Wine Times: Class By the Glass

 PlayhouseSquare

Lora Workman's passion for cabaret began when she started going to shows with a friend who was a fan of the classic art form. After her friend's untimely death, she felt compelled to take up cabaret in his honor.

Workman has morphed into a champion of art form  in our region, going on to create the Cabaret Cleveland Project to promote advancement and awareness of cabaret.  Her latest performance, Class By the Glass, hits the 14th Street Theatre for a third time at 8:30 p.m. this Saturday. While Workman and other local artists perform a humorous musical routine, audience members can enjoy wine, appetizers and dessert.

Playing off of the opening of Sister Act at PlayhouseSquare, Workman’s cabaret will explore the concept of religion and the effect it has on our lives through playful song and light-hearted comedy in What A Fool Believes.

“It’s about the religions we grew up with, and we change the songs to fit around our stories,” says Workman, who studied cabaret at Baldwin Wallace and in New York and Italy. “We’re all about the comedy part of it because we’re making fun of ourselves, our own religious upbringing, other people and other things.”

The Pope’s resignation came at the perfect time for Workman's performance. She hints that the audience might get the chance to hear the Pope’s side of the story.

"We’re going to break the fourth wall and go out into the audience and engage them,” Workman says. “We love to hear people laugh. It means we’re doing something right!”

Known for her choreography, Workman has been involved in shows at the Beck Center of the Arts, Cassidy Theatre and the Huntington Theatre. She also teaches students in the weeklong Cabaret Intensive , July 28-August 2 at Baldwin Wallace University, that culminates with an evening performance.

For more information on Class By the Glass visit playhousesquare.com.