They say “Love is a many splendored thing,” and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, love is in the air at Savannah Cabaret. Theatergoers are invited to immerse themselves in their new theatrical cabaret experience “Love Stories/Love Songs 2: Love Endures.”
“One of the themes I wanted to explore in this show with these stories was the idea of how love endures in various ways,” said show writer and producer Rick Garman.
There will be two performances Friday, February 10 at 7:30pm, and on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14 at 7:30pm at Club One’s Bay Street Theatre.
Garman has written several novels and more than a dozen Christmas movies for Hallmark Channel, Great American Family, and more but this show at the Savannah Cabaret is different.
The show features four tales of four very different couples at different stages of their relationships.
In one, a character’s (Cory) spouse (Parker) has died unexpectedly, but letting go is made difficult by the presence of Parker’s ghost.
“It is the one-year anniversary of his death and at the very beginning, his ghost shows up. They spend a night together remembering their love for one another,” said Garman.
In another, all is fair when love is war, and for Avery and Logan, that is the case. The two had a turbulent marriage, and the day they divorced was the happiest of their lives. And Garman shows us the last thing you want to happen is to be stuck with your former spouse with nowhere to go.
“They have to go clean up a cabin that they own together so they can sell it as their last asset. The divorce is very acrimonious. They're forced to spend several days together trapped in this cabin because of rain and we find out that love is enduring for them as well,” said Garman.
Now the two must figure out how to reconcile--or kill each other trying. While they are figuring out how they are going to clean things up, there is Hayden, a 50-something year-old who has concluded that love was not in the cards for him, until 20-something Riley comes along and tries to change things.
“Both of them are very resistant to this idea of a ‘May/December romance,’ or romance in general. Over time they discover that what starts off as a casual thing builds into love,” said Garman.
Then there is Kai and Noah. Kai is going to die unless a donor heart is found, and Noah is the doctor determined to find one, but as the end approaches sudden and complex feelings arise between them.
“The idea that there are these roadblocks, these obstacles, these challenges between two people who are starting to develop feelings, but somehow love endures to that. It is this through line of how love inspires; it remembers; it surprises; and, ultimately it endures,” said Garman.
Of course, a Valentine’s Day cabaret is not complete without music.
Songs include “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys; “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel; “Endless Love” by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie; “Open Arms” by Journey; “Dancing On My Own” by Calum Scott; “All I Ask” by Adele; “I Honestly Love You” by Olivia Newton-John; “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, and many more that will help tell this story of powerful love and heartbreak.
“The script is romantic and funny,” said cast-member Hannah Dodson, “and with songs like these, it’s guaranteed to pull at the heartstrings. It’ll make a perfect Valentine’s Day date night outing.”
The talented cast includes some of the performers that are regularly a part of shows, including Dodson, Daniel J. Hilton, Taylor Mercier, and Trey Norris. There are also newer members, Damon Banks Jr., Carrie Kitchen, and Mark Poticny. Even Garman is pushing himself out of his comfort zone by singing and acting in the show.
“It's the things that they bring to the to the to the acting, the things they bring to the story and the things that they bring to our group, which is a great, fun energy,” said Garman of the cast and crew.
The show is directed by Travis Harold Coles and co-produced by Gwen Leahy. For tickets and more information, visit SavannahCabaret.com
