Centerstage Enters Annual Cabaret Era Through Their Rendition of “The Eras Tour”

Image Courtesy of Anthony Curioso

By Anthony Curioso

Each fall semester, the CUA student-run theater club Centerstage puts on a cabaret performance consisting of songs from a predetermined artist or show. Previous cabaret performances were themed to Phineas and Ferb in 2023, The Beatles in 2022, and ABBA in 2020.

Centerstage’s choice for this year’s cabaret performance theme was none other than pop megastar Taylor Swift. Accordingly, the title of this year’s cabaret performance, held in the Della Ratta Auditorium in Maloney Hall from October 11-13, was “The Eras Tour (Centerstage’s Version).”

The performance sought to replicate the experience of the real Eras Tour for those who did not have a chance to see a concert. In the Centerstage Eras Tour, CUA students performed songs from each of Swift’s twelve studio albums as solos, in small groups, or with the entire cast.

In contrast to the Phineas and Ferb cabaret performance last year, which exclusively used recorded tracks for the background instruments, “The Eras Tour (Centerstage’s Version)” featured a combination of recorded tracks and a live band. The band featured junior politics major and Tower Quill section editor Thomas Saacks on drums, sophomore musical theater major and the performance’s music director Carolyn Shaffer on piano, senior musical theater major and the performance’s director Emma Markey on guitar, and senior violin performance major Audrey Clement playing violin.

The first album era featured in the cabaret performance was Lover, from which audience members heard “Cruel Summer,” sung by the full cast, and “Lover,” sung by senior musical theater major Emily Barrett, junior elementary education major Caitlin Hernandez, and senior ______ major Helen Ciesinski.  

After Lover, the next eras featured were Fearless and Speak Now. Junior musical theater  major Giovanna Watson sang the popular hit “Our Song”; freshman musical theater major James Moledor sang “Fearless”; and junior computer science major Allison Ewing duetted with freshman musical theater major Gabrianna Beard on “You Belong With Me.”

The setlist continued with freshman musical theater major Jacob Harris and sophomore musical theater major Holly Bruchalski singing “Everything Has Changed” and the full cast singing “22” from the Red era; Watson and freshman musical theater major Tammy Pattugalan singing “Enchanted” from Speak Now; and Ciesinski, Bruchalski and sophomore marketing major Valeria Camilo singing “Don’t Blame Me” from Reputation.

From there, audience members heard three songs amalgamated from the Folklore and Evermore eras: “Champagne Problems” performed by Shaffer, “August” sung by Camilo, and both women joined by Barrett, Ewing, and sophomore music performance major Adelaide Wildermuth for “My Tears Ricochet.”

Moving forward, sophomore musical theater major Alexa Palena sang “Style,” and Hernandez, Moledor, and Barrett sang “Wildest Dreams.” Both are from the 1989 era, and though this was not indicated in the program, the cover of “Style” included background vocals from the remaining cast members. 

The performance concluded with songs from the albums The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) and Midnights. 

For TTPD, freshman musical theater major Bryan Kotlar sang “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” and sophomore musical theater major Natalie Watson sang “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”

Mirroring the real Eras Tour, the Centerstage version included two “surprise songs” as the third- and second-to-last songs of the night. The “surprise songs” for the opening night performance of the Centerstage Eras Tour were “The Moment I Knew” from Red and “Mary’s Song” from Taylor Swift, both sung by freshman English major Elizabeth McKenzie. 

Finally, the whole cast ended on a high note with “Bejeweled” from Midnights.

Throughout the performance, seeing and hearing the crowd’s love of each chosen song was refreshing. The harmonies in each song added a satisfying new flavor to the melody lines, especially when performers added harmonies in sections that did not previously have them. 

Furthermore, though the singers’ microphones cut in and out a few times, their ability to project their voices was impressive and compensated well for any technical difficulties.

The next Centerstage performances will be Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, from February 14-16, 2025, in the Callan Theatre, and Romeo & Juliet, from April 4-6, 2025, in the courtyard adjacent to Ward Hall. Keep an eye out for information on auditions, cast lists, and ticket sales for these performances on the Centerstage Instagram.