The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Kelly Anzalone said the seasoned cast of “Cabaret” doesn’t need to rehearse for the production.

“It’s always interesting the week before the storm,” he said. “We have a small cast and the people in it can learn the lines quickly and be entertaining.”

Anzalone, who is the sound and lighting technician, videographer, and one of the show’s writers and actors, hopes no one is offended by the show’s parodies of Steamboat people and issues.

“It’s not done in malice, it’s just funny,” he said. “It’s a compliment if they think we did it on purpose, but we don’t think that deeply — we just do what’s funny.”

All that’s happened in Steamboat Springs during the past year is fair game for spoofing in “Cabaret.” Some targeted issues include the Steamboat Springs High School Dance Showcase, affordable housing, the Steamboat Springs City Council, the Routt County Board of Commissioners, the Rainbow Gathering, the Steamboat Springs School Board, Realtors and developers.

“I don’t want to say they’re easy game,” said Scott Parker, who is co-directing and co-producing the show with Katy Kriz. Parker also is one of the writers and the emcee. “But it’s like shooting fish in a barrel to make fun of a Realtor.”

The toughest part of Parker’s job was choosing which skits made it into the show.

“I say this every year, but this year it’s actually going to happen,” he said. “The show is going to be shorter and tighter.”

The theme for the “Cabaret,” which is the annual fundraiser for the Steamboat Springs Arts Council, is “Times are a changing.” It fits well with the transformation Steamboat is undergoing.

“The physical characteristics of town are changing with more than 23 major developments currently under way. The Arts Council had some changes with Nancy Kramer’s retirement, the ski area sold, and with my leaving town after eight ‘Cabarets,’” Parker said. “We stay pretty true to the theme, although in years past, the skits really didn’t.”

“Zantac the Effective” will be back, along with Kris Hammond’s mailman character, Anzalone’s traditional guitar song and “Know your current events/real estate.”

“My song is about how Thanksgiving makes me happy, to a nice rock ‘n’ roll guitar riff,” Anzalone said. “I learned a new chord — E minor, so this one is going to be a four-chord song,” he said. “I’m hoping the audience can catch onto the refrain and sing along with me about food, family, fun and food.”

There will be more singing in this show than in years past and a couple videos in the mix.

“We don’t want to beat a dead horse like last year when we had at least a dozen jokes about the tennis center,” Parker said. “But what’s nice about having Kris Hammond as the mailman, we can always throw in a joke at the last minute.”