'Seduction' draws audience in through stories, torchy songs

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

From left, Katie Doyle, Naomi Mal, Julie Capili and Zenia Zambrano are four women who share their stories of love and heartache through song in "Seduction," continuing at The ARTS at Marks Garage. 'Seduction' 9 p.m. today, Saturday and March 20-22 $18 (two drink minimum, reservations recommended) The ARTS at Marks Garage 521-9699

A former promotions manager for Tim Bostock Productions, Meader recently left a full-time day job to pursue a longtime dream of "creating, presenting and producing" performing arts.

"Starving artist, I guess, is my title now," said Meader, laughing.

His first local cabaret production was last year's "Singing Sondheim."

Q. Describe the term "cabaret" for people who only know it as some movie Liza Minnelli was in or the kind of liquor license a Honolulu nightclub needs to serve alcohol past 2 a.m.

A. (Laughs.) For me, calling this a cabaret means several things. It's not a show where there's a proscenium, or a "fourth wall," where the audience is a voyeur in what's going on on stage.

There are singers ... and the audience sits at tables rather than theater-style seating. But as far as, what cabaret is ... it's a free-form where the audience and the performers are connecting. We're telling the audience a story, and they know that we're telling them the story. It's not like they're watching something that's happening. The way I wrote the script ... one woman gets her heart broken and the other girls around her talk and sing about it.

Q. "Seduction," at heart, is really about these four women telling the audience stories.

A. Telling stories about love and romance. There won't be long story scenes. The stories will be lead-ins that connect to the songs. Basically, the youngest girl gets her heart broken. She's never had love like this and then lost it before.

Every woman is at a different place in her life. One has a love and is in love. Another is a little more experienced, a little more seductive, and knows how to control (love) a little more. And then there's one that's been there as far as experiences and is more cynical. And it all relates to this one young girl. They're all giving her advice (through music).

Q. Where did you start in putting together "Seduction"?

A. The songs came first. I love these songs. You've probably heard a lot of them, but hopefully, we've done them in a different way or put a little twist on them. Songs like "Cry Me A River" and "Fever," you've heard a hundred times. "Never On A Sunday" is a really cute song, but not the way we're doing it. (Laughs.) We've turned it into a jazz waltz.

A lot of the songs are jazz standards. The most recent one is probably "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," and we're doing that one differently, too. There are 20 songs in the production.

Q. You've seen your fair share of cabaret productions. What's the fascination?

A. It's casual. It's relaxed. It was a performer performing, but with their guard down. It was simple and elegant and raw. Not raw as in unrehearsed, but raw because it was right there in front of you. It was simple yet extremely entertaining.