Downtown Cabaret Theatre

Bill Mayeran

Bridgeport's secret hidden gem. An unappreciated creative display of talent that almost died. Rent was as professionally performed as any Broadway production (I saw it twice). The only disappointment is in the staging not the acting. Greatly appreciated the renovation efforts. The theater deserves better community support and suburban attention.

Rafael Hermoso

Support the arts

Jessica Timmons

The Rolling Stones show last night was HORRIBLE!! So low-rent, rinky-dink , no visuals, a Walmart looking keyboard, tiny lil amps, the front man sucked, had bad Jagger moves, he talked/screamed the words, sounded out of breath, boring and almost painful to watch… all he did was “point”👆👉 No where did they reference The Stones.. and they added a band member in a banana yellow oversized suit that just stood playing guitar in one spot the whole show! Looked so weird.. There’s 4 members of the Stones.. not 5! Pathetic wardrobe changes..couldn’t wait till it was over. Waste of time, gas and money. Then the took off their wigs and started striking their own set! Stay off the circuit guys, you’re really bad(to be nice)!

KK

I used to love going to DCT, taking family and friends, and supporting this local theater but then over the years I noticed that most of their shows were very, very white-centric. I wrote to them twice in the past couple years asking why don't they promote more diverse shows, themes, and engage the town more to share the love of theater? I told them very honestly that they keep doing the same: Annie, Legally Blonde, Santa's Elves, Joseph/Coat type productions and catering to the same "crowd" when Bridgeport is one of the most ethnically diverse towns in CT. There's such a need right now for diversity, representation. No response from DCT at all. Then I got an email about their new production of Rapunzel. Rapunzel!!! So I'm posting a public review of DCT here to share my thoughts bc I think this topic is important. DCT: You guys are operating in a white bubble and ignoring what's going on around you. - The Bijou Theater celebrates Black History Month; they put on Soul, Funk shows. - The Quick Center @ Fairfield Univ curates a very wide range of thought-provoking, international shows. - Shubert Theater offers all sorts of quirky, hot topic productions. - Westport Playhouse is showcasing Korean-Canadian, Black, Latino playwrights in 2022. - I could go on. I can't spend another penny at DCT unless they offer more diversity, inclusion, outreach. * I think Cabaret should make a public statement like this Opera House in East Haddam, CT (from their website): EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND JUSTICE STATEMENT All of us at Goodspeed Musicals recognize that our programming, our staff, our artists, our Board of Trustees, and our audience should reflect the rich diversity of the communities we serve. Throughout our history too little effort has been made to change the gender, racial, and ethnic representation of our theatre. We acknowledge the moral imperative to address barriers for women and people of color, with particular emphasis on the highest levels of Goodspeed, where greater equity and inclusion will be most impactful. Goodspeed is committed to this work, and we wish to address it directly, publicly, and transparently. To guide our progress, in the summer of 2020 Goodspeed established a Racial Equity Task Force comprised of Board and staff and charged it with recommending actions to lead to greater diversity, equity, and inclusion among our staff, creative teams, performing artists, Trustees, and audience. In acknowledging our shortcomings, Goodspeed has engaged the services of a minority-owned and operated company whose mission is to help clients be better individuals and leaders with a deeper understanding of how the legacy of racism and injustice affect us all. We will be updating on the progress of our work in this space. Goodspeed Musicals has evolved a long and respected reputation as a leader in our industry while we’ve entertained audiences and created work that has moved our community towards greater inclusion. But we have much work to do if we are to create the safe and inclusive environment we envision. As we build on our great history, it is critical that equity, diversity, inclusion and justice for all be among our guiding principles. We commit to undertaking this journey with fervor, empathy for all and with joy. Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director David B. Byrd, Managing Director March 8, 2021 That is amazing and beautiful and very much needed here in Bridgeport too.