(ASBURY PARK, NJ) -- Asbury Park Theater Company (APTCo) is collaborating with Musician, Theater Maker and Story Teller Remember Jones who will co- produce and direct Kabaret Kaput, A Surrealist Rock Kabaret. This concert style cabaret will star Ellen Foley, Robert I. Rubinsky, and Jonathan Freeman. Kabaret Kaput will have three performances at the Jersey Shore Arts Center from April 5-7, 2024.
“We are so honored to welcome Ellen and Robert to our line-up of great stars here at APTCo,” said William Whitefield, Producing Artistic Director of APTCo. “We pride ourselves on producing top notch, professional performances, and these two have been at it since the 60s. Their passion for performing is more than apparent and folks will know and love all the rock songs and standards that are included in this concert. Of course, having Remember Jones at the helm of this show is an amazing opportunity for us too. No one does this better than him.”
APTCo is currently in residence at The Jersey Shore Arts Center located at the city line of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. “It’s great to be presenting Kabaret Kaput in the beautiful Palaia Theater at JSAC, a perfect setting for this intimate cabaret,” says Bob Angelini, APTCo’s Managing Director. “By hosting us, Jersey Shore Arts Center is helping us to achieve our goal of bringing professional level theater to Asbury Park and the surrounding area. They have parking and it’s only a short walk to the shops and restaurants of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove.”
Kabaret Kaput is co-conceived by Foley and Rubinsky. With an implicit theme of ageism, two ancient vaudevillians hang in a surreal Dada world, somewhere outside time and space. This duo is lost and trapped by memories of past glory, and by outside forces, they must continue to belt out classic tunes of hoofing into eternity as they try to break free and find themselves in spacetime. The cabaret concert features music made popular by Meat Loaf, Queen, Blondie, Radiohead, Broadway favorites, and many surprises.
“I have been in show business longer than I can remember,” says Ellen Foley, the show’s co-star. She is most famous for her vocal collaboration with Meat Loaf in the song “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” She co-starred in TV’s Night Court, created the role of the Witch in Sondheim’s Into The Woods in the pre-Broadway production and went on to play the role on Broadway. She has also been seen on screen in One Life to Live, Fatal Attraction, Hair, Tootsie and Married to the Mob to name a few. Also on Broadway, she portrayed the leading role of Sally in Me and My Girl. She has worked with The Clash, Blue Oyster Cult, Ian Hunter, and many other famous rockers.
Robert I. Rubinsky is best known for starring in the original Broadway company of Hair and is on the show’s #1 best-selling original cast album (for which he made $315). “I survived the 60’s, Studio 54, 9 months & 14 days in L.A. and decades performing in NYC’s Downtown ‘scene’,” he jokes. On Broadway, he played the role of Herod in Jesus Chris Superstar, co-wrote the cult musical Dementos with Marc Shaiman, and his off-Broadway, one-man show, Bobby the Middle-Aged Celebrity, was a popular, late night tell-all of being over 65, Jewish and gay...with Tourette’s Syndrome.
The Asbury Park Theater Company's production of Kabaret Kaput is co-produced and directed by Remember Jones, a one-of-a-kind soul/pop singer, storyteller and bandleader with a throwback vibe and authentic energy. Often backed and supported by a large ensemble of musicians, his original music and creative, theatrical events have played to countless packed and sold-out clubs and theaters throughout the United States. Along with his tours as a front man, he is also an accomplished theater and concert producer and director, having co-produced and co- directed Green Day’s American Idiot and Million Dollar Quartet for APTCo, the latter in which he played the leading role of Sam Phillips.
Kabaret Kaput, a Surrealist Rock Kabaret will play for 3 performances, opening on Friday, April 5th and closing on Sunday, April 7th with 2 evening and 1 matinee performance available. The Palaia Theater is located inside the Jersey Shore Arts Center, 66. S. Main Street, Ocean Grove, NJ. Tickets are $40 and available for purchase online. Doors will open 30 minutes prior to the start of each show.
APTCo is proud to recognize Holman Frenia Allison CPA’s and Advisors and The Jules L. Plangere Jr Family Foundation as a sponsor for Kabaret Kaput. “We are grateful that these fine institutions value the arts in our community.” says Angelini.
Photos by Peter Yesley
