3-10-26-Ann Hampton Callaway INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Ann Hampton Callaway, a Tony Award nominee and singer-songwriter, will perform March 20 at The Cabaret Theatre in downtown Indianapolis. The concert, titled “I Get a Kick Out of Cole,” will serve as a benefit for Magic Thread Cabaret. T he program celebrates the music of Indiana composer Cole Porter. Callaway, an inductee of the Women’s Songwriters Hall of Fame, is the only artist to have collaborated with Porter by composing music for previously unpublished lyrics. Proceeds from ticket sales will support the operational expenses of Magic Thread Cabaret. Callaway will be joined by the Sean Baker Trio for a program featuring Porter classics including “Just One of Those Things,” “From This Moment On,” “Night and Day” and “Every Time We Say Goodbye.” The concert will also include “I Gaze in Your Eyes,” a song Callaway composed using a poem written by Porter, making her the only composer to work with Porter’s lyrics posthumously. The collaboration on “I Gaze in Your Eyes” began while Callaway was living in Greenwich Village and discovered Porter lyrics that had never been set to music. After composing a melody, the song was eventually published with approval from the Porter estate. “Porter is, to me, one of the greatest American composers,” Callaway said. “And he was that rare genius who could combine wit and soul. He could write lyrics and music at the same time.” Callaway said she developed an early connection to Porter’s music growing up in the Midwest, where she listened to jazz singers and recordings from the Great American Songbook on her parents’ records. “I grew up listening to the Great American Songbook on my parents’ wonderful records, the great jazz singers, the great movie themes,” Callaway said. “My sister and I were very lucky to grow up with these incredible songs.” The concert will raise funds for Magic Thread Cabaret, which focuses on developing emerging talent in the cabaret industry. Callaway said she is performing the tribute to support the mission of longtime friend Tom Alvarez and his business partner Dustin Klein. “I love how Magic Thread Cabaret serves as an incubator to develop and nurture emerging artists who are the next shining generation of cabaret performers,” Callaway said. Alvarez said the organization is grateful for Callaway’s support. “Klein, MTC artistic director, and I are deeply honored and grateful that a renowned entertainer of Ann’s caliber is coming off the road to headline a concert on behalf of Magic Thread Cabaret and demonstrate her support of our mission to provide a creative home for rising cabaret artists,” Alvarez said. The production is presented by title sponsor Ammeen Associates LLC, with additional support from Virgil and Robert Chan, Martha O’Connor, Ed Heneke, Roger Schmelzer and Lucinda Schley Phillips. Tickets for the March 20 performance are available through the community events page at thecabaret.org. Proceeds will help fund Magic Thread Cabaret’s operational expenses. ...read more read less