By Jeanne Beechwood
A new entertainment venue in the Waldo district will open this weekend, June 7-9, in a revived historic ballroom.
SOCab Waldo’s grand opening will include a cabaret dinner theatre event at 8011 Wornall Rd. featuring a Sondheim Tribute Revue, where talented singers will perform beloved songs from Stephen Sondheim’s iconic Broadway shows. The dinner includes a six-course meal prepared by in-house chefs from EA Catering.
SOCab Waldo is the brainchild of master multi-tasker Coralyn Martin, who also runs the Cabaret Arts and Social Theatre of Kansas City (C.A.S.T.) located at 9050 Metcalf , a vibrant venue welcoming adult artists to share their performance gifts in theatre, music and dance.
Dinner theatre in Waldo was first introduced by Dennis Hennessey and Richard Carruthers in 1973 with Waldo Astoria off 75th and Wornall. Eventually they relocated the dinner theatre to Overland Park where it is now known as the New Theatre Restaurant.
The venue for SoCab in Waldo is the former Waldo Pets. Before that the building was Mary’s Supper Club from the 1940’s to the 1970’s.
This historic supper club had a stage, a number of small tables and a large open dance floor. The original parquet dance floor remains to this day. Martin’s grandmother, Rebecca, actually danced on the floor of Mary’s Supper Club. When SoCab Waldo opens this weekend they hope to bring back the original intent of the building as a supper club and entertainment destination.
The Sondheim Tribute Revue includes six powerhouse vocalists and a piano player in a concert style setting. Fifteen songs will be performed. This show’s mission, similar to that of C.A.S.T., is to create jobs for working artists in Kansas City. It helps local artists sustain themselves and hone their craft through dance, music and performance, education and community opportunities. “The best vocalists will never make it to Hollywood. You’ll never hear about them, because they’re working at a restaurant somewhere, or behind a desk, or on a construction job site,” Martin said. “Our goal is to bring those talented performers out of the shadows, and give them the spotlight in front of a local audience that will appreciate them.”
The in-house chefs are preparing a custom menu for the show such as hors d’oeuvres, soup, salad, meat dish and dessert. For information about the menu call 913-961-6226.
Showtimes for A Sondheim Tribute are Friday, June 7 from 7 to 9 pm, Saturday, June 8 from 7 to 9 pm and Sunday, June 9 from 1 to 3pm. Reservations are essential as the venue is very intimate with a seating capacity of 40. Patrons can receive a discount on the purchase of a group table ( 4 persons) by using this coupon code GroupVIP 15. To order tickets go to www.socialcabaret.com/special-events.
Jeanne Beechwood is the owner/director of Martin City Melodrama.