An Interview with Dan Stetzel
By Todd Shuman

Armed with a solid background in music, and graduate training in philosophy, Dan Stetzel has become one of the most sought-after musical directors in Chicago's cabaret community. He recently agreed to sit down with CABARET HOTLINE ONLINE'S Chicago Reviewer Todd Shuman to talk about cabaret, the ever-growing cabaret scene in Chicago, and his role as a musical director. Here's what Dan had to say.

Todd Shuman: How do you personally define "cabaret" - it has many definitions?

Dan Stetzel: A place that is intimate where stories are told; where the lyric is more important than the voice - the quality of the voice.

T.S.: In your opinion, what makes for an A+ cabaret show?

D.S.: Great material, which I think is fairly important. The ability to intimately relate to your audience. I hate to use the "living room clichÉ" because it's such a clichÉ in this business. I sort of feel that I should feel that I've just had a cup of coffee with you, or that I want to go out and have a cup of coffee with you. And stories simply, directly, and honestly told from the heart. And I have to say this too, someone who is there to engage me in what they're doing. We've all seen performers who are clearly there for themselves - it's their moment, it's their showcase. I'm not saying it's commonplace, because I really don't think that it is, but I've seen those performers too, and I sort of think they should stay home and do that.

T.S.: Or be in a concert hall.

D.S.: The concert hall thing is interesting to me because we all know of certain people who sort of contradict what I said earlier because they've graduated to concert hall, and when we talk about those people we're talking about Michael Feinstein and Andrea Marcovicci, and a couple of people who are on the edge - how you might classify Betty Buckley or how you might classify Patti LuPone, who certainly bring elements [of cabaret] to their shows. Those performers, I think, are extraordinary, in that, they do have the ability to create an intimate space.

Seeing Andrea Marcovicci a few years ago at Symphony Hall in Chicago was an amazing experience because it happened on the day of a snowstorm and she began her concert by inviting everyone in the cheap seats to move down to the expensive ones, and it was just remarkable to watch her ability to create an intimate space and I think that is an extraordinary gift. So, even though that sort of contradicts what I just said about the intimate room, I do think there are elements of cabaret that can be brought to the concert hall. Ann Hampton Callaway is sort of crossing over into that venue as well.

T.S.: Now you work with a lot of people in town as a musical director, how do you define your role as musical director

D.S.: Well, because I'm not a singer, I think that I have a pretty unique role in that I don't keep any material for myself, so when I find a great song I want to put it into the world, I want to match the song to the performer. I think that's one thing I'm pretty good at. So, I would describe song selection, not all musical directors would probably do so. Many of them are singers themselves and that's part of the reason. So, that's something that I offer my clients. Also arranging, and I'm also a voice teacher, so I provide vocal assistance for those who want or need it, and I help the people who are new with structure and patter. Basically, sort of artfully guide them, and generally people graduate and start coming to me with their projects, which is pleasurable when I start to wear a new hat as more a collaborator than a teacher.

T.S.: So, you also suggest ideas for shows?

D.S.: I do, because, again, I'm not a singer, and I'm fortunate that I know that and so is the public, so I do have ideas that I pitch to people. I've had this Cole Porter comedy idea for a long time that I've pitched to a couple of people, and Pamela [Sue Fox] was the first person who it felt right for, and I felt that I should make that happen soon and she was eager to do it. And, then course the Tom Waits show ["Grapefruit Moon - The Music of Tom Waits"]. That's kind of the vehicle for doing the kind of music I love.

T.S.: Can you say something about the Monday Series at Davenport's?

D.S.: Back in the days of Toulouse (Ed: A former cabaret venue in Chicago), local performers had very little chance to do cabaret, I mean they had little opportunity to do a one hour show with structure because the owner of the club at that time was bringing in New York talent, which was terrific because we got to see the bar raised to the highest possible level and weekly you could go see a New York performer or a West Coast performer, and in some cases an international performer who had been at this for many years and in watching their work I became very interested in doing it.

And I have a piano bar background, as you know, and any number of singers had piano bar opportunities - the opportunity to do a gig for 3 or 4 hours - and Toulouse was closed on Sundays at that time, so I inquired if I could fill the room if they would let me take Sunday nights and develop cabaret, and some of the people who did my Sunday series are now some of the headliners in Chicago. I'm proud to say, people like Justin Hayford and Cory Jamison and Patty Morabito all started doing the Sunday Series at Toulouse. When Davenport's opened, subsequently, I approached them, or Bill Davenport approached me, I don't remember which, about a Monday Series, which would be, basically, the equivalent [to the Sunday Series]. That involves a combination of things, many Equity theatre performers use the Monday because they're otherwise engaged in theatre and Monday's a dark night here in Chicago. Also, people who are experienced performers trying new ideas in workshop format, and, what happens often, is I will take two performers who have different social groups that can cross-promote and fill the room, and each singer will do a 30-minute cabaret, which is basically a work in progress.

T.S.: Let's talk a little about cabaret in Chicago. How has the scene changed over, say, the past five years?

D.S.: I think it's terribly exciting. We have a community of cabaret artists now. We've always, of course, had a great theatre community, a great singer community, a great musical community, but thanks specifically to Bill Davenport, Sue Berry, and Donna Kirchman [the proprietors of Davenport's Piano Bar and Cabaret], they opened this room primarily to focus on local talent and that's kind of a brave thing to do, in terms of back when they opened [in November, 1998] there were maybe five or six people who had a cabaret act. Not brave in the sense that there weren't talented people, certainly they were savvy enough to recognize that, but in the 3-1/2 years they've been opened we've gone from literally five to ten people doing cabaret to, I'm guessing, we've had probably 200 shows or better. And I also have to say that the bar's been raised for all of us. We've seen so many people do remarkable things that I think we are inspired by each other and our work.

T.S.: So, we've gone from having five or ten people doing cabaret in Chicago to having had 200-300 some odd shows in the past 3-1/2 years. Where would you like to see Chicago cabaret in five or ten years?

D.S.: Well, it would be great if Chicago could support more than one cabaret room. Inviting competition is a good thing, and I think that rooms have different feelings, and it would be nice if we had a cabaret that could afford, and by afford I mean make the financial nut, to be able to bring in the very, very top acts. The rooms have to be a certain size to be able to get the necessary ticket price to pay the salaries, but if we had a room that could bring in Dixie Carter or Bobby Short, that would be great. That room, and I may be speaking out of turn, probably can't be Davenport's because of the size of that room.

T.S.: How many does Davenport's hold?

D.S.: About 80. A room that holds 150, you're into a whole other economic nut. So, what I do miss is in the old days of Toulouse and Yvette's Wintergarden that were large rooms that could afford to bring in those people, and we don't get much of a chance to see them here in Chicago.

T.S.: Can you talk about your work with the Chicago Humanities Festival?

D.S.: I've tried to bring an element of cabaret to the Chicago Humanities Festival [a city-wide festival annually held the first two weeks in November] by bringing in songwriters. Some people who have come in have been Steven Lutvak, Stephen Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, Babbie Green, Amanda McBroom, Macy Heisler and Zina Goldrich, Julie Gold, David Friedman, Carol Hall, Michele Brourman, and Francesca Blumenthal. And what we've done is feature the songwriters in the second act, and in the first act we've fanatically celebrated songwriting by using local people. And I have to say the Humanities Festival is the dream audience. They're the smartest people you could ever perform in front of. They've seen the very best theatre. They've seen the very best of symphonies, ballets, and operas around the world. They're incredibly rarefied and incredibly appreciative.

T.S.: And do you think some of those Humanities Festival audience members crossed over to places like Davenport's?

D.S.: I do. It's hard to measure because we're talking about 1600 people over the course of two years, but I've definitely seen them in the room because people have introduced themselves to me. I know it's working; it's not working on any huge, massive scale, but I don't really think I could expect it to.

T.S.: You mentioned the Monday Night Series and working with newcomers, what do you think are the biggest obstacles for those just starting out in cabaret?

D.S.: OK, I'll just say it - money. I think it's hard for people to put the money in up front that have to for their musical directors, for their arrangements, for their transcriptions, the tech rehearsal, the gown or new clothes, and me, a director, if they have one. You have to really love this to put that financial stake in it. I think that's the biggest single obstacle, frankly.

T.S.: Now, you also teach at Roosevelt University here in town, and you teach a class on the art of cabaret . . .

D.S.: Yes, which at the time it started [in 1995] was the first in the country on the university level, there are others now I hear.

T.S.: So, how do you teach college undergraduates the art of cabaret?

D.S.: We go watch cabaret, we talk about songwriting, we talk about phrasing, we talk about storytelling. It's basically an acting class, as well as a singing class. A large percentage of them have gone on to do it, and that's professionally good.

T.S.: Would you say that the newcomers that you work with have problems picking appropriate material?

D.S.: I wouldn't say they have problems picking appropriate material. I would say they're victims by what they know, and what I mean is that the average college student doesn't come to me knowing John Bucchino or Amanda McBroom or Julie Gold or people like that. They don't know these people, but once they get introduced to them, they fall madly in love.

T.S.: Now a show celebrating the music of Leonard Cohen, tentatively, is on the horizon?

D.S.: Leonard Cohen is next in May and June, then I'm back to my more traditional roots with a Richard Rodgers centennial celebration the last 2 weeks in August with 3 singers and a band starring Cory Jamison, Tom Michael, and Joan Curto.

T.S.: Well thank you Dan. Is there anything else you want to add?

D.S.: Thank you, Todd. I'm looking forward to the [1st Mabel Mercer Chicago Cabaret] Convention [March 14-17]. I'm playing for several local performers, and I can't wait!

 

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