First-time director Angela Emley has been thrilled to take on this project, said Hollamby, and she’s done an incredible job. “She’s assembled an amazing cast - some newbies, some veterans - just a really nice variety of performers,” he said. “The play itself is great… It really follows the movie pretty closely and takes you on an emotional roller coaster ride. I like to say it’s a beautiful, beautiful piece, and I’m really excited for people to see what Angela has created with her cast.”
“Steel Magnolias” takes place at 7:30pm on March 13th, 14th and 15th, and at 2:00pm on Sunday, March 16th. This will be the first of two plays performed by the theatre company this season, and the company’s first musical of the season will be right on its heels. “Probably close to the week after ‘Steel Magnolias’ wraps up, we’re going to be having auditions for our musical, which is in May: ‘H.M.S. Pinafore.’” The company’s summer musical is “School of Rock,” which will be followed by the fall play “The 39 Steps.” In November, Hollamby will be directing the third musical, “Freaky Friday.” The theater company’s jazz band, The Octaves, will be performing in May and December, and audiences can look forward to a May performance by improv group The Humorists in May, as well. Hollamby noted, “There’s something all season that everybody will enjoy one way or another!”
Community support is vital to Olean Theatre Company, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization. “We don’t pay anyone in our organization,” Hollamby explained. “It’s all volunteer. We’re able to keep the lights on at the theater by people that come and support our shows.” Whether it’s purchasing tickets for one show or season tickets for all of them, every bit of community support helps! Hollamby added that there are fundraisers planned this year, too. Learn more at www.oleancommunitytheatre.com and find the latest updates on social media.