A tale of two cabarets

Graham Sobelman, the brains, brawn, energy and “Graham” behind the Graham-a-Rama Sunday night cabarets at the William J. Geery Theatre, could teach the pros a thing or two—and it’s about time he did. Sobelman’s been filling the seats with an ever-changing lineup of musical theater acts, some of the best and brightest talents of the local community stages. His cabaret shows are an underground hit with regular sellouts and return customers—and generating a lot of buzz.

That’s the opposite of what’s happening at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. From what we can see, the California Musical Theatre-run professional venue has taken a cute little show and stretched it until it’s as tired as that guy from the Fantastic Four with the gray streak in his hair. A true cabaret needs to stay fresh, and in this economy, it must fill the seats with return visitors. The programmers need to take advantage of the local musical theatre talent and give Forever Plaid a break once in a while.