Tune in to the next cheeky episode of Whitefish Cabaret

With a satiric song in their heart and a bawdy joke on their minds, the Whitefish Cabaret has slipped into something more comfortable for the summer season.  

During a Saturday morning rehearsal in April, company members David Blair, Becky Rygg, Collette Strean, Mikey Winn and production manager Kelsie Gripentrog gathered at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish to give a sneak preview of what's in store ahead of the show’s opening.  

“We do sketch comedy and song parodies, and it’s very irreverent and raunchy and sexy,” Blair said.   

“Could be even funny,” Stern said.  

“May-be even funny,” he said, laughing.  

The Whitefish Cabaret brings comedic theater to the stage through original songs, sketches and parody. It's the Flathead Valley and the world as seen through the lens of “four wicked performers” to be skewered, scrutinized and celebrated.  

The camaraderie between the group is seemingly tangible as they play off each other’s energy, their thoughts picking up where the other left off as if they are handing off a microphone to each other to deliver the punch line.  

“We treat ourselves like a band, we’re a band,” Winn said.  

The close-knit group likens cabaret to a live variety show á la "Saturday Night Live.”  

“But no filter — and very local-centric,” Winn said.  

Therein lies the fun.  

“You know, we’ve also been so, so lucky every venue that we’ve been at, we’ve never had guardrails put on us,” Blair said. “The people who sponsor our show trust us —”  

“And believe in us a lot,” Gripentrog adds.  

For the most part, Winn said, “the audience knows us, and knows the show, and what they’re getting into.” And for newcomers to cabaret, it’s an opportunity to play off the fresh audience reactions.  

“It’s fun to see their reactions to it, whether good or bad, because, you know, it’s a small town. We kind of just get used to everybody,” Winn said.  

The group stands up. Pushing together some wooden blocks in the room, before the dance studio mirror, they begin a skit about "Angry August.” 

Gripentrog walks over to a laptop and turns on the music.  

The players pause, exhaling. Smiles spread across their faces, and with beaming enthusiasm, they begin to belt out a parody of the song “Skid Row (Downtown)” from the Broadway show “Little Shop of Horrors,” name-dropping local places such as Central Avenue and Les Mason State Park, and familiar gripes about tourists, no parking, slow walkers, clogged trails, parttime residents and skyrocketing rent. 

Cabaret is a form of variety entertainment, typically including music, dance and comedy. Performed by an ensemble of actors, its origins are European, and it's often oriented toward adult audiences.  

The lifelong entertainers of Whitefish Cabaret whose hearts belong to theater agreed that cabaret allows them, and their adult audience to drop decorum at the door, let loose, laugh and have fun for a little while, which is freeing. 

IN THE months leading up to the summer season, the troupe has been pitching and writing original content and rehearsing three to four times a week. With years of experience, they know when to push the envelope, ruffle a few feathers, or reel in the humor.  

“There’s no hiding that we’re a pretty progressive group,” Blair said.  

“We gotta make them laugh and think about things,” Rygg said.  

“It’s kind of our responsibility, I think, as performers and actors and comedians, first and foremost, right?” she said.  

“Send in the clowns,” Winn joked.  

Rygg and Winn are the de facto choreographers, the other cabaret members agreed.  

“We move together,” Winn said, eliciting laughs.  

For the costumes, Rygg said they have a general look they created a couple of years ago. 

“We have all these leather pieces that sort of define our personalities on stage, and that morphs into whatever the theme of the show is," Rygg said, ensuring, “We always have a costume change in the middle.” 

The Whitefish Cabaret finds inspiration everywhere. Conversations around the table, group chats, Disney, pop culture, politics — fever dreams — locals and tourists.   

And the show would be remiss if there wasn’t a bit of self-deprecating humor, or an occasional attempt to try and make each other laugh on stage.  

“We laugh at ourselves, too,” Winn said. “[We’re] equal opportunity.”  

Because the aim is to entertain.   

Shows are at 8 p.m. June 29, July 13 and 27, Aug. 3, 17 and 31 at Second Story, 101 Central in Whitefish. Doors open at 7 p.m.   

General admission tickets are $42.14, which includes fees. High-top tables that seat two to four people may also be reserved. Tickets and tables may be purchased online at thewfcabaret.com.    

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.  

    Becky Rygg, Mikey Winn, Collette Strean and David Blair perform as the Whitefish Cabaret.(Courtesy photo)
  

    The Whitefish Cabaret summer season starts June 29 at Second Story, 101 Central, Whitefish. Pictured are David Blair, Becky Rygg, Mikey Winn and Collette Strean. (Courtesy photo).
  

    No-holds-barred Whitefish Cabaret. (Courtesy photo)