FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2021
Media Contact
Shannon Samson
(317) 999-7088
shannonsamson22@gmail.com
“CABARET LATINO” SERÁ ESPECTACULAR
INDIANAPOLIS — After more than a year of crushing cancellations and darkened theatres, Klein & Alvarez Productions, LLC of Indianapolis enthusiastically presents four performances of a show that will sizzle at this summer’s IndyFringe Theatre Festival, running August 19 through September 5, 2021.
“Cabaret Latino, Songs of the Americas” is a bilingual revue of songs celebrating and paying tribute to singers, songwriters and musicians from an array of Latin American countries. The show was created to highlight the profound impact Latino music has had on American popular culture.
“Cabaret Latino” stars Iris Ramirez and features international jazz sensation Pavel Polanco-Safadit & Direct Contact. The all-star ensemble includes David Allee on trumpet, Rob Dixon on saxophone, Steve Dokken on bass, Matt McGraw on drums, Freddie Mendoza on trombone, Gerardo Becerra on conga, and Leah Crane performing vocals. Klein & Alvarez Productions artistic director Dustin Klein is serving as music director and will play the keyboard, alongside Polanco-Safadit on piano. Brandon Comer is the choreographer. Cheryl Harmon will provide costumes. Samba dancer April Rosé, a popular Indianapolis drag performer, will make a special appearance. Audiences will instantly recognize hits such as “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and “La Bamba” and delight in revisiting standards such as “Cielito Lindo” and “Bésame Mucho.”
“As a proud Latino of Mexican descent, who was brought up in two cultures, amid two languages, ‘Cabaret Latino’ is very personal to me, as it marks my very first artistic venture as a producer to celebrate the music of my heritage through cabaret,” said Klein & Alvarez managing director Tom Alvarez, who also conceived the show. “It is my hope this revue of recognizable songs, many of them classics, will reinforce to audiences how integral Latino music has always been to American popular culture. In the end, my hope is that the music presented will serve as a bridge to unity, acceptance and tolerance.”
“Cabaret Latino, Songs of the Americas”
The Basile Theatre at the Athenaeum
401 E. Michigan St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Performances
Thursday, Aug.19, 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 22, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 26, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 29, 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $14 for students and can be purchased at Indyfringe.org.
About the Artists
Iris Ramirez is a Mexican-American who was born and raised in Texas. She began singing as an eight-year old in her family’s band and was active in her school’s choir and band. After moving to Indianapolis, she joined a mariachi band in 2000 and has been performing with various groups ever since, making her one of the city’s most popular singers on the Mexican music scene. In 2015, Ramirez appeared as a contestant in “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento,” a nationally syndicated talent show based in Los Angeles.
Pavel Polanco-Safadit is originally from the Dominican Republic and earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in composition from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His compositions have been performed all over the U.S., Europe, and Latin America.
As a pianist, Polanco-Safadit performs classical, orchestral, modern, salsa, merengue, bachata, and Latin jazz music. His band, Pavel Polanco-Safadit & Direct Contact, is known for energetic, fiery performances, much in the vein of the modern pyrotechnicians of today’s Latin jazz world, and has shared stages with such legends as Ray Charles, Peter Erskine, Kenny G, Dave Valentin, Max Weinberg, Patti LaBelle, Roscoe Mitchell, Gunther Schuller, The Who, The Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, Ben E. King, and Henry Mancini. The band released its fourth album “Día Bonito” in June of this year.
In 2017, Klein & Alvarez Productions, LLC debuted Magic Thread Cabaret with the mission of “Connecting Songs to the Soul” via the intimate and urbane cabaret art form by providing practical financial support, promotion and exposure for the artists who bring it to life on stage. Past highlights include selling out houses at The Cat in Carmel for “Cory Lingner: Just a ‘Dancer,’” exceeding the box-office record they previously set with “Katy Gentry: Judy Garland LIVE!” Most recently, they staged a virtual production titled “La La Love” in February 2020, during the height of the pandemic.
Dustin Klein and Tom Alvarez’s artistic partnership began when they produced the best-selling show of IndyFringe Festival 2016, “Calder, The Musical.” They turned that workshop presentation into a full-length musical in January 2017 and are currently working to present the show in other markets. Other IndyFringe successes include “Broadway’s Leading Ladies: A Tribute,” the top-selling show at its venue and second best-selling show of in 2018, and “Les Chanteuses,” named “Best Cabaret” in 2019.
The Magic Thread Cabaret series is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, the New York-based nonprofit technology company that provides business tools for artists. The producers wish to thank the following sponsors for their gifts that made this production possible:
Primary Sponsor
Mike and Jeanne Dinius
Major Sponsors
Anonymous
Frank and Katrina Basile
Tony and Missy Bertig
Brandon Cooper (In memory of Durwin Griggs)
Cindy Phillips and Roger Schmelzer (In support of Dave Allee)
Ann Stack
Patsy Solinger
Sponsors
Anonymous
Sarah Jane Gradison
Dr. Veena Rao-Mirmira
Nancy Thompson
In-kind Sponsor
Printing Partners
Cabaret Latino: Songs of The Americas” is dedicated to the memory of Bryan Fonseca and Durwin Griggs, who lost their lives to COVID-19.
For more highlights, reviews and news, visit magicthreadcabaret.com.
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Klein & Alvarez Productions, LLC, which values inclusiveness, diversity and exceptional artistry, seeks to provide performance, income-building and educational opportunities for local artists. We believe that music, drama and dance can transform lives and enlighten society through art that is uplifting, compelling and entertaining.
