MUSICAL NUMBERS
CAST LIST
PRODUCTION TEAM
CAST BIOS
MUSICAL NUMBERS
Act 1
That’s Entertainment (The Bandwagon, 1953)
Singin’ in the Rain
(Little Nellie Kelly, 1940 and Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise (An American in Paris, 1951)
Broadway Melody (Broadway Melody, 1929)
The French Lesson (Good News, 1947)
Meet Me in St. Louis Medley (Meet Me in St. Louis, 1945)
Steppin’ Out With My Baby/ Puttin’ On the Ritz
(Easter Parade, 1948/ Idiot’s Delight 1939)
I Remember it Well (Gigi, 1958)
Fascinating Rhythm (Lady Be Good, 1941 and Girl Crazy, 1943)
Moses Supposes (Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
I Love a Piano (Easter Parade, 1948)
Le Jazz Hot (Victor/Victoria, 1982)
INTERMISSION
Act 2
There’s No Business Like Show Business
(Annie Get Your Gun, 1950)
Get Happy (Summer Stock, 1950)
You’re Awful (On The Town, 1949)
I Got Rhythm (An American in Paris, 1951)
Tribute to MGM’s Silent Film Era
Love Me or Leave Me (Love Me or Leave Me, 1955)
Good Morning (Babes in Arms, 1939 and Singin’ In The Rain, 1952)
Embraceable You (Girl Crazy, 1943)
Something to Remember You By (The Bandwagon, 1953)
Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz, 1939)
That’s Entertainment Finale (The Bandwagon, 1953)
CAST LIST
Queen City Cabaret
Sarah Folsom & Matthew Umphreys, Artistic Directors and Principal Artists
Featuring
Avery Bargasse
Sara Mackie
Brian Cheung
Annalese Fusaro
The Band
Zach Gutman, Bass
Brian Malone, Drums
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director of Theatre Tyler Gabbard
Technical Director Doug Stock
Marketing Coordinator Maria Marotta
Event Manager Abby Sauer
Spotlight Operator Maria Schlaechter
Box Office Manager Brenda Berger
Executive Director Matt Distel
CAST BIOS
Avery Bargassé, Guest Artist (Previously featured on our May 2024 show, “Lights, Camera, Cabaret: 100 Years of MGM”)
Avery Bargassé displays an impressive command over many contemporary vocal styles;
including jazz, gospel, pop, soul, R&B, Motown, folk, country and musical theater. Some of his
notable performances include singing the theme song for HBO series The Wire, being a musical
guest for then senator Barack Obama, singing as an opening act for R&B singer Gladys Knight,
singing as an invited guest at the U.S. Department of Justice alongside gospel artists Sandi Patty, Rance Allen and the Winans family, not excluding singing background vocals for both Andy Williams and Josh Groban. In addition, he has made musical appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Soulful Symphony, and is an active member of the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus, where he is also a voice instructor. Avery has enjoyed a continued professional relationship with Cincinnati Opera as core chorister. Bargassé is a graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory, with both a Master’s of Music in Contemporary-commercial voice pedagogy and a Bachelor’s of Music in voice performance. He is currently on faculty at Xavier University as an adjunct professor of Voice.
including jazz, gospel, pop, soul, R&B, Motown, folk, country and musical theater. Some of his
notable performances include singing the theme song for HBO series The Wire, being a musical
guest for then senator Barack Obama, singing as an opening act for R&B singer Gladys Knight,
singing as an invited guest at the U.S. Department of Justice alongside gospel artists Sandi Patty, Rance Allen and the Winans family, not excluding singing background vocals for both Andy Williams and Josh Groban. In addition, he has made musical appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Soulful Symphony, and is an active member of the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus, where he is also a voice instructor. Avery has enjoyed a continued professional relationship with Cincinnati Opera as core chorister. Bargassé is a graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory, with both a Master’s of Music in Contemporary-commercial voice pedagogy and a Bachelor’s of Music in voice performance. He is currently on faculty at Xavier University as an adjunct professor of Voice.
Brian Cheung, Student Guest Artist
Brian Cheung is a junior musical theater student currently at CCM. He is from Suzhou, China. At CCM: Male Swing in She Loves Me, Otto in Spring Awakening, Ensemble (Understudy Oscar) in Sweet Charity, John Brooke in Little Women, Swing in Once on This Island. Elsewhere: Label•less at Playhouse in the Park (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Sarah Folsom (she/her) is a Founding Artistic Director and Principal Artist with Queen City Cabaret.
Hailed as a “masterful performer” of vintage jazz, pop, and cabaret, Sarah is a sought-after performer in clubs and theatres across the country. She has recently appeared as a featured vocalist with The Cincinnati Pops, The Cincinnati Opera, The Vocal Arts Ensemble, The Jazz Series at Memorial Hall, The Young Professionals Choral Collective, The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, The Washington Opera House, The Union Ensemble, and The May Festival Chorus, as well as on Cincinnati Educational Television and TVHamilton. In 2021, she competed as a quarterfinalist in the American Traditions Vocal Competition and released her first album with QCC, Count Your Blessings: A Tribute to Rosemary Clooney.
A native of Tallahassee FL, Sarah completed her Master’s degree at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music in 2015, where she currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre Voice. In addition to making a lot of noise, Sarah loves to garden, burn things on the stove, and hang out with her wife Amy and their two cats, Spooky and Jazzpurr.
Upcoming: “Perfectly Marvelous” at The Fitton Center for Creative Arts, “As Time Goes By” at Memorial Hall, “Rocktails” at The Carnegie, and Fiddler on the Roof (appearing as Fruma Sarah) at Cincinnati Opera.
Annalese Fusaro, Student Guest Artist
Annalese Fusaro is so thrilled to be returning to The Carnegie with Queen City Cabaret! She is a rising senior Musical Theatre major at CCM where she most recently performed in Sweet Charity (Frug dancer, dance captain) and sang alongside Aaron Lazar as a guest artist in his Cabaret at Werner Recital Hall. Some other favorite performance credits include Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls (The Carnegie), Maggie Winslow in A Chorus Line (Riverside CPA), and singing for The Cincinnati Bengals’ Halftime Show. Big thanks to her family, teachers, and friends for the constant love and support!
Zach Gutman, Bass
Zach Gutman is a recent CCM Jazz Studies Masters grad who plays the upright bass, bass guitar, and guitar professionally in the Greater Cincinnati area and beyond. He started playing bass as an elementary schooler in West Bloomfield Michigan, and attained a degree in Music Education at Central Michigan University with a specialization in Classical Double Bass. He plays classical, jazz, rock, pop, and many other kinds of music, and teaches as well.
Sara Mackie, Guest Artist
Just had the greatest honor of her lofe playing Dolly Levi and can now retire on a secluded island herding cats – Except, she really loves performing with these two QCC MPVs, so she’ll have to stay! Selected Credits: Fun Home, Hands on a Hardbody, all Wonderettes iterations, Mauritius, Fiona (ETC);This is Tom Jones!, An Act of God, Family Ties, (HRTC); Hello Dolly, Pump Boys and Dinettes; (Carnegie); Wrecking Ball, The Taming of the Shrew, Pride and Prejudice, (Cincy Shakes); and Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune (NET). You can also catch her briefly in some of the great feature films shot in Cincinnati, such as The Bikeriders, The Public and Dark Waters. Thank you for supporting live performance!
Brian Malone, Drums
Brian is a freelance percussionist and has performed from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center to South America, Europe, and Japan and with artists such as Aretha Franklin, Don Rickles, The Beach Boys, Joe Piscopo, The Skivvies, Bootsy Collins, xylophone virtuoso Ian Finkel, and the rock groups Over the Rhine and Blessid Union of Souls. He can be found in the pit at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and at regional theaters and in tours around the country. Brian has performed with the Kentucky Symphony, Cincinnati Ballet Orchestra, Butler Philharmonic, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Springfield Symphony Orchestra, and with the Cincinnati Opera. Brian also leads the Caribbean ensemble Bacchanal Steel Band and performs in the modern rock group Flying Underground. He has music degrees from CCM and Miami University. Visit www.brianmalone.com
Matthew Umphreys
Matthew Umphreys is a Cincinnati-based musician who loves working with great singers, regardless of genre. He has worked around the country as a pianist, coach, arranger and music director with organizations such as a Cincinnati Opera, Playhouse in the Park, The Carnegie, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Vocal Arts Ensemble, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Song Initiative, The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati, the American Traditions Competition, the Skivvies, and Celtic Woman. Matthew is a Founding Artistic Director and Principal Artist of Queen City Cabaret, which released their debut album Count Your Blessings: A Tribute to Rosemary Clooney in December 2021.
Matthew currently serves as Director of Music at Columbia Baptist and Linwood Baptist churches in Cincinnati and he is a sought-after collaborator for recordings and recitals. He holds degrees from Luther College and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In his free time (lol), Matthew enjoys practicing yoga, riding roller coasters and baking muffins.
