Many theater lovers believe that nothing rivals a big Broadway show. There’s a mystique to them, a glamour, a something-special-in-the-air quality that steals the spotlight from their just-as-important, just-as-groundbreaking off-Broadway (and off-off Broadway) brethren. There’s often a FOMO sensation akin to Beyoncé or Taylor Swift concerts when the major touring shows roll into Houston.

But it’s entirely possible to feel an identical sensation without the sticker-shock prices, courtesy of the city’s cabaret scene. When you’re able to enjoy musical theater works in a small space, along with some storytelling, you get an opportunity to grow closer to the material, no matter what level of theater geek you happen to be. 

“Cabaret is not a specific style of music,” says Mark Folkes, CEO of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, which hosts the Live at the Founders Club cabaret series. “It actually crosses many styles of music. For us, it centers on the storytelling and the relationship to the artist and the audience.”

Folkes knows the Hobby Center stands as one of Houston’s premier venues for musical theater. The Broadway series brings in top touring shows, while Theater Under the Stars (TUTS) produces superlative shows of its own. Folkes also knows the pricing on those performances can be prohibitive to some Houstonians.

The Live at the Founders Club series, now in its second year, offers an intimate setting with a variety of musical styles, including musical theater. Ticket prices usually start at $58. Virtually every seat has great sight lines to the stage; cheaper tickets aren’t just relegated to the nosebleed seats.

“You have such a sense of community when you experience a show in the Founders Club,” he says.

Tickets for these events are sold for seats at individual tables, so you could be at a four-top with strangers. There’s a food and beverage menu for enjoying a glass of wine, beer, or a cocktail and bites as you’re watching the show. The performance, usually involving a singer and a small band onstage, is a bit less formal than sitting in Sarofim Hall watching Wicked.

“It’s also a chance to know the artists,” Folkes says. “Because they talk about why this music is special to them and share a bit of themselves.”

Regina Thorne-DuBois, the founder and host of The Broad’s Way at Michael’s Outpost in Montrose, knows a thing or two about sharing what’s special. She founded the drag show-cum-cabaret seven years ago, and it’s been a staple of the piano bar’s Monday nights ever since. Performances are free, although tipping is highly encouraged, and there’s a one-drink minimum per person.

Most performers come from around Houston, sometimes across the state, and usually number about five to six per show, always including two from the resident company. But they’re all on The Broad’s Way stage because they connect to the material. That is an important part of Thorne-DuBois’s mission.

“If you are presenting art that is rooted in musical theater, it’s welcome,” she says. “I encourage artists to bring in pieces that are speaking to them, whether or not they…would directly align with that particular character in that particular show, in that particular age range…I encourage people to be willing to take songs out of context so that they can tell the most impactful story possible for guests.”

That means programs run the gamut from drag performers to singers to duets or trios, or other group combinations—there was once an interpretive dance performance even. It’s all designed to be welcoming to musical theater fans and nonfans alike.

“The audience gets the opportunity to see little snippets of shows,” she says. “Some they might know really well, if they are popular shows like Annie, The Color Purple, Gypsy, or Hamilton. Then, they’re also getting to see songs from some not-so-popular shows that they might not have heard of, like Kiss of the Spider Woman or Heathers.”

Lauren Salazar, who performs at The Broad’s Way and has been seen in musicals like A Charlie Brown Christmas at Queensbury Theatre, describes The Broad’s Way as Houston’s only musical theater revue with both live singing and drag performances.

“It’s such a celebration of the Houston musical theater scene,” she says. “You could have a drag performer who gives you this emotional ballad or is killing it with choreography. It’s an amazing experience.”

Salazar is also on stage at Ovations, a tiny spot in Rice Village next to Main Street Theater, where Paul Hope Cabarets offers five shows a year at a $25 price point. The group’s focus is on keeping the Great American Songbook alive. In general, that moniker refers to popular, Hollywood, and musical theater selections penned from the 1920s through the 1960s.

“Those songs connect me to childhood,” says Salazar, who recently performed in Paul Hope Cabarets' Something Wonderful, featuring songs from the last 10 years of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s collaboration. Think The King and I, The Sound of Music, Cinderella, and Flower Drum Song. “They’re from shows that made me want to be a performer, and they are the foundation of today’s musical theater.”

Her Paul Hope Cabarets castmate Pantelis Karastamatis agrees.

“It’s an opportunity to sing a bunch of different repertoires, and I get to sing with really lovely people all the time,” he says. “It’s also an excellent community. People who come to our shows really appreciate these building block songs.”

Paul Hope, a veteran Houston performer with Alley Theatre and TUTS, founded this iteration of his cabaret show five years ago, although it existed for 20 years before that at Bayou City Concert Musicals. He offers narration throughout the evening, giving the audience insights on the songs and composers, trivia, and even a bit of backstage drama.

“Cabaret by its nature is intimate,” he says. “I think this allows people to experience these songs differently. If you hear a song in a musical, you experience it as central to the show. But when you hear it on its own, you’re hearing the song itself, with sometimes different shades of meaning.”

That’s one of the things David LaDuca loves about singing the Great American Songbook. The established actor and singer performs around Houston, including at Blue Tuba’s Sunday jazz brunches and in a monthly series at EQ Heights. He also offers private shows to senior living centers.

“The Great American Songbook music represents a treasured soundtrack of our lived experience, matching milestones of one’s life with the music of that moment,” he says. “I often blend together the original style of a song written for the stage or a film with a big band or bossa nova arrangement of the piece, lifting it from the composer’s version into a musical language that intends to give it a slightly different take. This exercise also allows me to honor well-crafted songs while infusing my own style.”

And while he may connect to the material personally, he loves that others do as well. Many audience members recall these songs when they were new, and they have their own personal connection to the material.

“Of all the things that I do, singing these songs brings me the most joy because it’s bringing joy to other people,” he says.

For audiences, cabaret offers a sort of choose-your-own adventure. Grab a drink, settle in, chat with your friends, then listen to performers sing great songs with personal meaning behind them. It’s the ultimate experiential night out, where you’re up close to the performers and get a window into their worlds.