“What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play.”
These opening lines of the title number in the Broadway hit “Cabaret” might appeal to some University students this week. Birmingham’s Red Mountain Theatre Company will be performing the show Sept. 16-26, Thursdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 at the RMTC Cabaret Theatre, 301 19th Street North in Birmingham.
This production features two members of the UA theater family: junior Ashley Wieronski and 2009 graduate DaWoyne Alexander. Both said they are very excited to perform in “Cabaret” and hope some UA students will come out to see it.
“It’s different in that it is a professional theater,” said Wieronski, who plays Sally Bowles in the show, a role portrayed by Liza Minnelli in the Academy Award-winning film adaptation. “It looks great on my resume and I am having the privilege to get paid for doing what I love. It is such a blessing to be able to gain professional experience while I’m still a student.”
Meanwhile, Alexander will be lending his voice as the Emcee of the seedy Kit Kat Klub where “Cabaret” takes place in 1931 Berlin. His past roles include such favorites as Hedwig in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and Snoopy in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the University and the Scarecrow in Birmingham Children’s Theatre’s production of “The Wizard of Oz.”
Wieronski said her favorite part about working on “Cabaret” has been spending time with her fellow cast members, all of whom she said are incredibly talented.
“It’s also wonderful being able to work under Keith Cromwell, our director,” she said. “He’s been everywhere and done everything. He knows what it takes to be successful in this business, and I am learning so much from him.”
Both Alexander and Wieronski said working in theater at the University has expanded their horizons as actors and helped them to achieve some of their career goals.
“UA’s Theatre Department does a great job preparing you for professional theater,” Alexander said. “I’ve worked with a few different companies and they have all been fairly similar to how they run things at UA. I am grateful for the preparation that they have sent me out with.”
While Alexander will be returning to his home in New York City after “Cabaret” to further pursue his acting career, he offered some advice to UA theater students.
“Do what you love and never let anyone tell you no,” he said. “Dreams do come true. You just have to work hard, be patient and willing enough to let the universe take its course without interruption.”
Wieronski still has a year of school left, and will be performing in another show with RMTC — the new musical “Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey,” based on the book by Kathryn Tucker Windham.
As a special treat to students who wish to attend, RMTC is providing student rush tickets. These will be available 30 minutes prior to each show for $15 with a valid student ID.
“It is a fantastic deal since tickets normally range between 30 to 35 dollars,” said Nicole Smith, Red Mountain’s marketing and public relations director. “We usually have a lot of students who like to come to our ‘edgier’ shows like ‘RENT’ and ‘Cabaret,’ and this is a great way to do it when you’re on a budget.”
Smith also suggested students try to come to the first week of showings, as she said there will be more seating options and that closing weekends tend to sell out quickly.
“This show is sure to touch so many people,” Alexander said. “This production has never been done the way we are presenting it at Red Mountain Theatre.”
